Professor Lonnie Gamble | StudentBlogs / Tom Lassota

Review of the Bioneers conference by Tom Lassota.

The conference expanded my knowledge of the diverse areas of concern and how individuals have found creative ways to tackle these problems. I came into the conference with no knowledge of what was to be presented. The focus on indigenous peoples and poorer sections of society was handled with great compassion and recognition of our inseparable interdependence

I enjoyed the talk by Judy Wicks and her recognition of the needs of her employees and her concerns about the source of food that she served at her restaurant. Her uncompromising insistence on fairness and recognition of ethical principals was inspiring. I like her activist approach to converting venders to ecologically serving practices and the way profits can increase by serving man and nature simultaneously. She took responsibility for everyone in her world by serving them through her organizing of the distribution of healthy food and fair wages and profit.

Biomimicry. I enjoyed Jay Harman on design that mimics nature. The results of careful observation and mirroring of the shapes in nature had for me miraculous applications derived from the law of least action. The structure of water is cognized by living systems in an intelligence that links them together in an elegant dance of opposites working together. The demonstration of the impellers interacting with air and water was really spectacual demonstration for the nonbeliever of the wisdom found in all natural systems. I also like the way he treats his coworkers introducing them to give the presentations and giving them credit for their work on individual inventions.

Van Jones. I enjoy speakers who can be informative and also have a great sense of humor. He is very articulate and coherent and is so connected to the people he is representing. I’m glad to see how well he interacts with the Media and Congress and is able to delivers a clear and emotionally charged message which is factually accurate.

Tom Lassota

Report on “Permaculture Magazine” article.

I reviewed the article in “Permaculture Magazine” No 15, on “The cardboard Revolution”. In the article John Walker and Englishman explains his experience with sheet mulching. He was inspired by a video by Bill Mollison, “In danger of Falling Food – The Permaculture Consept”

The steps he took to garden like nature without tilling.

Found a piece of ground available from the government for gardening.
Cut down the weeds and removed rubbish.
Scattered a generous helping of chicken manure
Covered the ground with cardboard carefully overlapping the edges to prevent weeds from coming through.
Found a source of compost from a mushroom farm and spread it out 4 in. thick over the cardboard.
Covered the whole thing with 6 in. of straw to act as a water- saver, and a weed blocker and then soaked everything with water.
After allowing a few weeks for things to settle in before he started planting. He find the compost was too wet and the cardboard still in tact.
His solution was to cut a sleet through the cardboard and mix the under lying soil with the compost.
In retrospect he would have left some the ground free of cardboard in the first season for root crops like carrots and parsnips
The straw had an insulating effect on the ground and keep it from warming up after the winter. The plants he put in just didn’t grow until the air temperature went up.
Some of the hardener weeds like creeping thistle came through the cardboard and he removed their deep tap roots with a fork.
Conclusion: This technique worked to keep down weeds, slow down water evaporation from the summer heat and lack of rainfall, and added valuable nutrients to the soil.

Tom Lassota

Ten trees with the same uses. Eatable seeds fruits or sap, and lumber.

Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
A deciduous tree growing to 20m by 5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 1. It is in
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy, Secondary, Sunny Edge.
Edible Uses
Flowers; Inner bark; Leaves; Sap; Sweetener; Tea.
Inner bark - raw or cooked. Best in the spring. The inner bark can also be dried and ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups or be added to flour and used in making bread, biscuits etc. Inner bark is generally only seen as a famine food, used when other forms of starch are not available or are in short supply.

Sap - raw or cooked. A sweet flavor. Harvested in early spring, before the leaves unfurl, by tapping the trunk. The flow is best on warm sunny days following a hard frost. The sap usually runs freely, but the sugar content is lower than in the sugar maples. A pleasant sweet drink, it can also be concentrated into a syrup or sugar by boiling off much of the water. The sap can also be fermented to make birch beer or vinegar. An old English recipe for the beer is as follows:
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I reviewed the article in “Permaculture Magazine” No 15, on “The cardboard Revolution”. In the article John Walker and Englishman explains his experience with sheet mulching. He was inspired by a video by Bill Mollison, “In danger of Falling Food – The Permaculture Consept”
The steps he took to garden like nature without tilling.

Found a piece of ground available from the government for gardening.
Cut down the weeds and removed rubbish.
Scattered a generous helping of chicken manure
Covered the ground with cardboard carefully overlapping the edges to prevent weeds from coming through.
Found a source of compost from a mushroom farm and spread it out 4 in. thick over the cardboard.
Covered the whole thing with 6 in. of straw to act as a water- saver, and a weed blocker and then soaked everything with water.
After allowing a few weeks for things to settle in before he started planting. He find the compost was too wet and the cardboard still in tact.
His solution was to cut a sleet through the cardboard and mix the under lying soil with the compost.
In retrospect he would have left some the ground free of cardboard in the first season for root crops like carrots and parsnips
The straw had an insulating effect on the ground and keep it from warming up after the winter. The plants he put in just didn’t grow until the air temperature went up.
Some of the hardener weeds like creeping thistle came through the cardboard and he removed their deep tap roots with a fork.
Conclusion: This technique worked to keep down weeds, slow down water evaporation from the summer heat and lack of rainfall, and added valuable nutrients to the soil.

Ten trees with the same uses. Eatable seeds fruits or sap, and lumber.

Paper Birch: Betula papyrifera

A deciduous tree growing to 20m by 5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 1. It is in
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy, Secondary, Sunny Edge.
Edible Uses
Flowers; Inner bark; Leaves; Sap; Sweetener; Tea.
Inner bark - raw or cooked. Best in the spring. The inner bark can also be dried and ground into a meal and used as a thickener in soups or be added to flour and used in making bread, biscuits etc. Inner bark is generally only seen as a famine food, used when other forms of starch are not available or are in short supply.
Sap - raw or cooked. A sweet flavor. Harvested in early spring, before the leaves unfurl, by tapping the trunk. The flow is best on warm sunny days following a hard frost. The sap usually runs freely, but the sugar content is lower than in the sugar maples. A pleasant sweet drink, it can also be concentrated into a syrup or sugar by boiling off much of the water. The sap can also be fermented to make birch beer or vinegar. An old English recipe for the beer is as follows:

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Very young leaves, shoots and catkins - raw or cooked.

A tea is made from the young leaves and also from the root bark.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Antirheumatic; Astringent; Febrifuge; Miscellany; Sedative; Skin.
Paper birch was often employed medicinally by many native North American Indian tribes who used it especially to treat skin problems. It is little used in modern herbal preperations.

The bark is antirheumatic, astringent, lithontripic, salve and sedative. The dried and powdered bark has been used to treat nappy rash in babies and various other skin rashes. A poultice of the thin outer bark has been used as a bandage on burns. A decoction of the inner bark has been used as a wash on rashes and other skin sores. Taken internally, the decoction has been used to treat dysentery and various diseases of the blood.

The bark has been used to make casts for broken limbs. A soft material such as a cloth is placed next to the skin over the broken bone. Birch bark is then tied over the cloth and is gently heated until it shrinks to fit the limb.

A decoction of the wood has been used to induce sweating and to ensure an adequate supply of milk in a nursing mother. A decoction of both the wood and the bark has been used to treat female ailments.
Other Uses
Dye; Fuel; Hair; Paper; Pioneer; Waterproofing; Wood.
The thin outer bark is used to make drinking vessels, canoe skins, roofing tiles, buckets etc. This material was very widely used by various native North American Indian tribes; it is waterproof, durable, tough and resinous. Only the thin outer bark is removed, this does not kill the tree. It is most easily removed in late spring to early summer.
It makes fine firewood. It is acceptable for furniture parts, floors, and Oriented Strand Board.

The outer bark has also been used as emergency sun-glasses in order to prevent snow-blindness. A strip of bark 4 - 5cm wide is placed over the eyes, the natural openings (lenticels) in the bark serving as apertures for the eyes.

A brown to red dye can be made from the inner bark.

A pioneer species, it rapidly invades deforested areas (such as after a forest fire or logging) and creates suitable conditions for other woodland trees to follow. Because it cannot grow or reproduce very successfully in the shade it is eventually out-competed by the other woodland trees.

The tree has an extensive root system and can be planted to control banks from erosion.

The bark is good tinder.

An infusion of the leaves is used as a hair shampoo, it is effective against dandruff.

The thin outer bark can be used as a paper substitute. It is carefully peeled off the tree and used as it is.

A fiber is obtained from the inner bark and another from the heartwood; these are used in making paper. The heartwood fiber is 0.8 - 2.7mm long. The branches of the tree can be harvested in spring or summer, the leaves and outer bark are removed, the branches are steamed and the fibers stripped off.

Wood - strong, hard, light, very close grained, elastic, not durable. It weighs 37lb per cubic foot and is used for turnery, veneer, pulp etc. It is also used as a fuel. It splits easily and gives off considerable heat even when green, but tends to quickly coat chimneys with a layer of tar.
Uses- Wood- birch syrup- food for moose, deer, porcupine

Black locust

Robinia pseudoacacia) is a tree in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, but has been widely planted and naturalized elsewhere in temperate North America, Europe and Asia and is considered an invasive species in some areas.
Cultivation
Black locust is a major honey plant in eastern USA, and, having been taken and planted in France, is the source of the renowned acacia monofloral honey from France. Flowering starts after 140 growing degree days.
In Europe it is often planted alongside streets and in parks, especially in large cities, because it tolerates pollution well. The species is unsuitable for small gardens due to its large size and rapid growth, but the cultivar 'Frisian', a selection with bright yellow-green leaves, is occasionally planted as an ornamental tree.
Black locust has nitrogen-fixing bacteria on its root system; for this reason it can grow on poor soils and is an early colonizer of disturbed areas.
Uses, rot resistant fence posts, excellent firewood, honey

Black locust is a ring-porous hardwood.
The wood is extremely hard, resistant to rot and long lasting, making it prized for fence posts and small watercraft. As a young man, Abraham Lincoln spent a lot of time splitting rails and fence posts from black locust logs. Flavonoids in the heartwood allow the wood to last over 100 years in soil.[2] In the Netherlands and some other parts of Europe, black locust is the most rot-resistant local tree, and projects have started to limit the use of tropical wood by promoting this tree and creating plantations. It is one of the heaviest and hardest woods in North America.
Black Locust is unsurpassed as firewood for wood stoves; it burns slowly, with little visible flame or smoke, and has a higher heat content than any other wood that grows in the Eastern US, comparable to the heat content of anthracite".[3
Other Uses
Beads; Ground cover; Incense; Parasiticide; Repellent; Shelterbelt; Tinder; Wax; Wood.
Edible Uses
Condiment; Drink; Flowers; Oil; Seed; Seedpod.

Juniperus scopulorum

Rocky Mountain juniper Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy, Sunny Edge, Ground Cover.
Edible Uses
Coffee; Condiment; Fruit; Tea.
Fruit - raw or cooked. Sweet and fleshy, but strongly flavored. Resinous. Often used as a flavoring, imparting a sage-like taste,
Rocky Mountain juniper was widely employed medicinally by many native North American Indian tribes who used it in particular to treat problems connected with the chest and kidneys
Other Uses
Beads; Ground cover; Incense; Parasiticide; Repellent; Shelterbelt; Tinder; Wax; Wood.

Black Walnut or American Walnut (Juglans nigra L.) is a native of eastern North America, where it grows, mostly alongside rivers, Use as food
The extraction of the kernel from the fruit of the Black Walnut is difficult. The shell is covered by a thick husk that exudes a dark, staining, strong-smelling juice.
Wood
Black Walnut is highly prized for its dark-colored true heartwood. It is heavy and strong, yet easily split and worked. Walnut wood has historically been used for gunstocks, furniture, flooring, paddles, coffins, and a variety of other woodworking products.

Chestnut Hybrids

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Seed.
Seed - raw or cooked. Eaten raw, there is a distinct astringency, especially if the fleshy inner skin beneath the outer shell of the seed is not removed. When cooked, however, and especially when baked, the seed becomes much sweeter and has a floury texture. It then makes an excellent food and can be used as a staple food in much the same way as potatoes or cereals. The seed is low in fats and oils but high in carbohydrates

Ginkgo biloba

Oil; Seed.
Seed - raw (in small quantities), or cooked. A soft and oily texture the seed has a sweet flavor and tastes somewhat like a large pine nut
Ginkgo has a long history of medicinal use in traditional Chinese medicine, where the seed is most commonly used.
The leaves stimulate the blood circulation and have a tonic effect on the brain, reducing lethargy, improving memory and giving an improved sense of well-being
Other Uses
Oil; Soap; Wood.

Asimina triloba, Paw paw

A decidious shrub growing to 4.5m by 4m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen in October.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.
Edible Uses
Fruit.
Edible fruit - raw or cooked. A very good size, it can be up to 16cm long and 4cm wide
The fruit can also be used for making preserves, pies, ice cream and other sweet desserts. The fruit falls from the tree in autumn and is then stored until fully ripe
Other Uses
Dye; Fibre; Insecticide; Wood.
A fibre from the inner bark is used for making strong rope and string.

Diospyros virginiana

American persimmon decidious tree growing to 20m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 4 and is frost tender.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy, Secondary, Sunny Edge.
Edible Uses
Coffee; Fruit; Oil; Sweetener; Tea.
Fruit - raw, cooked or dried and used in breads, cakes, pies, puddings etc. About the size of a plum, the fruit has an exquisitely rich flavour when it is fully ripe
Acer saccharum, Sugar maple
A decidious tree growing to 30m by 12m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 3. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from October to December.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. It can tolerate atmospheric pollution.
Edible Uses
Inner bark; Leaves; Sap; Seed; Sweetener.
The sap contains quite a large proportion of sugar. This can be used as a refreshing drink, or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water

Juglans ailanthifolia cordiformis

Heartseed walnut
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy.
Leaves; Oil; Seed.
Seed - raw or cooked. They are also used in sweets, pies etc. A mild and pleasant flavour, they can be eaten in quantity for dessert. The shell is thin and easily cracked. It is considered to be superior in taste to C. ailanthifolia.

An edible oil is obtained from the seed, though it tends to go rancid quickly.

Sassafras albidum

Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy, Secondary, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.
Edible Uses
Condiment; Leaves; Tea.
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Alterative; Anodyne; Antiseptic; Aromatic; Carminative; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Stimulant; Vasodilator.
Sassafras has a long history of herbal use. It was widely employed by many native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a wide range of complaints, valuing it especially for its tonic effect upon the body. It is still commonly used in herbalism and as a domestic remedy.
Pyrus communis
Wild pear Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Secondary, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.
Edible Uses
Fruit.
Fruit - raw or cooked
Other Uses
Dye; Shelterbelt; Wood.
A yellow-tan dye is obtained from the leaves.

Trees are sometimes used as part of a shelterbelt planting.

Wood - heavy, tough, durable, fine grained, hard. It weighs 51lb per cubic foot. Used by cabinet and instrument makers. When covered with black varnish it is an excellent ebony substitute.
Cultivation details

Juglans cinerea

Butternut Edible Uses
Oil; Sap; Seed; Sweetener.
Seed - eaten raw or ground into a powder and used with cereal flours in making cakes, biscuits, muffins, bread etc
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Astringent; Cholagogue; Febrifuge; Laxative; Odontalgic; Stomachic.
Other Uses
Dye; Herbicide; Wood.

Guild

Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera
A decidious tree growing to 20m by 5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 1. It is in
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Canopy, Secondary, Sunny Edge.
Edible Uses
Flowers; Inner bark; Leaves; Sap; Sweetener; Tea.
Medicinal Uses
Antirheumatic; Astringent; Febrifuge; Miscellany; Sedative; Skin.
Other Uses
Dye; Fuel; Hair; Paper; Pioneer; Waterproofing; Wood.

Comfrey , Mulch
Symphytum officinale
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1.2m by 0.6m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Hedgerow, Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.
Edible Uses
Leaves; Tea.
Young leaves - cooked or raw

Chickweed, Ground cover
Cerastium fontanum
Physical Characteristics
Annual/Perennial growing to 0.3m. . It is in flower from April to June, and the seeds ripen from May to July.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.
Edible Uses
Leaves.
Leaves - raw or cooked[

Giant vetch, Green manure
Vicia gigantean
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 5.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.
Edible Uses
Seed.

Wild ginger, Gound cover
Asarum caudatum
Physical Characteristics
An evergreen perennial growing to 0.1m by 0.25m . It is hardy to zone 7.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.
Edible Uses
Condiment; Tea.
The root can be used as a ginger substitute. The root has a pungent, aromatic smell like mild pepper and ginger mixed, but more strongly aromatic

Alpine strawberry, Compost
Fragaria vesca 'Semperflorens'
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.25m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to November
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.
Edible Uses
Coffee; Fruit; Leaves; Tea.

Grey sage brush, Potash
Atriplex canescens
Physical Characteristics
An evergreen shrub growing to 1.8m by 1.8m . It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower in July, and the seeds ripen in August.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge.
Edible Uses
Colouring; Drink; Leaves; Seed.

Aniseed, Insectide
Pimpinella anisum
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.45m by 0.15m . It is hardy to zone 8 and is frost tender. It is in leaf from May to October, in flower in July, and the seeds ripen from August to September.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.
Edible Uses
Condiment; Leaves; Seed; Tea.

Asparagus, Insectide
Asparagus officinalis
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1.5m by 0.75m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.
Cultivar 'Connover's Colossal': Cultivated Beds.
Edible Uses