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The Law of Freedom in a Platform

I have been reading up on the diggers and levellers lately what with all of this land-grabbing that is going on around the world. Living in an apartment I always have my eye on any bit of land that looks fertile or even just neglected. Gerrard Winstanley was one of the original land-redistribution activists in the Western tradition. He wrote many pamphlets, this is his most extensive one which gives his ideas of the basic problem in our world (buying and selling) and how we can create a better world for ourselves and our children. It is quite extensive and the whole thing can be viewed here. I have taken some of my favorite passages for you below:

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April 21, 2010
Read more about the article The Generous Pumpkin
Food Facts / hellaD / Our Food

The Generous Pumpkin

Not only is the flesh of the pumpkin delicious and nutritious, but also it's seeds and blossoms, in fact, in some places even the leaves are added to soup. Pumpkins have the ability to create healing in both the Earth and our bodies.

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October 2, 2009
Grow Your Own

Mowed – Greenway Guerrilla Garden

On the evening of August 20th 2009, I took my 20 minute walk, laden with water for my garden. It was the night of the black moon but I was happy loping down the hill the my little bit of greenspace. When I arrived and realized the garden had been mowed to the ground I was in such a state of shock, I went ahead and watered it and headed back home, feeling rather conflicted.

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August 26, 2009
Gardens / Photo Galleries

Pests in the Balcony Garden 09

Previous

We had a serious attack of spider mites. They started in the catnip and yarrow and somehow got to the choko and beans. They took the choko down in no time, fortunately it is a hardy plant and it has now grown back to where it was when the spider mites devoured it.

This was my first real run-in with spider mites, which are quite a common especially in container and greenhouse gardeing. I tried neem oil and washing the leaves off, but I think my problem was too advanced by the time I used these measures. I finally found a recipe for a light glue that is sprayed on the back of the leaves and smothers the mites. This has to be done every so often as the eggs will keep hatching. It seems to have finally put a stop to them and my beans are looking a bit better. I also gave them a dandelion tea because I thought it might help add some potassium to the soil and that is another thing beans can easily become deficient in if they are in containers.

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July 28, 2009
Gardens / Photo Galleries

Guerrilla Garden Slideshow I

The revenge of the Bean Bandits and Pirate Tomatoes is upon us! I finally found a good spot on one of the Greenways of Vancouver BC. No one was using it, it got good sun and was just by a sky-train and rail-road tracks so it seemed a perfect spot. There is a lot more space available in this area,…

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July 28, 2009
Gardens / Photo Galleries

Vancouver Community Gardens I

Vancouver City Council passed a motion in 2006 to encourage 2,010 new gardens by 2010. Now there are more than 40 community or resident-shared gardens with more than 1,700 garden plots and more on the way. There is a great brochure that the City of Vancouver has put out with a good map that shows great walking and bicycle tours…

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July 20, 2009
Book Reviews / Food Security

Food Security & Sustainability

Spider Web

Food Security & Sustainability: For The Times Ahead by Harvest McCampbell, published by Bio Diverse Press in May 2008 arrived just in time.

This book is a level headed and comprehensive look at what is coming our way. Without fear-mongering and trying to get rich off of your fears, Harvest McCampbell provides a wealth of resources and practical steps that you can take to prepare for the transition that our world is gearing up for.

Harvest shares her vision of a Green World that her Grandmother passed down to her, and makes us consider how we would survive if we woke up one day in a world without asphalt or cars. In this book Harvest shares her answers to the question her Gram used to ask her when they were out in the woods gathering wild food and herbs.

“Maybe today, maybe when we get back to where we left the car, there will be no car, there will be no roads. Then what will we do Little One?”

In a few simple paragraphs, Harvest McCampbell filled my head with visions of the Green World her Gram spoke of and my heart with a secure feeling of hope. This book points to how we can each help each other to find our way through the mess we have made of things by working together with respect and confidence.

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July 12, 2009