Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence :: Part 2 :: A review of what I learned

:: Impact :: Using what I learned ::

Permaculture has a few definitions. One is permanent agriculture; another is a way of life (mindful and considered culture that is passed down through the generations). I attended the 2016 Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence and presented one workshop. This blog post is about the workshops I attended and the after-affects.

Fermentation. My goal for Saturday was to attend this workshop. But I also wanted to be at the mushroom workshop. Argh! Choices!

Why it was great for me: samples. I have fermented in the past. But if I have no evidence to indicate that I will eat a recipe, then I won’t make it. I hadn’t tried brined vegetables except for green beans. They were excellent. But freezing seems to be a better use of my green beans because of my family’s eating habits.

At this workshop, I tried some excellent brined carrots, onion, garlic, and cauliflower as well as a fantastic sauerkraut sample. My previous attempt at sauerkraut was unsuccessful, but I think it was the time of year. Without a fresh head full of moisture and proper culture, I believe that wasn’t set up for success. This workshop inspired me to attempt sauerkraut again, and to make the same brined vegetables.

For the curious: In the photograph, I am using a bag of water as my sauerkraut weight.

Fun for me: I was present when the vegetable jar ‘burped.’ It made me laugh.

Permaculture Basics. I attended this workshop to ensure that I had a good background for the event. Prior to this weekend, I had been to only two Central Iowa Permaculture Guild gatherings. Now that I have Tuesday nights free, I can probably increase that number. I believe that I have practiced permaculture as part of my quest to be frugal in my consumption as well as part of my faith.

This workshop skimmed the basics. I felt that a review of the basic philosophy behind permaculture would help me decide how deep I wanted to explore its subpoints.

Cool for me: This workshop affirmed my belief that I’d been a permie without using that term, and that being faithful and frugal could introduce me to yet another network full of people and resources. (Actually, I am already in that place.)