The Beginnings of a Mushroom Growing Experiment!

I have been eating ½ to 1 pound of mushrooms per week lately. It’s time to try to grow my own. A few days ago, I took a deep breath and ordered some Blue Oyster Mushroom spawn. So here goes the experiment.

There are a number of ways to get started growing mushrooms, so after a bit of research, you get to witness my first attempt. I will give updates in future newsletters. If it works, I’ll post it in a Buy Me a Coffee blog.

First I prepared the growing buckets by creating drainage holes and growing holes.

I purchased pressed wood chip blocks. (one block filled two buckets) I soaked and boiled the wood chips in distilled water.

Let the water and wood chips cool to room temperature and drain the excess water off the wood chips.

Sanitize all work surfaces, equipment, buckets, and hands. Let the rubbing alcohol completely dry as the wood chips are draining.

Cover the grow holes with cloth medical tape

Fill the bucket with layers of wood chips and mushroom spawn. I ended up with 3 layers of wood chips and spawn.

Fill the bucket to the top with wood chips. Sanitize the lid and put the lid on the bucket.

Put the sanitized lid on the bucket and place the bucket in the storage room to colonize. Now wait 4 weeks to see if I got it right.

Spinning a Yarn for the Future

We are in a time of nearly equal light and dark and are moving into the darker days of the year. The hustle and bustle of gardening and foraging is starting to slow down a bit. The days are starting to get cooler and the nights are edging towards crisp. The time to get things done is starting to wind down.

The abundance of the season is also starting to wind down with the potatoes pulled from the garden and the last of the pears dropping from the tree. It has been a season of abundance that kept me struggling to keep up. So it usually is when natures abundance comes in. When she produces generously, all life takes advantage of what is offered to the cycle of life. All of the members is this corner of the world have been feasting on berries, grapes, pears, and more.

A few days ago, a group of us took time out of our busy schedules to gather together and listen. We listened to what the Earth had to say. Then we listened to each other. Much as you would expect, there were stories of struggling ecosystems, societal systems, and people. But there were also stories of hope, resilience, and strength. Stores of intentional separation and fear are rampant. But if we listen, the story of choosing to come together and form connections is also there.

As my ancestors prepared for the dark days of winter, when the nourishing food and sun were just a bit out of reach, they took time to gather their resources. The used the waning days of the season for retting flax and scouring wool and bringing in the squash and the corn. They prepared for the long evenings by the hearth spinning, weaving, and mending. They also told stories, sang, and connected.

As we prepare for the winter that is coming, we do what is needed to take the work of life inside. As we get ready for the challenges ahead, we do the inside work so our hearts can connect to the world. As we look around us, it is easy to see the unraveling of a fabric that can not be sustained.

The question is: Do we have the imagination and the heart to spin a new yarn and weave a new story of clear and vibrant colors.

I believe that we do. It will require that we do the preparations now so that we can spin the threads f connection. Those fine gossamer threads are what create the strong web of connection that is strong enough to hold us all.

The Village

This artwork was a gift that I created a few years ago. The story that follows was gifted to me as I sat and listened to what the Earth had to say. I am giving both of them to you. You can download them for free at Buy Me a Coffee.

Once, many years ago, a village lived in this place. It wasn’t a large village, but it wasn’t tiny either. This was such a fertile and beautiful land that it supported several dozen families. Here in this place were lodges clustered in a loose circle. Each lodge holding safely men, women, children, and elders. In the center of the circle was a gathering place and in the gathering place was a central fire.

If you sit quietly in this place, you can hear them as they go about their daily tasks. Over to the left is singing and laughing as the children play. Over to the right, a skill is being taught. All around, there are conversations and laughter as the work of life is done.

To the south of the village, the sisters are ripening in the field. Sister corn is waving in the gentle breeze. Her tawny brown leaves crackling as they sway. The green of sister bean is still twining around the stalks, the plump pods hanging heavily from the vine. At their feet is the grey carpet of sister squash. The fading of leaves from green to grey is punctuated by bright orange orbs. Soon they will be brought to the village to cure and store. They will be ready for the harvest festival in a few weeks.

Over the hill is the River of Many Fish. It will soon be time to gather fish for smoking and for the festival. But the fishing weir needs repair. The flooding rains of a few days ago washed out a section. When the waters calm, the elders and youth will go and do the work.

Dark days are coming, it is time for the village to prepare.

Dark days to tell stories by the fire and connect.

Dark days, the time to pull together as one.

Like the sisters in the field supporting and protecting.

In the warmth of each other, keep out the cold.

And for a little bit more

Events

October 11 - Yom Kippur

October 14 - Canadian Thanks Giving, Indigenous Peoples Day

October 17 - Full Moon

October 25 - International Artist Day

October 31 - Halloween

November 1 - New Moon, Next Newsletter

Flax

There are three species that are generally grown as flax. Linum ustitatissinaum is an annual. Linum perenne and Linum austriacum are perennials. While Linum perenne is used as a fiber plant and Linum austriacum is used in ways similar to the annual, Linum ustitatissinaum is the flax that is most commonly grown and used. This is a plant with slender stems and linear green leaves. During the summer, it has beautiful blue flowers that produce oily brown seeds.

This is an incredible plant to grow for resiliency and self-sufficiency. It has been grown as a fiber plant and a medicinal plant since the times of the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, and Indians. The stems of flax are processed for spinning fiber which can be spun into a fine thread and woven into linen. This fine cloth is beautiful, strong, and protective, and it absorbs moisture well.

This fiber is also used for utility cordage and some of the finest high “rag” papers contain flax or linen.

The seeds are pressed for their oil. This is called flax seed oil if it is processed for human consumption. It is processed into linnseed oil for animal feed and utility use. This is one of the premium oils for artist’s paints, oil paint, and varnishes. Linnseed oil is a finishing and conditioning oil in its own right for protecting wood products.

While the whole plant can be used medicinally, it is the seeds that are usually used. The flax seed is high I essential fatty acids and other nutrients making it a good nutritional supplement to add in small quantities t cereals and baked goods. It is as a tea or a tincture that its medicinal properties shine. It is cleansing and soothing to the urinary tract. Flax is supportive of the cardio-vascular system. It is anti-inflammatory and and anti-oxidant. Flax is supportive of the digestive system and protective of the body’s systems in general.

There are a few cautions associated with flax seed. First, it should be roasted instead of consumed raw. It is not fr pregnant or lactating women. If you have pre-existing conditions, you might want to avoid flax seed. Finally, over consumption can have negative effects. It is recommended that consumption of flax seed be limited to 1 - 2 tablespoons of roasted seed per day. And as always, consult with your medical provider before adding flax to your diet.

I am a hand spinner and a weaver. While I have played with flax fiber a little bit,my preference is for animal fibers. That said, flax is a beautiful option.

According to The Spruce, to grow flax, direct seed the plant in well drained, slightly acidic soil and in full sun. Flax likes constant moisture and fertile soil. They also like growing close together, up to 40 plants per square foot.

To me, this may be one of the perfect plants for the cottage garden. It has utility uses, food use, animal feed use, and medicinal uses. And you don’t have to sacrifice one use for the others. For many multi-use plants, all other benefits of the plant have to be sacrificed to realize the one benefit. Not so with flax. Flowers, fiber, and seed can be harvested from the same plant (as long as you don’t over harvest the flowers).

For the energetic properties of flax, click on the link to the Manitu Okahas Studio article.

The Spindle

In this time of equal light and dark, as we are moving into the darker days of the season ahead, it is time to finish up the tasks that need to be done outside and prepare for time around the hearth. In ancient times, this hearth time involved working with a drop spindle, creating the cordage, yarn, and thread that was needed to survive and thrive. The ancient art of spinning thread was one of the earliest skills learned by humans.

There is evidence of spinning that dates back at least 34,000 years with bits and scraps of tools found in many parts of the world. The drop spindle has existed for at least 9000 years. By comparison, the first spinning wheels came into existence about 1500 years ago, and the commercial spinning equipment has been in existence for a couple hundred years.

As one of the earliest tools of this magical art, the drop spindle carries much of the symbolism of spinning. It is a symbol of the goddess and the powerful feminine. It is associated with feminine magic. It is a symbol of bringing forth life and the cycle of life. It is a symbol of manifesting desires and creativity. And much, much more.

As a hand spinner and a weaver, I find that spinning and the drop spindle brings all aspects of life together in one simple act. The act of spinning itself is a form of meditation, an altered state, where I become one with the process. There is a communication that takes place between the fluffy bit of fiber, the drop spindle, my hand, and my heart. All of these elements come together with my intention in a sacred dance to create function, beauty, and practical durability for the future. Years of experience have taught my hands and heart to listen to the stories that the fiber has to tell and to adjust to those stories and rhythms, and the play of the fibers and the spindle. Then we all dance together as those stories come alive in the creation of a thread.

For a bit more on the drop spindle and the art of spinning, check out this article at Manitu Okahas Studio.

To browse and purchase my hand spun creations, check out this section of my gallery.

And I'm Not The Only One

Here are a couple of places to find more information.

There are a number of good books on hand spinning. Here is one of the best: Big Book of Handspinning by Alden Amos

For a publication, check out spin off magazine at spinoffmagazine.com

For good information on both practical and esoteric topics, check out thespruce.com