In this episode, Dr. Mark and Anisa join Alexia Allen on Hawthorn Farm in Woodinville, WA. In this inspriing conversation, we explore the concepts of true nutrient density, creating vitality from the Earth and its creatures, and what it can look like to be a steward of the land.
Alexia Allen has lived at Hawthorn Farm since 2003, crafting a vision of the world she wants to live in. This includes beautiful and productive gardens, ample wild space and creatures, happy farm animals, and vibrant, loving human relationships. Studying nature for the past 20 years has brought her a deep appreciation of the threads that weave ecological and human communities together. She is indebted to her many years of work at Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, WA. Creativity guides her life, whether in making a stylish felt vest or a tasty goat cheese (and we can attest that that, it’s delicious). After many years of being vegan, she went on to become a YouTube sensation with a video on humane butchering.
After a year of eating all hand-harvested food in 2017, Alexia got passionately interested in growing nutrient-dense, year-round food for herself and the 10-person household she lives in. As a suburban homesteader, they eat well and diversely from the sunshine that falls in Woodinville, WA. She loves sharing the joy and possibilities to encourage others to grow and forage food. Her motto is "Good food within walking distance for everyone.”
Alexia offers garden consultations to aspiring gardeners and homesteaders all over and sells farm-crafted goods straight from Hawthorn Farm. You can learn more about her work and offerings at http://www.HawthornFarm.org and https://www.facebook.com/hawthornfarmheals
Join us on the farm and listen in! And just a note, because we’re recording outdoors, there are a few moments of wind that drown out our voices but please stay tuned, there are lots of gems in this one.
Show notes
Episode 7: Why we long to live wild and free with Nate Summers
Path to nature connection and wilderness skills
A year living off the land
the experience
key learnings from failures
Permaculture- How she practices it on her farm and what it means to her
Plants that offer minimal tending, maximal nutrition
perennial food sources (nuts and fruits)
Rainwater harvesting
Heating a greenhouse with compost
Chickens scratching up a garden bed
“My job as a permaculturist is to orchestrate the landscape”
Rabbits as lawnmowers
Ducks keep the slugs away
Human community: growing, living and eating together
How did nutrition evolve through your life?
vegetarian at age 10
Devout vegan from age 12 through early 20s
Tempted by beef jerky while on a survival trip
Realizing that if she eats meat, it will be animals that she will kill/process herself
Not economical/ethical to raise meat chickens
Rabbits can grow a lot of protein from what we can grow here
Fat sources on the farm
Essential oil distillation
An offering to share that doesn’t require tons of compost and sending nutrients off the farm
The conifer branches are already falling down in a windstorm: Juniper, Douglas fir, Cedar
Rapid fire questions
What advice do you hear in the permaculture/homestead community that you disagree with?
“Just add more organic matter” this doesn’t always fix the nutritional deficiencies in the soil
how to identify nutritional deficiencies
Soil tests with Logan Labs
What crops are difficult to grow but rewarding in the process or in their harvest?
Squash
Field/flint corn (5 gal buckets of cascade ruby gold, Saskatoon white, hookers blue)- these are what get them through the hunger gap time of year in late winter/early spring. One 5 gal bucket will easily feed one adult as main calorie source for a month.
Most prized garden equipment
myself and my willingness to be connected to the landscape
Ponies and horse-drawn farm equipment
If there was one policy change you could make in our current food/agricultural system at a macroscopic level- what would it be?
Farmers will get paid by nutrient production not calorie production
Services
Kids programs
Garden/homestead consulting
Contact: http://www.HawthornFarm.org and https://www.facebook.com/hawthornfarmheals