Bruno Pretto of Fun Guy Farm & Mycosource Inc. – Goodwood, Ontario

Outdoor Mushroom Cultivation on Hardwood Logs: talking about and explaining cultivation techniques for organic ‘wood mushrooms’ such as Shiitake on hardwood logs and also in “habitat‟ beds.  This will include a practical demonstration via a Power Point Presentation.

Bruno Pretto owns and operates Fun Guy Farm with more than a decade of practical experience in wood mushroom cultivation.  Though this is an 11.00 am (1 hour) talk, please go quickly get your lunch and come back to the workshop room for informal questions to Bruno – on topics such as **nutritional value of wood mushrooms, **recipes, **soil remediation using Oyster mushroom mycelium, **marketing of organic wood mushrooms, **other topics of interest.

Difficulty: beginner (if getting started) to expert (already have experience).

Description: a wide-ranging talk with background information about mushrooms with focus on saprophytes; cultivation techniques for ‘wood’ mushrooms (those that grow on trees and/or sawdust substrates) both indoors and outdoors; detailed information about cultivation of Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) outdoors on hardwood logs as well as cultivation of other ‘wood’ mushrooms including Oyster, Maitake, and Reishi on hardwood logs and/or in habitat beds. The workshop also touches on the nutritional value of wood mushrooms and soil remediation using oyster mushroom mycelium/spawn which breaks down hydrocarbons such as diesel and gasoline residues. This will include an on-site practical demonstration for inoculating hardwood logs with Shiitake sawdust spawn

Target: small farms, especially those with CSAs; farmers who sell at markets and/or have farm-gate sales; backyard/urban gardeners; woodlot owners; cottage owners.  Also, curious observers.

Themes: permaculture – closing nutrient cycles by using agricultural by-products/waste products to produce mushrooms, either on-farm or off-farm by selling to specialist growers; farmers interested in using/selling their agricultural by-products; soil remediation for urban farmers; maximizing income for farmers with woodlots; urban and hobby gardening – cultivating high nutrient organic food in shady areas; remediating urban soils using Oyster mushroom mycelium.

MANAGER’S NOTE: knowing Bruno, he will cram all this into his one-hour extended workshop and YOU will leave with more info to help you decide if log mushrooms is for you.  He has kindly said he’ll stay up till 1.00 pm if there is enough interest in the room.

The Permaculture Living Conference Nov 19 & 20 at The Stop Community Food Centres’ Green Barn!

On November 19 & 20th come experience the Permaculture Living conference. This gathering will bring together individuals and organizations interested and or active in all the knowledge, wisdom, methods and more around collaborative communities built around fresh food.  It will be held in the beautiful Wychwood Barns at the Stop Community Food Centre at 601 Christie St., Toronto.

Registration: http://guestli.st/50934

Some of the featured topics explored will include:

Wilderness Training, Permaculture Design Certificate, Permablitz, Foraging, Animals in Permaculture systems and so much more!

Introduction to Organic Gardening and Permaculture Workshop
Sat Sept 17th, 10 am-5 pm; High Park Childrens Garden
$70-$100 sliding scale (incl. take home resources). Pre-registration required.

Permaculture gardening is the conscious design of garden ecosystems that mimic the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. We ask and observe, what would nature do? This hands-on workshop introduces permaculture theory and ways to apply it in your home or community garden. Topics: urban permaculture design and practices; plant guilds (plants that grow well together, help soil tilth and support the larger ecosystem); dynamic accumulators (plants that accumulate nutrients & feed the soil); plants and plant selection; starting new gardens and soil building; cover crops & mulches; composting; putting gardens to bed; season extension; humans and other animals; working less for more; diversity gardening.

NEW! Permaculture Design Workshop Series (Intermediate, Part 1)
Saturdays Sept 24th, Oct 15th and Nov 5th, 12-4 pm; High Park Childrens Garden
$150-$200 sliding scale (incl take home resources). Pre-registration required. See pre-requisites.

Through this series, the group will practice permaculture techniques for (re)designing a site. We will apply permaculture principles, explore design elements, interview a client, and analyze the site using a wide variety of techniques. We will present our recommended site design and implementation plan to the client and make a final revision. Includes group work and some homework. Learn skills you can apply to your own site or in a community, public or rented context.

In Part 2 (spring series) we implement phase one of the approved elements of the design. Other spring projects may include creative documentation of the process and other spin-off projects. Proposed dates for spring session: Saturdays Feb 25, Mar 24, April 28, May 26.

Optional: 11-11:45 Mindful Gardening Practice (Silent). Connect with the garden and ground yourself before the workshop.

For more information contact Garden Jane

Come and join Karma Marketplace to learn about practical permaculture with a focus on perennial food forests.
Permaculture is a design system that looks to nature for guidance and information. It is a dialogue between you and the space you are in.
This day-long workshop will focus all aspects of permaculture with a focus on perennial food forests. Topics covered in the workshop include:
•    the ethics and principles of permaculture
•    how these are applied in daily life
•    nature awareness and observation
•    site analysis and assessment
•    forest structures and dynamics
•    plant functions and usage
•    inter-planting, guilds, and plant selection
•    local top 10 list of PC plants
•    the role animals (of all sizes) play in ecosystems
•    the $100 Food Forest
•    question and answer period

An illustrated hand out will be given out to take home including planting plans and plant lists to take home.

Facilitators:
Jennifer Osborn is an artist, farmer, and Permaculture Designer. Her background includes working extensively with animals and observing nature.She currently runs All Sorts Acre, a permaculture micro-farm with chickens, sheep, and forest gardens in various stages.

Tim Fisher is a composting specialist and co-farmer at All Sorts Acre. The list of things he has composted is impressive when he worked in large scale composting facilities. He now focuses on small scale composting and how to facilitate soil health using both permaculture and biodynamic methods.

Location: Penetanguishene, Ontario 40km north of Barrie
Time: Sunday September 11, 10am -5pm
For more information please contact: The Karma Marketplace

Organic Agriculture Center of Canada

As escalating global populations continue to drive up the demand for food, researchers and farmers alike are left wondering if available Canadian farmland can sustainably meet future needs.  Working hard to ensure Canada’s long term food security, Stewart Brandt and a group of researchers from Agriculture and Agrifood Canada are hoping that ongoing agroecological research will hold the key to Canada’s agricultural success.

Initial design discussion and experiment results, gathered by scientists of mixed disciplines over thousands of hours, are published in the paper, “Design, rational and methodological considerations for a long term alternative cropping experiment in the Canadian plain region” in the European Journal of Agronomy.  In Brandt’s words, they are, agroecologically speaking, “a real mixed bag”.

Agroecology is broadly defined as the application of ecological principles to agricultural study.  So, whereas typical scientific research may focus on one element of agricultural production, like crop yield, as a measurement of a cropping system’s success, Stewart and his team will also assess the system’s resource and environmental impacts.

“This study is novel in Canada”, stated Brandt during a recent telephone interview, adding that because of the complexities involved in ecological study it is also “a huge challenge”.

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