April Smith Bean

Mary Cook wrote:You still looking? Our small land trust on a ridge in V has two empty leaserhold. Flat or rolling it ain't, but there is an acre or so of cultivable land on the ridge, wells, a livable house, 16 solar panels; you cannot own the land but after 6 months trial period if accepted and you want to stay,get a lifetime lease. For the improvements on the two, pay previous lessee $10,00 for one (a steal) or $9000 for the other (hat it's worth)

Mary Cook, this is in Vermont? I'd be interested in learning more.

Nick Mick wrote:I’m curious if there is anybody that is living in the white mountains region of NH that is also practicing permaculture. I ask because Im considering the area as a future home but I wanted to know from people with experience if it’s feasible to have a permaculture setup in that area. I have camped in Lincoln and Lancaster and noticed a majority of the trees are white spruce, birch, and hemlock which is fine but the lack of hardwoods and nut trees concern me. Anyway just curious.

Hi, Nick Mick! Have you found your way up to the White mountains, yet? My family has grown many common vegetables, berries, apples in the White Mountains. I haven't seen any pawpaws that far up. I'm homesteading in the Concord area, a bit more south, but if you make your way up to New Hampshire, let me know! I have been connecting with NH Permies, and we have been talking about having a monthly get together for a meal and permaculture discussion. We are open to helping each other with projects, as well! Best of luck! :)

Thanks for your message, @Anna-Maria Galante ! It's wonderful to make your acquaintance! Creating ecologically-minded community with children has been a lifelong journey for me. I spent a lot of time on my aunt and uncle's large campground in the White Mountains of NH, growing up, and the community connections created there were very special to me. And my cousins and I loved being outside in nature, picking our way among the river rocks, creating trails through the woods, finding pollywogs in the swimming pond... I would have loved a more hands on education, and felt rather lost during most of my public school education. As a young adult, a dear family friend let me know that I was a Montessorian and just didn't know it yet, haha! I especially love the didactic learning materials, the deep respect for children and the Earth, and the holistic nature of Montessori education! In a true Montessori learning environment, there is plenty of time to spend on social endeavors, the development of relationships, and problem solving skills. And there is a lovely balance between following individual passions and development and creating supportive community. During my undergrad work, I was able to focus on this deeply, and I traveled to the Findhorn community in Scotland to study creating ecovollages! My lifelong love of nature and animals led me to homesteading and regenerative farming. In Montessori education, we "follow the child" via deep observation of their inner drives to explore, discover and learn. In permaculture, we observe and follow nature! It's all the same to me! :)

Hello, Permies! I am an ecologically oriented Montessori educator and homesteader with a passion for teaching kids to create respectful and sustainable community.

I have started nature-based Montessori programs in Vermont and India. I was so close to opening my dream school in Vermont right when the pandemic hit and schools closed, and the property owner decided to sell quick instead of waiting on our lease-to-own. The website I created for that school will give you an idea of my extended vision:
www.ecocommunityschool.org

The Current Vision:
At this time, I'd love to connect with kind and respectful people who share similar interests and would be interested in leasing a property together to start this on a smaller scale (camps, homeschooler programs, workshops, farm stand) and grow over time. There are frequently farming properties with housing available in New Hampshire (3 currently) and Northern New England for lease, and I'd like to find a like-minded team to join me on this journey to teach children how to create a healthier, more sustainable culture.
Alternately, I'd be interested in running the educational aspect of an established community. For now, I am committed to the general area of central New Hampshire to be close to my family and elderly mother. (Among my family and friends, locally, are those skilled in aquaculture and instrument repair, painting/arts, spinning, weaving and handwork, homesteading, foraging, theater, as well as musicians, yoga teachers, middle and high school educators, and more who would love to contribute to our programming in this area.)

My Experience:
I have a Master's in Education, BA in Education and Health Arts & Sciences, a Vet Tech degree, Montessori training in elementary/6-12 year olds, taught 3-6 yo Montessori for several years, and also have some infant/toddler Montessori experience. I additionally have school start-up and leadership experience, and a background in special education. I did a short stint learning to create community and ecovillages at Findhorn in Scotland, and experienced their amazing techniques connecting with plants in their remarkable gardens.
As a homesteader I have bred and raised chickens, rabbits, and wool sheep, have experience with LGDs, horses, vermiculture, and some no-till regenerative growing and hügelkultur. I am a flower essence practitioner and a dog trainer. For additional income and joy, I'd like to start a very small scale dog boarding and training/daycare side business. I'm learning to train service dogs and allergen alert dogs, so that would be my focus. A true Montessorian, I dabble in a lot of things and have a great love of learning!

Your Experience:
I'd especially like to collaborate with those who have expertise in permaculture/regenerative growing, whole foods culinary arts, and green building (earth shelter, wofati, RMHs, tiny homes, woodworking, etc.) to collaborate, support educational programming for kids, offer adult workshops, and create peaceful, respectful community together. I'm especially excited to integrate soil science, polyculture, crop covers and living mulches, growing mushrooms, hügelkultur, and Holzer and Fukuoka techniques. Or, if you're just lit up by any of this vision, please connect!

Really I'm looking for like-minded people who are teachers at heart ~ kind, non-judgmental, gentle, creative, open-minded, lovers of the earth and all of its beings. I love and appreciate plant based diets, though personally do best on keto and Paleo foods. No heavy drinking or smoking, please. You must love dogs and kids! ;)

If you're interested in learning more, please check out my website. It's wordy, but thorough, haha. And please tell me more about yourself and your endeavors here or via email, to start. Thanks for checking out this thread!
April
peassc@gmail.com

<3

Hello, Permies! I am an ecologically oriented Montessori educator and homesteader with a passion for teaching kids to create respectful and sustainable community.

I have started nature-based Montessori programs in Vermont and India. I was so close to opening my dream school in Vermont right when the pandemic hit and schools closed, and the property owner decided to sell quick instead of waiting on our lease-to-own. The website I created for that school will give you an idea of my extended vision:
www.ecocommunityschool.org

My Current Vision:
At this time, I'd love to connect with kind and respectful people who share similar interests and would be interested in leasing a property together to start this on a smaller scale (camps, homeschooler programs, workshops, farm stand) and grow over time. There are frequently farming properties with housing available in New Hampshire (3 currently) and Northern New England for lease, and I'd like to find a like-minded team to join me on this journey to teach children how to create a healthier, more sustainable culture.
Alternately, I'd be interested in running the educational aspect of an established community. For now, I am committed to the general area of central New Hampshire to be close to my family and elderly mother. (Among my family and friends, locally, are those skilled in aquaculture and instrument repair, painting/arts, spinning, weaving and handwork, homesteading, foraging, theater, as well as musicians, yoga teachers, middle and high school educators, and more who would love to contribute to our programming in this area.)

My Experience:
I have a Master's in Education, BA in Education and Health Arts & Sciences, a Vet Tech degree, Montessori training in elementary/6-12 year olds, taught 3-6 yo Montessori for several years, and also have some infant/toddler Montessori experience. I additionally have school start-up and leadership experience, and a background in special education. I did a short stint learning to create community and ecovillages at Findhorn in Scotland, and experienced their amazing techniques connecting with plants in their remarkable gardens.
As a homesteader I have bred and raised chickens, rabbits, and wool sheep, have experience with LGDs, horses, vermiculture, and some no-till regenerative growing and hügelkultur. I am a flower essence practitioner and a dog trainer. For additional income and joy, I'd like to start a very small scale dog boarding and training/daycare side business. I'm learning to train service dogs and allergen alert dogs, so that would be my focus. A true Montessorian, I dabble in a lot of things and have a great love of learning!

Your Experience:
I'd especially like to collaborate with those who have expertise in permaculture/regenerative growing, whole foods culinary arts, and green building (earth shelter, wofati, RMHs, tiny homes, woodworking, etc.) to collaborate, support educational programming for kids, offer adult workshops, and create peaceful, respectful community together. I'm especially excited to integrate soil science, polyculture, crop covers and living mulches, growing mushrooms, hügelkultur, and Holzer and Fukuoka techniques. Or, if you're just lit up by any of this vision, please connect!

Really I'm looking for like-minded people who are teachers at heart ~ kind, non-judgmental, gentle, creative, open-minded, lovers of the earth and all of its beings. I love and appreciate plant based diets, though personally do best on keto and Paleo foods. No heavy drinking or smoking, please. You must love dogs and kids! ;)

If you're interested in learning more, please check out my website. It's wordy, but thorough, haha. And please tell me more about yourself and your endeavors here or via email, to start. Thanks so much for checking out this thread!

April
peassc@gmail.com

<3

Daniel O'Neil, I am wondering how things went with your rocket mass heater. Success? And I'm looking to connect with fellow Permies in New Hampshire, and also possibly collaborate on some community permaculture projects.

peassc@gmail.com

I realize this is an old post, however, I just posted this in a similar thread and thought it might be helpful to anyone reading through, like me. :)
(I've never fed insects, and tend to discourage my dogs from catching their own, as they sometimes try to eat stinging things.)

My German Shepherd dog was raised around chickens and has eaten raw chicken meat daily his entire life. He comes with me to collect eggs, too, and is calm around the girls, even sticking his face into their coop to say hello. :) I've had a Maremma as a LGD for chickens and sheep who ate a raw diet of chicken meat, as well. He required much less training to be protective and safe around the farm animals, as those were his natural instincts.

That said, I have spent plenty of time working with my GSD to be calm around chickens with my own calm energy, as well as training down-stays, recalls, and "leave-it" thoroughly. He has very high prey drive and loves to chase anything loud, flappy, and/or fast. (Oh, deer!) He once chased a sick, hysterical, flapping, screeching chicken and caught her with his mouth, immediately let her go, then sat next to her as I caught up with them. She survived the ordeal, thankfully, with no injuries! So, I think one DEFINITELY needs to be mindful of natural drives with certain breeds.

Personally, I've raised rabbits and chickens and have harvested both myself. I find it much easier to harvest chickens, and feel defeathering is much easier and faster than skinning. (And rabbits are FAR TOO LEAN as a sole or primary source of sustenance for doggos - they need much higher fat ratios!) I've been seriously thinking about raising quail for my dog and myself, as I get too attached to my chickens and don't have enough of a flock to feed him daily.

Incidentally, my boy is about 90 lbs and typically eats four thighs or two leg-thigh pieces daily (raw, with skin and bones - it's the cooked/dried out bones that splinter and are dangerous), with a small amount of pureed veggies and various supplements to mimic prey. I feed whole "prey" when available. I'm not at all opposed to feeding without skinning/defeathering, etc. and trust my dogs to eat what they need.

If you're just starting out feeding dogs raw, or actually, even if you've been feeding raw successfully for years, I highly recommend Dr. Peter Dobias' free recipe maker which has an AMAZING amount of reliable information about a huge variety potential protein sources and other essential ingredients. 💙🐾

My German Shepherd dog was raised around chickens and has eaten raw chicken meat daily his entire life. He comes with me to collect eggs, too, and is calm around the girls, even sticking his face into their coop to say hello. :) I've had a Maremma as a LGD for chickens and sheep who ate a raw diet of chicken meat, as well. He required much less training to be protective and safe around the farm animals, as those were his natural instincts.

That said, I have spent plenty of time working with my GSD to be calm around chickens with my own calm energy, as well as training down-stays, recalls, and "leave-it" thoroughly. He has very high prey drive and loves to chase anything loud, flappy, and/or fast. (Oh, deer!) He once chased a sick, hysterical, flapping, screeching chicken and caught her with his mouth, immediately let her go, then sat next to her as I caught up with them. She survived the ordeal, thankfully, with no injuries! So, I think one DEFINITELY needs to be mindful of natural drives with certain breeds.

Personally, I've raised rabbits and chickens and have harvested both myself. I find it much easier to harvest chickens, and feel defeathering is much easier and faster than skinning. (And, as stated above, rabbits are far too lean as a sole source of sustenance for doggos.) I've been seriously thinking about raising quail for my dog and myself, as I get too attached to my chickens and don't have enough of a flock to feed him daily.

Incidentally, my boy is about 90 lbs and typically eats four thighs or two leg-thigh pieces daily (raw, with skin and bones - it's the cooked/dried out bones that splinter and are dangerous), with a small amount of pureed veggies and various supplements to mimic prey. I feed whole "prey" when available. I'm not at all opposed to feeding without skinning/defeathering, etc. and trust my dogs to eat what they need.

Another important note: I regularly feed raw eggs in very careful moderation and lots of COOKED EGGS to supplement my dogs' protein with excellent results. It is important to know that raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin that binds to biotin (vitamin B7) and interferes with protein absorption. Heat destroys avidin, so cooked eggs are okay, and raw eggs with or without the shell are great on occasion. I find if my dog doesn't need the extra calcium from the shell, he doesn't bother to eat it.

If you're just starting out feeding dogs raw, or actually, even if you've been feeding raw successfully for years, I highly recommend Dr. Peter Dobias' free recipe maker which has an AMAZING amount of reliable information about a huge variety potential protein sources and other essential ingredients. 💙🐾