Asa Dachi

It has been our great pleasure to renew and recreate Backwoods as a new editorial team, after unexpected life circumstances unrelated to the project caused two among the first group of editors to leave the journal one at a time after the first two issues. The new group has made a joint decision to release larger (150 - 250-page) volumes on an irregular schedule, whenever we have a suite of content with which we are happy.
First, what is Backwoods? - a journal which aims to bring together the unfortunately often distinct tendencies of anarchism and permaculture. We see permaculture as offering a manner of meeting one's own needs – a form of direct action which allows for the autonomy fundamental to anarchism. We need a way forward that involves ecological harmony, decentralization, hyperlocalism, and a cultivation of relationships with plants and wider ecologies that are enlivening rather than dissociative - and permaculture offers a path towards these ends. At the same time, if permaculture is to manifest as something other than a means to reform the monstrous industrial agriculture system or a marketing term for boutique consumers, it must wed itself to the ethics and vision of anarchism. By creating this new platform for discourse, critique, exchange and honing of ideas, and the upwelling of new questions, we hope to bring forth new ideas, techniques of self-reliance, and a melding of critique with practice that inspires action through discovering new ways to be free even within the clutches of Leviathan, our world-eating, authoritarian, industrial society.
We have decided, going forward, to make issues themed, though with multidimensional topics that can be interpreted or engaged with in a variety of ways. For this volume, we are exploring 'New Discourses on Voluntary Servitude.' Any serious political radical must consider, and revisit, the question of how and why the many are so consistently, and sometimes seemingly irrevocably, dominated by the few. Most people, in small and large ways, act against their own interests in order to benefit their ruling power elite who tend to treat them with disinterest at best, and often with open contempt or even predation. While every state in history has relied on the use and threat of force, including truly horrific forms of force, the fact remains that every state ultimately depends on a high level of compliance - be it enthusiastic, reluctant but resigned, or bamboozled - from its host population. At the same time, every ruling elite wishing to stay in power must neutralize and recuperate rebellious elements by misdirecting them or appealing to their dominating instincts to make them share in, rather than abolish, the dominator hierarchies.
One of the earliest modern treatments of this problem was Étienne la Boétie, who wrote Discourse on Voluntary Servitude in the mid-16th century to explore his frustration with what he saw as widespread passive resignation to parasitic domination. His provocative essay has inspired a number of responses and engagements over the years from other radical thinkers, and we at Backwoods are interested in revisiting the question of whether, to what extent, how, and why ‘the Everyperson’ (however construed) puts up with, fails to resist, or even welcomes their diverse subjections. Why are radicals a perennial minority? Can this situation be changed? What are the implications, as radicals, of our answers to these questions? How has the state-building project cut away at bonds with ecology and place that have fostered autonomy? How can reclaiming self-reliance provide answers to these questions, or is self-reliance not enough?
We welcome your thoughts on these questions, which might be essays, speculative questioning, stories of servitude or its unraveling, practical lines of flight and routes to liberation, and so on. Some topics already slated to be covered are:
- A surrealist account of servitude as the domination of the imaginary
- Voluntary servitude as a default source of meaning in the face of spiritual alienation
- Recuperation of anarchist resistance
- A blueprint for a practical, homestead-scale, self-sufficient forest garden diet as possible escape from servitude
= An examination of Ernst Jünger's ambiguous figure of the "anarch," the protagonist of his post-apocalyptic novel Eumeswil
Essays and articles unrelated to the theme of the puzzle of voluntary servitude will still be considered for publication, but will be weighted relatively lower. Letters to the editor, reviews, and review essays may be of any topic within the Backwoods purview without weighting.
You may reach us at backwoodsjournal at protonmail dot com.
We look forward to hearing from you,
The Editors

@Ben: not sure which part of New Zealand, but I think chestnuts and hazels could work there. How's the hunting there?

@Lana: Chestnuts can be grown even in warmer areas such as southern China. If you want to see the actual macronutrient and micronutrient profile of the sample day I focused on, you can plug those entries into the Chronometer app and then modify the entries to see other nutritional possibilities.

Time to maturity varies with chestnuts. In the Northeast, I recommend selected seedlings of known cultivars. Chestnuts can bear in as little as 3 years, but more often between 5-10 years. To learn more I'd recommend Akiva Silver, Tom Wahl, and the Savanna Institute. They all made great videos/presentations on chestnuts. I'd also recommend the first two as a source to buy chestnuts from in order to grow them out into trees.

Diseases and pests vary among regions. Common issues include blight, chestnut weevil, chestnut gall wasp, Phytophthora, ambrosia beetle. Don't let that deter you from planting chestnut trees. I'm only in my 5th year growing chestnuts and so far I've avoided these issues. I know blight will eventually get some trees that might have susceptibility (I planted mostly hybrids and Chinese chestnuts). I know weevils will appear but there are multiple ways of mitigating that issue.

@Burl: Probably 1.5 acres (I took my math for a group of 4 and divided in half). I'd plant them 10ft apart in the row and 30-40 ft between rows. Thin every few years leaving the best ones. Eventually, they will end up around 40ft x 40ft spacing.
From Micheal Gold (great resource): “I’ve seen these trees at 50 and 60 and 70 years old,” he said, “where there are maybe only 12 per acre, but they’re big and they’re producing 300 pounds per tree.”  https://todaysfarmermagazine.com/mag/1378-championing-chestnuts

Great points about small game. They are often more abundant and practical  than large game in many areas. At my place, I have a lot of deer activity and browse but I've also seen turkey, rabbit, groundhog, and porcupine. I'm hoping that persimmons with their high sugar content and persistence into the winter will attract a diversity of wild game. I also planted ornamental crab apples that hold their fruit well into the winter.

I've been advised that porcupine can be very difficult to make palatable. However, raccoon often has significant amounts of fat, which sounds appealing. Among native people of the Northeast, bear fat appears to be particularly vital. In terms of plant sources of fat, hazelnut, walnut, hickory nuts, red oak acorns, and squash seeds are all useful in temperate zones. Korean pine nut sounds appealing but I haven't had much success growing it. Seaberries (sea buckthorn) have a high amount of fat for a berry.

Interesting and surprising anecdote. Chestnuts and acorns are appealing as grain substitutes. They have significant fiber as well. Grains definitely work in a swidden agriculture system. For more info, I'd recommend Maya Forest Garden: Eight Millennia of Sustainable Cultivation of the Tropical Woodlands by Anabel Ford and Ronald Nigh.

I see grain growing as ecologically problematic and involving a lot of unnecessary work compared to foraging and hunting. However, I am interested in counter arguments and having my perspective challenged. The diet described in the essay is my approximation of a foraging diet based in the Eastern United States mostly before the introduction of maize (apples being the included non-native but now naturalized exception).  

Here is the first draft of an essay that will be in an upcoming edition of the journal Backwoods (not to be confused with Backwoods Home Magazine).
I'm looking for feedback/critique/questions. Thanks and enjoy !

A Temperate Forest Garden Diet by Asadachi

For those focused on desertion and subsistence, here's what it might look like to grow some perennial staple foods nutritionally and spatially. The following piece was developed using a nutrition app called Chronometer and land requirements were identified by analyzing a variety of agroforestry sources. All yields were based on the lower range which is typical for low maintenance sites. This piece is by no means definitive or authoritative. It's just a snapshot of what's possible.

Chronometer sample entry for one day:
Nuts, chestnuts, Chinese, dried, 16oz: 1,646.6 calories
Hazelnuts, raw, 3 oz: 534.1 calories
Venison, stew, 8 oz: 358.3 calories
Persimmon, native, raw, 3 oz: 108 calories
Apple, fresh, with skin, 3 small apples: 232.4 calories
Artichoke, Jerusalem, sunchoke, raw, 1 cup: 109.5 calories
Stinging Nettles, 2 oz: 23.8 calories
Lambsquarters, raw, 3 oz: 36.6 calories
Shiitake mushrooms, cooked, 2 oz: 31.8 calories
Total calories: 3,093 calories.
Macronutrients: Carbs: 481.3 g, Protein: 123.8 g, Fat: 69.1 g

This sample entry hits almost all micronutrient targets. It falls short only in selenium, vitamin D, and sodium. Selenium can be increased through more meat and/or fish consumption. The vitamin D issue is solved through adequate sunlight when the body can synthesize it from the sun and sun-dried mushrooms for the months it can't. Sodium can be increased through salt consumption.

Every foraging culture relies on a wide array of wild foods with certain staple foods that are of particular importance. The storied !Kung have their mongongo nuts among other staple foods. For us in hardiness zones 4-9, annually bearing chestnuts and hazelnuts fulfill a similar important role. Acorns, walnuts, and hickory nuts will also play a vital role despite variable yields.

Chestnuts stand out as they bear annually, require minimal processing, and can last awhile dried or stored in moist sand like carrots. Mature chestnuts produce anywhere from 1,000-3,000 lbs per acre. A pound of dried chestnuts provides 1,646 calories. Approximately 3 acres will provide about 1,500 lbs of dried chestnuts (fresh chestnuts are 50% water) which is enough for 4 people to have a pound of dried chestnuts each day for a year.

Hazelnuts also bear annually, require minimal processing, and store well dried. Hazelnuts can be pressed into oil that has a similar lipid profile to olive oil. Mature hybrid hazelnuts provide 300-1,000 lbs per acre. 3oz of hazelnuts provide 534 calories. 1 acre will provide about 300 lbs which is enough for 4 people to have 3 oz everyday for a year.

Acorns were a staple food for foraging cultures across the world. However, oaks produce acorns at a variable rate with some mast years, average years, and rest years. By planting a diversity of oaks and oak hybrids, there might be more consistent yields. Acorns have a favorable macronutritonal balance when compared to other nuts. Some would recommend northern red acorns for their higher fat content and ease of storage. 8oz of dried acorns provides 1,154 calories. There is very limited data on acorn production per acre. Based on a USDA study on red oaks in NW Pennsylvania, red oaks produce roughly 150 lbs per acre in a poor year and up to 2,000 lbs per acre in a bumper year.

Walnuts (especially heartnuts) and hickories (especially hicans) offer a lot of protein and fat though with inconsistent yields. There is also a concern about oxidation of their polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) especially when heated above 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Hickory milk is delicious, easy to make, and would probably avoid the issue of oxidation/rancidity.

American persimmons can be enjoyed fresh from August to November with some trees holding on to their fruit deep into winter. They can be dried off the tree as well. Hernando de Soto described dried persimmon "loaves" that had a long shelf life. 3oz of American persimmons have 108 calories. Mature trees produce about 30-100 lbs per tree. The trees are dioecious so plant extra. 5-10 trees produce 150-1,000 lbs which is enough for 4 people to enjoy throughout the year.

Apple and pears are versatile and certain varieties store well over winter. Here are a few varieties that store well:
Apples: Golden Russet, Keepsake, Goldrush, Roxbury Russet, Ashmeads Kernel, Calville blanc d' Hiver, Reinnete Zabergau
Asian Pears: Korean Giant, Chojuro. Nijiseiki
Euro Pears: Dana Hovey. McLaughlin
3 small apples provide 232 calories. Standard sized apple trees produce around 8-18 bushels per acre. Standard sized pear trees produce around 3-6 bushels per acre. 10-20 apple and/or pear trees should be enough for 4 people.

Other notable perennial foods include sunchokes and groundnuts as root crops. Nettles are an excellent perennial leafy green vegetable. Hackberry persists on trees from fall to winter. They are mostly sugar so they dry easily and are shelf stable. Like acorns, they are found across the world among foraging cultures.

In Backwoods #2, there was a debate about vegan foraging societies. Although evidence of temperate vegan foraging cultures is lacking, it theoretically can be done by substituting wild meat or fish with more acorn and hazelnut consumption. However, there still might be concerns of some micronutrient deficiencies. That could be a topic for someone else to explore if interested.

5 acres should be enough to grow these perennial staple foods in a polyculture for a group of 4 people (3 for chestnuts, 1 for hazelnuts, and 1 for fruits/vegetables). In addition to these perennial staple foods, hunting, fishing, and foraging would round out and balance this diet. These trees will attract a lot of wildlife so plant a lot for our nonhuman neighbors. While trees are young, growing potatoes, squash, and other annuals can provide a lot of calories and nutrients. Ducks are a good livestock option and can be well integrated in a forest garden (Wellspring Farm). Once trees are mature and wildlife rampant, enjoy the mutual cocreation and abundance !

Email: asadachi1@protonmail.com

Sources and recommended reading:
Sam Thayer- (all his books), Akiva Silver- Trees of Power, Edible Acres YouTube channel, Annie Bhagwandin- The Chestnut Cookbook, Ben Falk- The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Will Bonsall- Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening, Ben Hewitt- The Nourishing Homestead