Learn about plants that can enhance food production at your neighborhood, community, or farm

Cost: $10-15 per person, depending on attendance; bring a sack lunch

Registration: Seating is limited, therefore, advance registration is required. Contact christy.shi@gmail.com to register.

Trip Leaders: Olivia Bearden 704-488-7093 and Gordon Peck 704-402-0621

The main purpose of this trip is to explore visit Useful Plants, a permaculture nursery located near Black Mountain. Useful Plants Nursery grows and markets the plants necessary for individuals and communities to grow their own nutritious and delicious food while contributing to the ecological regeneration of their bioregions. While there, you will also have the opportunity to visit other parts of the EarthHaven EcoVillage:

Gateway Farm, one of the more technically complex farms here and home to two of the more brilliant people in western NC

Imani Farm, a small beef and dairy farm

Yellowroot Farm, a small 2-field biodynamic operation largely growing vegetables

Village Terraces, a cohousing neighborhood and one of the largest buildings on the land

The Council Hall, one of the most interesting buildings on the land (the floor is 100 % recycled marble and wood with a lot of geometry encoded in it).
I
n short, permaculture is a way of incorporating food production into existing landscapes. The concept goes much further, however. Bill Mollison, co-originator of the concept of permaculture, defines it as: “[a design system] based on the observation of natural systems, the wisdom contained in traditional farming systems, and modern scientific and technological knowledge. Although based on good ecological models, permaculture creates a cultivated ecology, which is designed to produce more human and animal food than is generally found in nature.”