Permaculture Design Courses and sustainable design for your land or your community.
______________________Simple steps for ecological and social harmony using permaculture Design.
What are the solutions for the energy chalenges that we are all facing and what are the ecologicaly sustainable and clean energy systems that we can use in a large scale?
My dear friend Helder asked me to write an article about dried food, like fruit and vegetables. The main reason to dry your fruit or vegetables is because your garden is producing more than you can use at that moment. Of course there are other methods preserving your crops for a longer time period. Why drying, it is easy to do yourself, you can dry nearly everything, it keeps the vitamins and minerals in the original state (if the temperature is not above 41 degrees Celsius), if you use a self-made solar dehydrator it does not use external energy like gas or electricity, easy to store and it will stay for a long time.
Before you want to use dried food it is better to soak it in water, it returns to the original shape. After this you can eat or prepare a healthy meal. Of course you can eat the dried food without soaking but I suggest you drink some water and chew very good. Some more facts about dry fruit you will find in this interesting link
You can make banana, apple, beetroot, carrot, sweet potato, cassava as chips or even mushrooms or soak your favorite vegetables in a marinate and dry them so that you can get a nice flavour.
Kale chips recipe
Ingredients:
1 large bunch kale, any variety
2 - 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Strip the leaves away from the leafstalks and tough midribs (if you dry the whole leaves, the midribs end up with the consistency of twigs - not tasty!). Compost the leafstalks or save for soup stock.
Wash the kale leaves and dry well in a salad spinner or by gently rolling the leaves in a clean dishtowel.
Tear the washed and dried leaves into just slightly larger than chip sized pieces; they will shrink slightly as they dry. Toss the kale in a large bowl with the extra-virgin olive oil and the salt. Massage the leaves well with your clean hands. All of the leaves should be more or less evenly coated with the oil. If you like spicy flavors, add a dash of cayenne pepper. Nutritional yeast will add a cheesy flavor.
This link gives you some does and don'ts while drying fruits
And now the design for our homescale project
Made from two cardboard boxes, some clear plastic wrap, and a little tape. You can build a nearly free solar dehydrator.
Set it on a stool or chair and face it's solar collector towards the sun, and you have a functional food preservation machine for little work and even less money.
The above picture almost says it all. Using a long thin cardboard box for the collector and a taller, nearly square, cardboard box for the drying box.
Boxes could be made to size by cutting and taping together small cardboard pieces. Line the bottom of the collector box with a black plastic garbage bag or paint the bottom with black, water based, poster paint, (lamp black or soot mixed with a little vegetable oil would work as well).
If you use spray paint or other toxic paints, let the collector bake in the sun for a day or two before use.
Cover the top of the collector with clear plastic wrap or window glass, etc. Tape it together as shown.
To increase the efficiency, you may want to cover the sides and bottom of both boxes with fiberglass or styrofoam insulation.
Drawing courtesy of: Mother's Energy Efficiency Book Copyright 1983 ISBN 0-938-43205-2
TESTS FOR DRYNESS:
Rely on appearance and feel to judge dryness.
Cool a test handful a few minutes before deciding whether the food is done.
Consider fruit dry when no wetness can be squeezed from a piece which has been cut - it should be rather tough and pliable.
Consider vegetables dry when brittle.
PRE- AND POST-DRYING TREATMENTS FOR FRUITS & VEGETABLES:
Steam blanching is safe pre-treatment which can prevent spoilage - especially of low acid foods such as vegetables.
Important post-drying treatments are:
Conditioning - i.e. leaving in open air for long periods to equalize moisture content.
Pasteurizing - i.e. exposing the dried foods to high heat to eliminate harmful organisms
STORAGE:
Ensure food is thoroughly cool before storing.
Store in small quantities in glass or food-grade plastic.
Check supplies frequently for contamination or dampness.
Keep in a dry, cool place (between 4 C/40 F and 21 C/70 F).
PREPARING FOR EATING:
Fruits - cover with boiling water in saucepan and simmer the fruit covered for 10-15 min.
- sweeten to taste at the very end of cooking.
- remove from heat and cool still covered Vegetables.
- soak all vegetables except greens in cold water until they are nearly restored to their original texture.
- use only enough water to cover and always cook in the soaking water.
- cover greens with enough boiling water to cover and simmer until tender.
This
project was developed during the 10 week internship of the Vale da
Lama permaculture Institute.
The
idea was to develop a 1 week long bio construction course that would
combine different thecnics and that would create something useful for
the farm.
Example of design of a roket stove
With
the help of Nuno Mamede a bio construction expert, we decided to
built a rocket stove to heat the volunteers house and that would also
have an heated a bench.
O.B.R.E.D.I.M.C.E. Observation
Intuitive
Observation
-Empty
wall in house
-Need
for bio construction demonstration areas
-Bio
construction course during internship
-Clay
available
-Students
motivation
-Cold
house
Deductive
Observation
-Need
to divide in teams
-Around
15 students to help on the construction
-Straw
bales available in the farm
-Clay
available is of very good quality
-Possible
to combine rocket with heated bench
D.A.F.O.R.
Priority
of Ideas
Dominant
-Quality
of clay
-Important
that it works well
Abundant
-Time
it will take to dry
-Enouth
time for the construction
Frequent
-Number
of students involved
Occasional
Limitations
on materials and tools
Potential
for getting great practical experience
Rare
Difficult
to implement
Whats the plan mate?
Boundaries
Holistic
objectives
Vision
The
Vision for the “Dragon Monster” Rocket Stove is to create a
strong educational experience in bio construction for the students of
the internship.
Mission
The
mission for this structure is to be as much multifuntional and
efficient as possible on the improvement of the quality of life in
the volunteers house.
Values
This
project has as main values, education, integration, patience,
sustainability, diversity, creativity and healing.
Quality
of life
By
developing this project i am looking to create a deeper
understanding of the direct work with natural materials and the use
of local resources in construction.
Future
resource base
For
the Future of this project the idea is that other permaculturists and
volunteers can keep on learning and developing it.
Visible
Boundaries
15
square meter area
Painted
wall
Construction
in the end of summer
Large
cob input required
Limited
working materials
Working
volunteers
Invisible
Boundaries
-Time
-Ideas
for some areas
-Presence
of client
-Limited
knowledge
-Budget
-Time
for maintenance and development
Never
done before
Subtile
boundaries
-The
clay is a bit dispersive
Desire
lines
-The
Dragon Monster Rocket Stove is on top of a desire line
Small oven
D.A.F.O.R.
Bounderies
Dominant
-Constant
flow of cob mix
Abundant
-Speed
and time
Frequent
-Working
force
Ocasional
-Lack
of sleep due to night sessions
Rare
-Financial
limitations
Resources
Visible
Resources
-15
internship students
-Tons
of clay
-Good
organization
-Nuno
Mamede cob expert
-Andy
as Rocket expert
-Enthusiasm
Invisible
resources
-knowledge
-Funding
-Abundance
of ideas
-Night
time
Imput
and output analysis
Inputs
Needs
D.A.F.O.R.
Dominant
-Volunteers
-Clay
Abundant
-Tools
-Time
plan
-Broken
tiles
-Barrel
Frequent
-Weel
barrel
-Straw
Occasional
-Measurements
Rare
-Lack
of ideas
Mud pool
Outputs
Yields
Dominant
-Quality
of life
-Knowledge
Abundant
-Demonstration
project
-Warmer
house
Frequent
-Learning
Experience with local materials
Occasional
-Visits
from students
-Ash
Rare
-Chapatis
in micro oven
First bio construction tests on site
Evaluation
Limiting
factors
What
is limiting your yield?
-Its
only used in cold months.
Were
can i open more niches?
-Develop
other parts of the house
What
improvements can be done?
-Circulation
of smoke
How
to extend limits and comfort zones?
-Test
new colourfull protections for the plaster
Energy
leaks
Where
are you bleeding?
-Wen
built in autumn it takes long time to dry
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Constraints
Abundance
of clay
Inspired
students
Experienced
teachers
Time
Weather
Never
tried
Education
Networking
Experience
Climate
Finance
Systems
dynamics
Key
functions
Learning
Heating
Cooking
Systems
to support the key functions
Cultivating
Practicing
Researching
I.T.
Elements
to support the systems
Myself
Volunteers
Students
Teachers
Other
permaculturists
Relations
+ + between systems
Forest
+ + Rocket
Rocket
+ + Volunteers
Volunteers
+ + Forest
Soil Science
Design
Master
plan
Moment
1
-Colect
clay
Moment
2
-Built
bricks tower
Moment
3
-Make
cob
Moment
4
-Instal
flue circulation system
Moment
5
-Built
bench
Moment
6
-Art
Traditional stove
Rocket stove
Zoning
-The
Dragon Monster Rocket stove is part of zone 0
P.M.I.
Plus
Minus
Interesting
Resources
very close
Fast
development
National
exposure
Create
the opportunity for permaculturists to learn
Experience
on design and implementation
Maintenance
Not
much time for observation
Combining
with other educational activities
Constant
use during cold winter
Confort
of volunteers
Sharing
achievements with other permaculturists
Filtering
Tools
Permaculture
Ethics
Care
for earth
Reduce
We
have used local resources
Reuse
Old
barel for micro oven
Recycle
Old
broken tiles for isulation
Repair
Damaged
wall repaired
Care
for people
Social
landscapes
Landscape
used for many visits, courses, and education for volunteers.
Fair
share
Open
visits to the Rocket
Information
Knowledge
Permaculture
Principles
The
most frequent principles applied were:
The
problem is the solution
Integrate
rather than segregate
Start
small
Use
local resources
Each
element must perform several functions
Financial
analysis
Considering
most of the materials were local the cost were mainly to pay the
teachers and metal tubes and clay fire bricks Total budget About 1000 euros
Quality
of life
-The
goal we have tried to achieve, was to improve the quality of life of
the volunteers creating a warmer place for them to live
Implementation
D.A.F.O.R.
Dominant
Gather
all materials needed
Abundant
Observation
Testing
clay
Frequent
-Frw
mixed with clay for cob
Occasional
-Smaller
particles of clay for plastering
Rare
-Art
development
Space
-The
project was design to use as much as possible the space without
compromising the room.
Some cracks had to be repaired
Maintenance
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Constraints
Education
Enjoying
Cleaning
Cuting
wood
Experiments
Experience
Weather
Time
Door to clean inside
Collecting
data
Most
of the data collecting was done by videos and pictures since the
beginning of the project.
The
video reports can be seen at my You Tube Channel HERE
Built with love
Celebration
D.A.F.O.R.
Dominant
Courses
Visits
Abundant
Observation
Frequent
-Art
-Music
playing
-Meditation
Occasional
-Chapati
night
Rare
Painting
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Constraints
Central
area of farm
Frequent
students
Creates
a lot of inspiration
Time
Only
used in cold months
Education
Sharing
Relaxing
Exchange
Combining
with other developments
Space
for big groups
EVENTS
Characteristics
The
events organized in the “Dragon Monster” Rocket stove were mostly
related to education, having the students maintaining and developing
some of the elements, and also researching and designing. Many events are also related to the celebration of this implemetatio, like pizza nights, chapati nights, and jam sessions.
Wood storage
Evaluation
Limiting
factors
What
is limiting your yield?
-The
factor that limits mostly the use of this strategy is the need for
having clay available.
Were
can i open more niches?
-
There is a lot of potential on the use of rocket stoves in colder
climates and is very good strategy to promote sustainable energy use.
What
improvements can be done?
-Make
the system in a way that it can be maintained by a small number of
people
How
to extend limits and comfort zones?
-Other
bio construction experts can come and get inspired by this
construction.
S.W.O.C.
Strenghts
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Constraints
Knowledge
Experience
Attitude
Networking
Timming
Angsiety
Patience
Personal
and professional growth
Quality
of life
Learning
Time
Quality
of materials
Luck
It works!!!
What would i do different? I think what i would do different would be to do it thru a longer period instead of the 5 days, so that we could go more slowly and more focused. I would also do it on the spring time so that it would have time to dry out and be ready to be used on the cold winter . Final observations
This
was without any doubts one of the most inspiring projects ive ever
participated, mostly because of developing it with a great
permaculturist friend , Nuno Mamede and also because of the
team spirit that we were able to create among the students of the
internships.
More
important than a course or a construction its the ability to create a
real team that operates like and unique organism and that self
regulates cording to the needs of the system.
Wen
working with students of permaculture the end result and the quality
of the developments, is measured by the inter relations that the
students create among them selves , connections and relations that
last for ever even if the people will never meet again.
