Here is the best way we have found to start your own corn #seeds! Have you grown corn before or thinking about it? What works best for you? Comment below!
We also have Painted Mountain Corn and Papa’s Blue Corn seeds available for sale https://shop.sdla.farm/sdla !
Hurry and get yours while you can still plant them in time!
And don’t forget to join us this Sunday at 5pm for our weekly Virtual Farmer’s Market event!
#corn #plants #farming #gardening #heirloom #permaculture #regenerativeag
The ranch this evening.
Just finished reading Sepp Holzer's "Desert or Paradise" and am currently reading "Desert and Dryland Restoration" by Bainbridge. Both extremely informative and inspiring - we have plans to make adjustments to some of our upcoming plans and existing methodologies. Hopefully more on this soon.
Today I harvested our first mature potato plant - I'll be saving all of the potatoes to sprout and replant come monsoon season. I anticipate legitimate rains this year - California is on a four year cycle, and while we've gotten rain at odd times the past few years this year feels a likely candidate for a flood year. Technically this is year three, not year four, but I just have a hunch.
#Mojave #DesertRestoration #RegenerativeAg #Permaculture #Gardening #Sunset
It's really easy to create jargon and manipulate people with it.
"Homesteading" is not the same as "regenerative agriculture" though I see them used interchangeably. While producing your own food at a small scale and doing any soil remediation is no doubt beneficial for the environment, I am remiss to call homesteads which solely produce about 30 varieties of non-native produce and steward livestock in conventional ways "regenerative". Distancing oneself from reliance on global capitalism and consumption is absolutely wonderful! But those who turn such "homesteads" into massive agents of profit (looking at you, Joel Salatin) and then claim they are "regenerating" the land give me pause.
We struggle with the concept of monetizing our ranch. No doubt we will have to, at some point and for some period of time. But when profit is the primary motive rather than the thing that keeps the mission going, it is inevitable that ethics get sacrificed at scale.
And I'm not here to make any specific accusations about Polyface. I own a few of Salatin's books and find some of his input valuable. He is, no doubt, operating in a better way than factory farms, and he is protecting the grasslands he holds better than most, and I'm sure increasing their fertility all the while.
But what is regeneration? It isn't growing your own food in above-ground bins, it isn't just growing stone fruit in the middle of the desert (like another article I just read about a couple in Lancaster -- relatively close to us) and getting some palms to grow while damning the insects that eat your tomatoes.
The "natives" arguments are fierce and complicated but notwithstanding all of that, if one can forgive me for oversimplifying for a post, we must consider how we will actually give natives a chance to return to land -- native plants, animals, fungi. We can grow our own food -- and should -- but that may mean that the way we eat should change and prioritize food that makes *sense* in our environment: natives, when possible. And where natives don't cut it or aren't quickly established, we must be honest that the crops we've selectively bred to be sugar and calorie dense are not a part of the ecosystem we are regenerating. Perhaps they are a part of the regeneration efforts: I can plant brassicas to break up soil, use goats to fertilize and give space for (somewhat) tender native grasses where creosote is dominating, and use beans and clover to fix nitrogen, but I cannot kid myself that 5 acres full of just these things would be sustainable in this environment.
Regeneration and land stewardship demand honesty of us, and thoughtfulness, and a willingness to acknowledge that the goal cannot be supporting a modern, American lifestyle. Period.
Our May newsletter just went out, a practical guide to building infrastructure in consideration of the whole.
However you seek to do better in your world: create a compost scheme, set up solar, raise your own animals, build out a garden, or rework your home to be more efficient, this newsletter is a guide to designing your systems better.
https://rancholibertad.com/in-consideration-of-the-whole/
If you have any tips to add, feel free to leave a comment, and if you find it useful consider sharing with a friend. Paid subscribers are one way we seek to keep the Ranch afloat, so every share and dollar really counts.
Thank you all ~
#ClimateChange #DirectAction #RegenerativeAg #SystemDesign #EcoInfrastructure #CommunityDevelopment #RanchoDeLaLibertad #Regeneration #Mojave #SouthernCalifornia #JoshuaTree
If you're interested in learning how you can more deeply participate in or support our mission of building community sovereignty and stewarding abused land, you can find options for in-person or financial participation on our website:
https://rancholibertad.com/participate
We just opened our Supporter tier, and look forward to offering more opportunities to support locally and from afar in August. Those who subscribe at the Supporter tier receive a twice yearly gift basket of goodies from the Ranch (the first will be sent in December) as well as access to participate in quarterly Q&A posts.
You will also know (perhaps most importantly) that you are tangibly supporting projects that enable us to better serve residents (now and in the future), guests seeking sanctuary, and the land. Projects such as tree planting, renewable energy infrastructure, sustainable building, animal stewardship, sustainable and place-sensible food production, and more.
We are so grateful to you for your interest and collaboration ✨
#MutualAid #ClimateDirectAction #ClimateChange #Renewable #Regeneration #RegenerativeAg #Permaculture #RanchoDeLaLibertad #Community #CommunitySovereignty #IndigenousOwned #WomanOwned
By the 1940s–60s, blueberry farming exploded across the U.S., planting over 200,000 seedlings in 13 states. Elizabeth White was honored for her work in 1932—forever changing American agriculture.
#Blueberries #Blog #Food #History #Indigenous #ElizabethWhite #HeirloomCrops #MutualAid #Botany #USDA #NativePlants #GardenHistory #RegenerativeAg #Perennial
#Naturebook challenge. A book per day, in no particular order, until you've shared ALL of the best nature, environment and conservation books. No explanations, no reviews, just covers!
#NatureBookChallenge #RegenerativeAg #smallfarming #books #reading
Interested in #permaculture ?
Join the free online International Permaculture Festival of Wild Ideas
May 3-11, 2025
https://permacultureeducationinstitute.org/permaculture-festival-wild-ideas/
#earthcare #peoplecare #fairshare #RegenerativeAgriculture #RegenerativeAg
The next Rancho de la Libertad newsletter drops today, a bit of a treatise on existence at this seemingly apocalyptic juncture.
"This is the almost-unspoken dilemma of our age, of our activism. There appears to be no way out, and so we consume what we must to get by, we work for the company we work for not because we truly believe they’re doing something worthwhile but simply because we must in order to survive, we sell our creative passions (if we are lucky enough to make a living this way) and turn this medium of radical change—art--into castrated product. Who can blame us? Perhaps we try to make small choices that make a difference, but at bottom we feel like there truly is no way to make a difference. And so we accept the seeming end of our world with a kind of indignant resignation."
If you want to join our community in search of answers to this dilemma, consider subscribing so you don't miss the post. Soon we'll be releasing a paid tier soon to not only support our project but to gain access to exclusive gifts like fresh eggs, bread, and pasta for those who are local and other resources for our supporters from afar.
https://rancholibertad.com/#/portal/
We thank you ✨
#RanchoDeLaLibertad #RegenerativeAg #ClimateChange #Decolonize #SocialJustice
Bringing in Spring, despite higher than average temperatures, we've made significant progress.
Provider green beans, potatoes, butternut squash, loofa plants, yellow clover, johnsongrass and native grasses are all growing quite well, and I'm optimistic we may have something to harvest at the end of the season.
The chicks we brooded are thriving, and happy, shaded by our biggest mesquite tree.
Bats hang out in the evenings, as does a single owl occasionally.
It's a lot of work, but it feels hopeful.
#RegenerativeAg #Permaculture #Regenerative #Sanctuary #ClimateDirectAction #EcoActivism
Our first newsletter was sent to subscribers today, with many more to come, including technical guides on greywater reuse, earthworks, preparation for climate shifts, and many other musings from our arid land.
Quarterly Updates: The Rebirth of Spring
Greetings from the Holy Mojave in its period of yearly renewal: as heat returns to us with the return of the Sun to the Northern hemisphere, so, too, does life begin its frantic rush to living before the heat slows it temporarily. We experienced the Spring Equinox on March 20th, and so return and rebirth are on our minds.
We believe that humans are a keystone species, and that our role is the careful stewardship of the ecosystems we a a part of. This belief underpins our philosophy and intention, and serves as the basis for the work of sowing seeds and routing water, allocating resources to plants and animals that serve the land as we do.
This is our first release of a continuous series of quarterly updates aligning with our Wheel of the Year observances and so we will, just this once, start from the beginning. We hope each quarterly update reminds you how capable you are to make the changes you wish to see in your own community, your own landbase.
https://rancholibertad.com/quarterly-updates-the-rebirth-of-spring/
#ClimateChange #ClimateAction #DirectAction #RanchoDeLaLibertad #RegenerativeAg #Permaculture
Hello from post-Equinox heat wave here in the sacred Mojave.
We see with the return of the sun also the return of young tree leaves, bees, dragonflies, and so much more. The cover crops I failed to grow last year are sprouting en masse in newly finished infiltration basins, irrigated with greywater from the communal house, and I've even seen mushrooms that I've inoculated into straw beds fruit after rains. So much of this feels like hope. Our young chickens are enjoying their first unsupervised forays into their little fenced run (until they're big enough to trust foraging), and we saw our first Great Horned Owl a few weeks ago.
Our website is live, and I hope you'll join us if you haven't already. We're releasing our first newsletter Monday, trying to put to digital paper Equinox contemplations, and bring you along on this journey with us.
It's free, and we appreciate your support.
We are also trying to get a few trees in the ground before it gets too hot. If you feel up to monetary support to help us with purchasing saplings, we don't have our own ko-fi or paid tiers of the newsletter offering, yet, but we can accept donations (or purchases that support the ranch) through Siin's ko-fi:
https://ko-fi.com/sigillosacro
We appreciate & love you all, being to being. Stay safe out there.
Siin & Star
#MutualAid #RegenerativeAgriculture #RegenerativeAg #ClimateChange #ClimateAction #ClimateDirectAction #Activism #ClimateActivism #Sanctuary #Community #SouthernCalifornia #SoCal #MojaveDesert
25 Forgotten Vegetables That Grandparents Grew to Survive the Great Depression!
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5mEpiqw7Yho&si=uLsnOwQMJo0pbZgy
#VictoryGarden #Gardening #RegenerativeAg #RegenAg #Permaculture #FarmToTable #Environment #ClimateChange
Researching food forest vine plantings for sustainable ecosystems. Our open-source guide includes images, descriptions, planting guidelines, and cultural insights for USDA zones 7a-7b. Explore more at our Food Forest Open Source Hub.
https://onecommunityglobal.org/food-forest-vine-plantings/
#FoodForest #Permaculture #EdibleLandscaping #SustainableLiving #Agroforestry #RegenerativeAg #EcoFarming #Biodiversity #VinePlanting #OneCommunity
Exploring food forest groundcover plantings for sustainable ecosystems. Our research includes images, descriptions, planting guidelines, and cultural considerations, with open-source details for USDA zones 7a-7b. Find more at our Food Forest Open Source Hub.
https://onecommunityglobal.org/food-forest-herb-plantings/
#FoodForest #Permaculture #RegenerativeAg #EdibleLandscaping #SustainableLiving #Groundcover #Agroforestry #EcoFarming #Biodiversity #OneCommunity
Exploring food forest groundcover plantings for sustainable ecosystems. Our research includes images, descriptions, planting guidelines, and cultural considerations, with open-source details for USDA zones 7a-7b. Find more at our Food Forest Open Source Hub.
https://onecommunityglobal.org/food-forest-groundcover-plantings/
#FoodForest #Permaculture #RegenerativeAg #EdibleLandscaping #SustainableLiving #Groundcover #Agroforestry #EcoFarming #Biodiversity #OneCommunity
Promoting ethical, humane, and sustainable sheep stewardship for The Highest Good of All. We model conscientious care, rotational grazing, and responsible by-product use while providing open-source education on ethical animal husbandry.
https://onecommunityglobal.org/sheep/
#EthicalFarming #SustainableLiving #AnimalWelfare #RegenerativeAg #SheepCare #EcoFarming #HumaneAgriculture #Permaculture #EthicalStewardship #OneCommunity
#garlic planted at the very last possible moment last fall is starting to break ground.
This is on some new property we've not really started on yet and the pH is in the low 5s. This bed got heavily amended with rabbit manure and we'll do foliar fish fertilizer as well to give them a boost as they grow out. I was obviously advised to Lime but it's way too expensive and I am more interested in working with the biology to buffer the pH instead. It's a slower solution but I believe the right one for us.
Hoofprints On The Land by Ilse Köhler-Rollefson is another absolute favorite in my list of latest reads. Anyone interested in #climate #permaculture #foodsovreignty #RegenerativeAg and #animalwellbeing will learn so much from this beautifully written narrative on transhumance.
Pastoral Song by James Rebanks is one of the best books I've read this year. It is beautiful and honest and is a perspective I have longed to hear on how and why farmers went from farming small, in small rural communities, to operating at commercial/industrial scale, and back to small again.
A must-read for any farmer or homesteader, and anyone who cares one ounce about the realities of feeding this world.
