Day two of the fair we got up and after preparing breakfast we headed out from our campsite. Since we knew how to get there the drive over went well. Surprisingly traffic was much better and I believe that not as many people came for both days. Even so there were still thousands of people there.
We had decided that we would NOT try to see as many speakers even though there were many good ones that we would be missing. It just seemed like so much work the day before and we wanted to ENJOY ourselves rather then rush from speaker to speaker. We started the day by simply walking through and taking some time at some of the booths. We had looked at some the day before but decided to "buy" on day two rather then haul stuff around all day. We purchased some things that we felt were worth having and I will share some of them in another separate post.
We attended only two speakers with the first choice on saving heirloom seeds given by Jere Gettle of Baker Creek seeds. He told of his own desire to save seeds and how he began growing his first garden at three and selling heirloom seeds from his bedroom as a teenager. He said that we need to save seeds, give seeds and trade seeds to make sure that different seed varieties will continue to be grown. He discussed GMO seeds and how it may be necessary to grow seeds on islands and hand pollinate to insure they don't become contaminated. He explained that seed companies can and have been sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars if their seeds are found to contain only 1% of GMO contaminated corn even when. They don't WANT the GMO genes. He also said heirlooms can be saved, given away, grown or even thrown away without a patent agreement (like required with GMOs) that constrains what you are legally obligated to do. He also said heirlooms come with local and historical stories that go back hundreds of years. The stories in his opinion (and mine) are just as interesting and important as the seed. Other things he discussed were:
1. that bigger eggplants are less bitter than the smaller ones BECAUSE due to their size they take longer to develop seeds which cause bitterness.
2. Root crops help loosen the soil because they grow down and break it up. Anything not harvested can be tilled in to add nutrients.
3. Some varieties of native seeds have natural pest resistence.
4. Squash with hard stems (like lemon squash) are resistent to squash bugs and planting late squash prevents insect damage.
5. Dark tomatoes like Cherokee purple and black krim have up to three times the nutrition as the newer lighter tomatoes.
6. The reason for richer tasting vegetables is because they draw more nutrients from the soil. If vegetables taste bland it is because there aren't as many nutrients being drawn up from the soil. Newer varieties are bred not to bring up as many nutrients because they are bred to be long lasting and for shipping not nutrients.
I really enjoyed his presentation and was amazed that he told is that he had been struck by lightening just three days prior and wasn't feeling very well! You have to give him the credit he is due for still managing to show up and give a presentation after such an event.
After his presentation we decided to do take our time and do some shopping. There were many people selling seeds as well as books and soaps. There were others selling all kinds of merchandise from bee hives to fencing. We bought what we wanted and discussed lunch. We HAD leftovers in the truck because we weren't about to go through another grueling day in the sun. Fortunately, the lines were shorter and there was food to be had. After eating we went to hear one last speaker.
I wanted to see Cindy Conner a biointensive gardener and teacher because I have two of her DVDs and enjoyed them. She also has a book and a blog called Homeplace Earth. Here are the few notes that I took from her presentation:
1. Its important to feed the soil by planting cover crops.
2. Plantig corn in circles can help prevent the wind from blowing it down.
3. After harvesting corn crops rotate by planting peanuts, squash or sweet potatoes.
4. Grow wheat and thresh it out. It can be threshed with a plastic baseball bat.
5. Layer compost with straw and green material. If you don't have enough green matter then you can always store the straw until you do.
6. Plant around compost because as it breaks down nutrients leak into the soil.
7. Rotate compost within the garden from bed to bed each year to feed and replenish the soil. Leave the bed fallow while it is composting.
8. Sixty percent of the garden should be in cover crops every year. Sounds like alot but it isn't when you consider winter months and times between crops.
9. You can cut cover crops. Lay it down IN the bed. In 21 days you can plant directly in the bed through the cover crop.
10. Work towards a "three bed transition garden" from compost to garden to cover crop.
11. There is a plant harvest schedule free on her blog or in her book/DVD.
12. Start "seed libraries" or other means of keeping seeds in the hands of the people.
13. Gandhi said "keep spinning wool in the hands of the people" so that they don't lose the freedom and ability to spin wool which was their livelihood at the time. She compared the quote to seeds. Keep them in the hands and gardens of the people so that we can continue to grow our own food, protect the seeds and the soil they grow in.
14. Nutrition has gone down in food. It has been tested and its no longer providing the nutrition that it used to have. She says its because the nutrients are no longer in the soil available to the food.
15. People need vitamin B12. We can get it by adding animals. If we have goats for milk and chickens for eggs then 1.5 cups of milk and one egg per day provides all the b12 our bodies need.
16. Duck eggs provide more B12 then chicken eggs.
After hearing the last speaker we spent a little time at one of the tents where they showed people from the John C. Campbell Folk school using their skills for things such as cooking with an outdoor oven made from bricks, making a broom, spinning yarn from rabbit wool and using an iron forge. I also bought some books from the bookstore which I'm looking forward to reading.
We left the fair without staying for the last speaker so that we could make it home at a reasonable hour. We had broken camp that morning after breakfast so everything was packed and ready to go in the truck. Our second day was much more easy going and enjoyable since we didn't have to rush around and stand in the sun for hours but even with our few problems here and there we still had a great time. I wish I could have seen more of the speakers especially one on solar cooking and another on biodiesel. I would definitely go again and recommend it to anyone who is considering attending one near them. While its not 100% prepper and there were many people who are more granola then bullets and beans it was fun.
Southern Wood Elf