A few months ago, I shared that I was working on a new project… My Awesome New Enterprise, in fact. It’s been many months of learning, researching, brainstorming and website development — many more months than I initially assumed — but: Today I’m excited and proud to announce the launch of Project Grounded. Project Grounded’s …
Almost two months ago now, I celebrated my graduation from the Ecological Landscaper Immersion program at the Permaculture Skills Center, surrounded by teachers and fellow students who had become like brothers and sisters to me. Six months together makes for some pretty strong bonds! What I said that day when they passed the mic on …
Friends, I’ve been absent for far too long — but certainly not because I didn’t have anything to say. On the contrary. I am enrolled in the school of my dreams, with a curriculum containing all that I’ve been aching to learn, and I’ve been sitting on the edge of my seat trying to take …
Steep slopes present all kinds of challenges, no matter what the size of the property. Friends of mine here in Columbia are struggling with that particular headache on an otherwise lovely, wooded two-acre property they are developing into a new tiny house community. The plan is to offer affordable, small-footprint, ecologically conscious housing. It’s really an …
All right folks, here comes probably my biggest announcement ever on this site. Everything I’ve documented here at Gather&Grow during its three years of existence – permaculture design and education, learning and practicing urban homesteading skills, natural dyeing, launching a yarn line – are projects I’ve pursued on the side while maintaining a full-time day …
In all honesty, I was prepared for my “bread from trees” to be, at best, just palatable. I had actually never tasted anything made out of acorns until now. My acorn baking was an experiment, and one that I thought would require a heroic adjustment of the palate. But I was wrong. Both the bread …
This is the story of how I came to make flour out of acorns. Not that adventures in wild food foraging are anything new around here, but acorns are a new frontier for me. Two things happened in a space of a couple of days: first, coming home from my favorite coffee shop, I noticed …
Midwinter is the time for bright colors. When the landscape outside is resting, with the subdued neutral colors and quietness of winter, introducing a splash of color into our days brings with it uplifting energy… something we could all use a little bit right now, yes? The new winter colorway, now available in my little …
A few days before the end of the year — just in time! — I finally finished my locally sourced, all-handmade outfit of 2015. Black alpaca cardigan spun and knitted from alpaca fiber from Sea Ayre Suris Farm, grey bodice of Alabama Chanin organic cotton jersey dyed with comfrey and blackberry leaves, and a pale …
On the shortest day of the year, I bring the growing crescendo of the end-of-the-year busyness to a halt. I unplug. I light a candle. I spend the day in retreat mode, reflecting on the past year, the present moment, and my hopes and intentions for the coming year. I settle into the darkness of …
gather and grow 