[20 May 2014 08:09] RjjA: <<< Converting It would appear that many people come to biodynamics from an organic place, or at least one that honours and reveres nature. This is a sound base from which to begin, as it is not possible to practice biodynamics from any place other than organic. We are dealing with subtle energies and influences that cannot be combined with the use of chemicals, even the tiniest of slug pellet. The intention must be to work with nature rather than to try and dominate and subdue her. The second place from which people are drawn to biodynamics is from the concept of working with unseen forces, often of a lunar nature. We are many of us aware of the influence of the moon on large bodies of water in terms of the tides, and of similar in the reproductive cycle of female mammals. This might lead us on to recognize that the gravitational pull of the moon is also moving water through plants. The moon waxes and it wanes, it ascends and descends and in all of its movement it has influence on plants. If the moon is such a big influence on plants, what about the other planets and everything else that makes up the cosmos? This is the great mystery of life and it is why biodynamics is so exciting because it allows that everything is influential and that this is no accident. Starting Out Perhaps the first action is to begin looking at your garden as though it was an organism. Just as Rudolf Steiner saw the ‘farm organism’ as a self-contained and self-supporting unit with all the different components of the farm acting as microcosms of a greater whole, it is good to look at a garden this way, however big or small it is. After all, your garden contains soil and this is an organism in its own right. Nature does not separate a bed of potatoes from a window box of lettuces; they are both part of the individuality of the garden. If you hold this then the use of the practical biodynamic applications will be much more effective. Loosely biodynamics can be broken down into the following areas: The use of two field sprays, BD 500 (horn manure) and BD 501 (horn silica). The use of five compost preparations that are healing herbs added to the compost heap. The use of a planting calendar that gives clear indications when to carry out tasks in the garden. This is the bedrock upon which biodynamic practice is founded. Anyone can do it, it is not limited to those with an Anthroposophical background or interest, and most of the raw materials with which to get started are available from the Biodynamic Agricultural Association in Stroud. In fact many of the ingredients that are needed, with a little application and purpose, can be made at home.— RjjA, Yesterday 08:09[20 May 2014 08:09] RjjA: The use of two field sprays, BD 500 (horn manure) and BD 501 (horn silica). The use of five compost preparations that are healing herbs added to the compost heap. The use of a planting calendar that gives clear indications when to carry out tasks in the garden. This is the bedrock upon which biodynamic practice is founded. Anyone can do it, it is not limited to those with an Anthroposophical background or interest, and most of the raw materials with which to get started are available from the Biodynamic Agricultural Association in Stroud. In fact many of the ingredients that are needed, with a little application and purpose, can be made at home.— RjjA, Yesterday 08:09 BLACK SALVE - Black drawing salve is a natural remedy I first heard about when visiting a local Amish community to pick up produce and eggs. I saw one of the farmer’s sons applying what looked like tar to his arm after getting a large splinter from a fence post. I asked what he was putting on his arm and was told that it was a drawing salve to help pull out the splinter and make sure the area didn’t get infected. I was fascinated and wondered if it would work and if it would stain the skin. The farmer assured me that it didn’t stain the skin and that they used it all the time in their community to help with wound healing and drawing out things that were stuck in the skin. He said that it was even effective on some spider bites for drawing out the venom. I asked if there was a place to buy it, and was told that they made it themselves but the farmer offered to write down the recipe for me. We’ve been making variations of this recipe ever since. It takes a while to make but is very effective and well worth the time. We especially use it for splinters and pieces of glass that get stuck in the skin. I have not tried it personally, but black drawing salves are also said to help remove moles and skin tags. Black Salve Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons of comfrey, calendula and plantain infused olive oil (see instructions below) 2 tablespoons shea butter 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil 2 Tablespoons Beeswax 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil 2 tablespoons Activated Charcoal Powder 2 Tablespoons Kaolin Clay 1 Tablespoon honey 20 drops (or more) Lavender Essential Oil What to Do: Before making the salve, it is important to infuse olive oil with comfrey, calendula and plantain. You will need 1 tablespoon of each of the herbs, finely powdered in a food processor or blender, and 1/2 cup olive oil. It can be infused in one of these two ways: Powder the herbs and place in a small jar. Pour oil over the herbs. Leave in jar for 3-4 weeks, shaking daily, and then strain through a cheesecloth for use. Heat the herbs and olive oil in a double boiler. Leave on low/medium heat for about an hour until oil gets strong smelling and darker. Strain through cheesecloth for use. Personally, I keep a big jar of olive oil with plantain, comfrey and calendula in my herb cabinet and let it constantly infuse for use in salves and lotions. When the oil is used, I discard the herbs and begin the process again. To make the salve: Combine infused olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, vitamin E oil and honey in a glass jar in a small pan of water. Heat the water to a simmer and carefully stir mixture in the jar until all ingredients are melted. Remove from heat and add activated charcoal, kaolin clay, and lavender essential oil and mix well. Quickly pour in to small jars or tins and let sit until hardened (several hours). Store in airtight container and use as needed on cuts, splinters, etc. How to Use Black Salve: Make sure area has been cleaned well. Put a generous amount of black salve on the wound or splinter and cover with gauze or a large bandaid. Leave at least a few hours or overnight to allow it to draw out the infection or object. Some things (like glass… in my experience) may take a day or two and several applications to draw out an object. This salve is a wonderful natural remedy but it is not a replacement for medical care when needed. Consult a doctor before using if you have any health conditions or concerns. Ever made a salve? How did it work? Share below! Whether the problem is feeding a hungry world or simply increasing the productivity of a small backyard garden, the solution might well be biodynamic gardening. Back in 1966 Alan Chadwick — an English actor, painter, pianist, and master horticulturist — was offered a chance to demonstrate the techniques of biodynamic (aka French intensive) gardening on a barren four-acre clay hillside at the University of California's Santa Cruz campus. Chadwick tackled the little "desert" (land that was so inhospitable that few weeds even grew there) with hand tools, a love for the garden that he knew the plot could become, and incredible energy. Before long the once dead-looking slope was a veritable paradise of vegetables and flowers, and a beacon that attracted students and followers. Since then, biodynamic gardening (often referred to as permaculture or "the method") has slowly gained a reputation among organic gardeners in North America, largely through the efforts of Chadwick and John Jeavons (of Ecology Action of the Mid-Peninsula in Stanford, California). It was Jeavons who eventually took the technique — which Chadwick had synthesized from the intensive gardening practiced in turn-of-the-century France and the biodynamic theories developed by Rudolf Steiner in early 20th century Austria — and subjected it to careful modification and testing. He was always striving to produce the optimum yield from the smallest possible space. And John's harvests have been little short of amazing! His per-acre "method" crop production has, for example, climbed to between four and six times that of the average U.S. yield (while, in rare cases, the biodynamic gardens have produced as much as 31 times the national crop average for a given amount of space!). In fact, Jeavons has gone so far as to estimate that it would be possible for an urban, suburban, or rural gardener to net as much as $10,000 a year from the produce that he or she could grow on a scant 1/10 acre! Furthermore, as if such incredible results weren't enough to recommend this revolutionary gardening technique, the biodynamic system uses no polluting fuel, no toxic pesticides, and no highly processed chemical fertilizers. In fact, the technique actually improves the quality of the soil with each crop that's grown! And it does so while using only 1/100 as much energy and 1/8 as much water as does commercial agriculture. How Is Biodynamic Gardening Done? All the different facets of the permaculture method serve to allow the gardener to produce as many healthy plants as possible on a given piece of land. The raised beds that are characteristic of such gardens, for instance, serve several purposes. First, since the growing areas are wider than are "normal" garden rows (approximately five feet ... in order to allow the gardener to reach plants in the middle without stepping on, and compacting, the soil in the bed), less space must be wasted on walkways. The rectangular beds are raised from four to 10inches above the original ground level, too, and their edges are angled down at a 45* slope ... effectively providing more (curved) surface area than if the same piece of ground were left flat. Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/biodynamic-gardening-zmaz80jfzraw.aspx#ixzz32S97gen9