Food Forest Workshop - March 30 - 31st 2018

This is the ideal time to learn how to establish and work on a permaculture food forest. Mycol Stevens will return to his favorite classroom (where he often teaches ethnobotany and mycology with Marc Williams…and hoping to do this Oct 2018). Mycol has been living “off-the-grid” on his permaculture homestead since 2002 in N. Central FL which is a nearly identical climate to the Hostel. There he has been establishing a diverse food forest where he has had many failures, but along with diligence, many a success. Learning from others mistakes is one of the best ways to learn! For an idea what Mycol is now growing on FInca Mycol here is a partial list: 7 varieties of persimmon on about 20 trees, 6 varieties of muscadine/scuppernog grape, 4 varieties of pomegranite, figs, olive, 8 varieties of citrus (about 60 trees), 6 variety of pear, 3 apple variety, cold hardy avocado (thanks to Oliver), guava, 15 Che fruit, peach, about 15 Dunstan chestnut trees, white sapote (thanks to Oliver), Rio of the Grand CHerry (thanks Oliver), yams, ginger, turmeric, about 8 varieties of blueberry (incorporating into long leaf pine restoration), ginko biloba, asparagus, sassafras, etc etc etc! He is also heavily involved in long leaf pine restoration and its often overlooked understory where he is also planting rare listed species. Mycol also grows a diversity of tropical fruit trees in Sarasota at his parents home and now at his old house in St Augustine. Of course Mycol is growing mushrooms too! Mycol has been grafting for over 15 years now, but crucial techniques were learned by Oliver Moore. Oliver has been a great friend over the years and I hope you will take advantage of learning from both of us. During this event, you will learn how, why and when to prune fruit and nut trees, you will learn how to sharpen your tools, you will learn plant propagation techniques, you will learn various grafting techniques, you will be able to take home your own grafted fruit tree, you will get to taste some of our fruits of Mycols and Olivers labors, you will eat some dank food and have an awesome time! We hope to improve food forest production and management at the hostel so that they will live more sustainably and hope that you will “invest” in your future by planting foods for yourself and others in the community!

Mycol Stevens has a Master’s Degree in Aquatic Ecology and worked as a restoration ecologist/botanist for the Florida Fish and Game across the state of FL from 2004-2014. He has traveled much of Central and South America and Africa, and has learned from some of the best teachers including Frank Cook and Robert Hunsucker. Mycol has been teaching ethnobotany and edible mushrooms since 2005. He also lives off-the-grid on an “ecocentric” permaculture homestead where he eats from the wild almost daily and propagates and cultivates his own organic foods. Mycol’s philosophy is to ween off the “system” and to let your food be your medicine. Mycol has been inspired by the Hostel since the mid 90’s and much of its philosophy is reflected in his way of life. Knowing the living world around you, connects you to the living world. Mycol is now allowing guests to GLAMP at his Finca via airbnb and also at his house in St Augustine if you are interested (Finca Mycol and 20 Davis St).

Oliver Moore is a permaculture gardener based in Gainesville, Florida, where he is deeply committed to teaching and sharing skills related to community food production. Oliver grew up in Rockbridge County, Virginia on a 200-acre farm with seven springs, sheep and cows, and a pastured grove of over 500 black walnut trees, where his father first introduced him to the basics of grafting. After going to Hawaii in search of tropical paradise, he became convinced that we need to create paradise wherever we are especially on depleted or degraded land. Accordingly, he returned to the states and bought a five-acre tangerine grove in Citra, Florida and continued to implement and refine grafting methods. He also experimented with growing exotic tropical fruits in a greenhouse, learning how to adapt to the challenging line between the tropical and temperate climate zones. In 1995, Oliver volunteered with the Trees For Life organization in Guatemala, assisting with fruit tree and firewood nurseries and organic growing methods. Three years later, he visited Earth Haven, an intentional community in North Carolina, and discovered the concept of permaculture. The holistic vision and integrated approach to working with the earth instantly rang true for him, and while it would be several years before he would return to train for and receive his permaculture certification, he immediately began integrating the concepts into his life and work. In 2005, he sold the tangerine grove and began cultivating edibles on a four-acre property closer to the city of Gainesville, drawn by the resource of its vibrant nature-loving and supportive community. In 2008, he expanded his personal nursery into a commercial enterprise and founded Abundant Edible Landscapes, which offered design-planning and installation of fruit trees, perennial vegetables, and shiitake, as well as rainwater capture and irrigation systems. He has helped bring out-of-town experts to his local community to teach Permaculture Design Courses (PDC’s). He regularly offers classes and consultations on grafting, pruning, and mushroom identification, wild-harvesting, and propagation. He enjoys making fermented beverages chock full of adaptogens and other tonic herbs and sharing them with good friends. PRICE: $250 per person Please call the Hostel in the Forest at (912) 264-9738 to register.