About juliasjuice
Posts by Julia Nelson:
Project Pond
There are a lot of changes in landscape going on at the Dacha Project. A new pond has been dug at the bottom of the property. The area that was cleared away used to be farmland that was overrun by shrubs and a few trees. There is a small stream trickling through the area and there were many boggy spots where water was right beneath the surface of the soil. The Dacha project residents felt that using this source of water for a pond would be beneficial for both the land and the people living on it. It can provide a place to swim during the hot summer months and create a more diverse ecosystem for fish, frogs and birds.
Another big change at the Dacha was the decision to connect to the public electrical grid. A large trench was dug from the house to the road to allow for the cables needed for the operation. The decision was a difficult one but ultimately has more benefits than drawbacks in the long term. Joe provided a short explanation.
Consider Sobriety
by Julia, Dacha Project inter-at-large
One of the daily plant walks with 7song.
Utah stunned me with its dramatic landscape, the roads becoming smaller and more unkempt as we got closer to our destination. We slowed the car down to a crawl, wincing at the bounce from the potholes peppering our path. I did not mind the slow ascent, gazing at snow capped mountains with fields of wild flowers nodding in the sun. There wasn’t a cloud in sight and the sky was consistently blue during our stay in the Rocky Mountains. The Rainbow Gathering is always located off of back roads in the heart of national forests around the country. Everything on site is built from scratch often weeks before the masses arrive by those who enjoy truly “roughing it”. This group of brave individuals stay for several weeks after the event to clean up and break down, leaving the mountainside without a trace. The Rainbow Gathering has been occurring for the past 25 years. They claim to be the largest non-organization creating an intentional community that has no centralized governing body. The movement was born in the early 70’s as an experiment in caring for thousands of people who want to come together in efforts to create a peaceful community dedicated to the acceptance of alternative lifestyles.
We parked in the first available location, taking the time to untangle our belongings from the tightly packed car. There were four of us prepared for nearly a month long excursion. Everyone from 7song’s Community Herbalism Intensive were required to make the trip out to the Gathering as one of three field trips. We had a week to get across the country, a week at the Rainbow Gathering and then another week following at a previously unknown location to wildcraft, and make medicine. Burdened with our backpacks, one of my car companions and I refused to wait for one of the few “shuttles” helping people to bring their belongings up the three mile hike to the main entrance. We had a desire to be capable of bringing our gear in on foot, as we had been warned to expect a hike of several miles where private vehicles could not access. Somehow the idea of being able to shoulder all our belongings added to the experience of backwoods survival.
Once inside the main entrance we started to see campsites pop up along the dirt road as people slowly started to organize themselves into little camps. The Rainbow Gathering is grounded in lore that when the world begins to crumble a new society of people from all different backgrounds (aka “a rainbow of colors”) will come together to help one another survive. This an idealistic form of socialism that created a tradition of a money-free event. The work of setting up this makeshift community is intended to be divided equally. There are groups of people who pickup trash, others dig latrines and there are many people that come together and organize their camps into “kitchens” provide food for free. Necessities like filtered watered are taken care of by these kitchens. Springs were re-routed and systems set up to provide for washing and hydration needs. Many people have to learn the hard way the difference between “live water” and “filtered water”. Working at the first aid station we experienced plenty of people who made that mistake. More
Sunday, 7/20/14
Documenting the Dacha Project: 7/20/14 from Dacha Project on Vimeo.
The structure I mentioned a few weeks back is coming together beautifully. Tammie’s food truck is also near completion. A lot has changed in the few weeks since my departure. The garden is flourishing and many projects are moving along.
Adventure Utah and video short in the works: Le Intern, Julia Nelson
This is a photo I found on the internet of the mountains and desert in Utah.
I will be leaving this week on quite the adventure. The Community Herbal Intensive is going across country to offer our services at the Rainbow Gathering. It is located in Utah this year. I can’t wait to be camping in deserts and mountains. 7song, our teacher, runs the first aid station at the festival, and this is a great learning opportunity for his students. We have spent weeks preparing, but learning about a hypothetical first aid situation is nothing like the real thing. I am hoping to strengthen my skills working with actual people. We have done some role playing and I find that it’s really difficult to be quick thinking on the spot. Someone comes in with rashes, stomach ache etc. and all of a sudden my mind is flooded with medical information soup. The Rainbow Gathering attracts thousands of people for a week of complete off-the-grid living. Food is provided free or by donations and we are miles away from any civilization. Everyone has to be responsible for themselves and their impact on the environment, but in case something goes wrong that is where we come in.
After a week at the gathering, our class will head off to a currently unknown location to find plants for wildcrafting. We will be scouting, gathering and making medicines on site. I am really excited to be going out west and experiencing these incredible landscapes. I wonder what sort of wildlife and plants are there to be discovered.
I feel like this will be an interesting experience to share with you here on the Dacha Project online community. Many common injuries such as cuts, burns and infections are difficult to deal with in an environment like the Rainbow Gathering. Providing first aid to people “roughin it” with herbal remedies inspires me by just how much can be accomplished with a DIY mentality. I also want to share my thoughts on ethical wildcrafting and on-the-go medicine making. I will be doing weekly updates on my experience.
For now please enjoy my first video project for the homestead – it is an introduction montage, to what will eventually (when I return) become a weekly video series.
Documenting the Dacha Project: Meet the Community Members!
Documenting the Dacha Project: Sunday, June 15, 2014
This past sunday, Danila and his good friend John started to put up this handsome structure that will be used to house some plants that need extra protection. The holes that the posts are going into are about a foot and a half into the ground. They decided to use cement to secure the posts in place.
The cement is a bought in powder form and then water is slowly added to get the right consistency. It takes several days to weeks to completely cure as the water slowly evaporates.
The garden is finished! All the plants have been put in the ground for the summer. The seedlings were sprouted in the greenhouse and then transplanted.
The Dacha Project residents are very excited about their new outdoor shower. The hot water is provided through the veggie oil generator’s cooling process. The generator needs water to cool down its’ engine and then the water that is heated keeps their hot water tank full. The drainage from the shower will help to water Marina’s herb garden which is located next to it. All their water comes from a natural spring on site.
Documenting Dacha: My first day on the homestead
I feel very lucky to be seeing first hand how a community like Dacha works. I am fascinated with process of what it means to build sustainable living practices starting from the ground up. Even if an individual wasn’t necessarily interested living the path the members of the Dacha Project have taken, there are so many aspects to the projects they do here that can be incorporated into many lifestyles. It is the DIY aspect that intrigues me, and I am happy to help share their savvy with the world.
My weekly updates to the Dacha Project’s website will offer online followers an opportunity to learn more about building practices, gardening, and various ideas about how life unfolds here. Keep on reading for photos from Sunday, June 8th!
My first mission is to finish this fence made with saplings and branches from felled trees around the property. The saplings and branches are still “green” meaning that they haven’t completely lost their living moisture. By weaving these flexible branches and trees we can create a sturdy, tall fence to keep out those pesky deer. Another trick to keep deer out of the garden is to plant aromatic herbs like garlic around the perimeter. There are few herbivores that like the taste of these plants.
The fence will also act as an armature for some pea plants that are growing along the edge. These climbers can get to be around six feet tall! They will look beautiful intertwined with the natural wood of the woven fence.
Here is a photo of some thriving gardens next to the homestead. There are salad greens and herbs growing here. I had the pleasure of picking some for my lunch.
Marina, a resident of the homestead, is starting an herb garden on the side of the house. She is also attending the Community Herbal Intensive and my first visit to the Dacha project was at a potluck she organized for the members of the herbal class and the Dacha residents. That gravel is meant to prevent any vegetation from growing next to the house’s foundation, which can compromise its stability and keep moisture where it shouldn’t be. It will also help to catch rainwater falling from the gutter and send it to the plants. Marina built a raised bed because the soil is too clay heavy for the herbs. With some wood she found lying around, and a rich horse manure mixture to fill the cavity these herbs are set up to thrive.
It was a full Sunday familiarizing myself with the homestead, working on the fence and talking to the Dacha Project community members. I can’t wait to get back to work next week. I hope to investigate beekeeping and gather footage for a series of video shorts. Tune in next Friday for the results!