We bring nonindustrial subsistence technology to (over)developed societies. We exist at the nexus of ancient, ethnographic, and modern subsistence. We aim to 1) identify ancient and contemporary nonindustrial technologies appropriate for use in modern, small-scale, self-sustaining infrastructure; 2) create do-it-yourself, resource-light solutions to sustainability problems; 3) provide our findings to the public for free use; and 4) create platforms to share information related to sustainability, especially solutions derived from ancient or ethnographic sources. We prize simple solutions over complex ones and eschew needless complication.
Back in 2016, I published a post about porridge. Since then, I’ve looked at warm cereal mushes in Japan and Mexico. I’m reposting the original post below, but I’ll add my new favorite oatmeal recipe, which isn’t just oats. Once upon a time in 1924, Gertrude Skilling Kavaner, of Manitoba, invented what would later become … More It’s Porridge Time!
Successful natural systems are resilient because they can withstand or adapt to changes in their surroundings. We could look at resilience in the animal, plant, and fungus kingdoms in many ways: pigeons and rats adapting to urban life, wood ticks expanding northward as temperatures warm, or polar bears trying to adapt to a world with … More Efficiency vs. Resilience: Global Supply Chain Collapse – Part 2: Natural Systems
If you have been trying to purchase anything lately — from a car or laptop to holiday gifts, or you’ve been watching the news — you’ll be aware of the disruptions in the global supply chain. This is an example of the inverse relationship between efficiency and resilience in systems. This week, we’re going to … More Efficiency vs. Resilience: Global Supply Chain Collapse – Part 1: The Problem
The institute’s blog has been quiet since this summer, due to staff being on parental leave. This summer, Scott, the institute’s director, and his partner welcomed child number two. You may see one or both kids at a class. That time off is coming to a close and new blog posts will be appearing here … More The Blog is Back from Parental Leave
In this two-part workshop, participants will learn to clean, card, and spin wool from a raw fleece, suitable for crochet, knitting, or weaving. We will use fleeces sourced from the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival Fleece Show for this class, which will be processed from raw wool into roving by washing and carding in Class … More Learn to Spin: Fleece to Yarn — Upcoming Workshop, Oct. 17, 24 | $75/class or $130/both
Just down the road from the institute is the Danky-Schelshorn Prairie. Until 2003, this land was under agricultural cultivation, but Jim and Christine decided to turn it back into a prairie habitat. The Danky-Schelshorn Prairie was established when Christine took a workshop at the UW Arboretum. Through their friendship with Steve Glass, they accelerated the … More Upcoming Workshop — Gathering Prairie Seeds, Oct. 16, 1–3 p.m., Free (Space is Limited)
UPDATE: The Permaculture Convergence has been cancelled for 2021. Check back next year. It is fall and that means it is time for the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence, a weekend of classes and socializing with folks from across the Midwest — September 24–26. We’ll be there to facilitate a workshop on thatching and also to attend … More CANCELLED: Join us at the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence this September — Sign Up Now!
Our posts have been few and far between this summer and for good reason: spring, summer, and fall are our busy periods with crops going in, harvests coming out, and infrastructure and research projects to push forward. Today, we’ll be giving you a short update of the various things going on around here — with … More Where Have We Been? Updates from Around the Institute
For the last two years, we’ve been trying to breed mite-tolerant bees out of regular packages here in southern Wisconsin. Read more about our theory and methods in our grant application. Our project has been funded by the Blooming Prairie Foundation and the native-seed producer and plant nursery Agrecol, which also hosts our hives. We … More Bee-Breeding Project — Lab Note 3.02
Last year, we harvested industrial wheat by hand. We learned a lot from that process and decided to plant our own heritage wheat. In mid-July, we will harvest it using scythes and sickles. Then it has to get tied into sheaves and stood up in shocks to dry. Once dry, it has to be threshed … More Upcoming Workshop — Hand-Harvesting Wheat and Rye, Jul. 17( & 18?), 10 a.m.–4 p.m., $40 (CANCELLED)