This is the 30th installment of the Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary series.
I planted 3 nursery-grown hazelnut bushes/ trees last year. I hope they start producing next year. Oh well, they’ll probably outlast me jut like the spruces and lilac bushes that delineate the old footprints of vanished homesteads.
Thank you so much for this amazing book in the form of a post! I have not read it all yet but I thought I'd add just a little bit of knowledge I gained from Graeber and Wengrow's Dawn of Everything that they found in the research of Stevens and Fuller 2012. The evidence points to the Neolithic cereal farming of southern Britain being abandoned in favour of Hazel food forests for a considerable period of time, not a regression but a choice it seems. Fascinating.
Thanks for the thought provoking comment Steve. I own a copy of Dawn of Everything so I will take a look.
In my article above I did mention how the pre-colonial indigenous people (from both Europe and here on Turtle Island) used strategic land management practices (such as regenerative controlled burns of underbrush and coppicing) to create hazel food forests, but I will re-visit the evidence you highlight here specifically and see if it could enrich that aspect of the article / chapter for my next book. I appreciate the recommendation.
One term I think I should steer clear of (as it evokes connotations that academia has ascribed to it in the minds of many) is "Neolithic". The term (for many) speaks to the story of linear progression from "hunter gatherers" to "agriculturalists" (which is an oversimplified and fallacious portrayal of the complexities of the human story, and how many indigenous peoples actually practiced superior forms of regenerative agriculture (superior in the anti-fragility as well as crop yield of those systems), not monoculture farming, both without a centralized state and prior to when European city building peoples began their intensive farming practices). Perhaps we need a new word to refer to that time period so that it does not confuse people into thinking we are talking about drooling stupid "hunter gathers" that barely survived by simply killing animals and gathering wild food. As I note in my article above, here on Turtle Island, we now have evidence of millenia old advanced regenerative agroforestry farming systems (7000 year old food forests that were tended and fed large communities of indigenous peoples before people in Egypt were growing wheat).
I have come across similar evidence that the people of Albion ("Britain"), Eire ("Ireland") and the nordic regions were using not only fire and coppicing to manage food forests, but also selectively saving seed and planting out choice species. The story we are told of linear "progress" towards "civilization" from a time when our ancestors were " stupid savages" (aka "hunter gatherers") is nothing more than a thinly veiled statist Eurocentric delusion of grandeur that is now deeply embedded into the sub-culture of university types and perpetuated through their hubris and devotion to the structures of "Civilization" and "Statism".
In reality, humans in many regions of earth created advanced food production systems prior to the ecologically illiterate monoculture farming systems becoming dominant via the imposition by imperialistic regimes (eg. the Romans and then the British crown) and the attempts of some within circles of academia to erase, downplay or convolute that aspect of human history is a sad attempt to cover up the realities of the failures and cultural adolescence of the "civilization" they have been conditioned to put on such a high pedestal.
I will be striving to set the record strait in that in my next book.
Thanks Gavin, yes we do need a new term for the time period now described as Neolithic, to archaeologists it is (or should be) just a time stamp the value gets added by everyone else. It is one of my frustrations that peoples of the past, unless they were 'civilised' are portrayed as ignorant, dirty and disorganised - nothing could be further from the truth - and film makers seem to be the worst at this, it is rare that any attempt is made at archaeologically accurate representation.
Also, please forgive my use of the modern term Britain, I was attempting to be geographical, I have no idea how the ancient inhabitants of that island referred to themselves.
The relevant page in The Dawn of Everything is 105 and the note is number 41.
Agreed regarding film makers. I have yet to see a single ancient food forest portrayed in a movie about pre-colonial Turtle Island (aka "North America") and yet pollen records (as well as remnant old growth food forests) show that those food systems lined both coastlines (and much of the great lakes region) for thousands of years here and were reverently tended by multiple generations of inhabitants.
I only recently learned that one of the pre-Roman invasion terms for Britain used by her indigenous inhabitants was "Albion" recently myself... it seems to be a never ending unlearning process.. peeling away the layers of propaganda and colonial falsehoods that were crammed into my mind via the public "education" system.
In my search to cross reference and validate the hazelnut historical facet you mentioned in Southern Albion I came across this article which I thought you might appreciate:
I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.
May this article result in many hazel seeds being planted on your path in life, and may your path in life leave a wake of abundance and beauty for those that walk in your footsteps.
Wow, GM!!! There's a book right there! I'm in the process of moving, so I just skimmed this post (book) and will slowly peruse it when I'm ensconced in my new digs. Something to look forward to!!! My friend Gary bought your book for me and is bringing it on his summer/fall road trip...
CAN'T WAIT!!! ^_^
Also, m'dear, I think if you haven't already been sainted, I should simply do so now, and you can have a ceremony out in the forest to celebrate your work... You Are Hereby SAINTED. (and the crowd goes wild!) After the Revolution, Gavin, I will suggest that you become the Leader of Green Things. (I have much Celt in me, too!)
I saw the order go through and will slip in some extra heirloom seeds with the books for both you and Gary.
Your kindness honors me and I appreciate the fun vision of a forest ceremony. Would there be a sacred fire with drums, forest herb infused mead and singing in Gaelic involved? If so, Count Me In! :)
Thanks for the generous and kind comment my friend.
I planted several of these seven years ago, they produce abundant catkins but no nuts as of yet, maybe this year. Not sure what subspecies they are, probably American hazelnut. We occupy the Finger Lakes bio region.
Note that the Israeli genocidists demolished the indigenous Palestinian olive orchards as part of their ethnic cleansing operations in line with the methodology of imperialism facilitating the rise of “civilization”.
Appreciate the extensive information and inspiration!
RE: "Israeli genocidists demolished the indigenous Palestinian olive orchards as part of their ethnic cleansing operations in line with the methodology of imperialism facilitating the rise of “civilization”."
Yes, using food as a weapon is a favorite tactic for imperialistic statist regimes and it is an intrinsic part of the process called the "progress" of "civilization". I was presenting along side Geoff Lawton at an online Regenerative Agriculture conference and he was talking about how he worked to train people in Gaza (doing PDC courses) so they could create oasis and micro-food forests, enabling them to become agents of regeneration, creating hubs of biodiversity, increasing their food self-reliance and empowering them to take care of their families. He said their food cultivation plots were targeted by drones as a pre-amble to the overt genocide tactics.
I think it is important to point out that genocidal statists and imperialistic attacks are waged by humans that claim to subscribe to a wide range of religions, and it is not just Zionists engaging in acts like we have described above. Some are just as overtly murderous and then others, perhaps in an even more nefarious way, are more sneaky about it, killing people, poisoning and starving them intentionally with murder by a thousand cuts. Just look at Big Pharma and Big Ag and all the wonderful things they are doing to our food supply. (for more info: https://corbettreport.com/future-of-food/ )
Here on Turtle Island (as I outline in this post: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-anthropocentrism-bright ) people claiming to be Christian went about methodically ensuring that the Buffalo were exterminated and the millennia old oak/hickory/chestnut savannah food forests were clearcut with the express intent of starving out those that already lived on this continent so that those living by The Doctrine Of Discovery ( for more info: https://archive.org/details/doctrineofdiscovery ) could steal this land and claim it as their own "in the name of Christ". As I documented in the post above, centuries prior to what happened here on Turtle Island, other people claiming to be Christian enaged in very similar tactics of using food as a weapon and ethnic cleansing my Gaelic ancestor's culture on the islands of Albion (aka "the UK") and Eire (aka "Ireland").
In the middle east, present day, statist imperialists in Saudi Arabia (that claim to be Muslim) are currently systematically destroying the food systems of the Huwaitat tribe (they cultivated oasis, or small desert food forests, composed of date palms (Phoenix dactylifera), Arabian almond (Prunus arabica), fig trees (Ficus carica), olive trees (Olea europaea) pomegranates (Punica granatum) and Moringa trees (Moringa peregrina)..) to starve out and displace those people so that they can build their giant "Green" and "sustainable" "Neom" weird giant wall city in the name of "progress", "sustainable development" and "civilization".
Even some people claiming to be Buddhists have engaged in similar behavior in Thailand, demonizing traditional food forest polyculture food systems and ways of living in the forest, forcing indigenous people to speak Thai and punishing them for sharing knowledge in their native language. For more on that: https://youtu.be/fYVBjgHRmus?si=IneA0xwBkLdL9qqW
All of that is to say that I do not think there is one single religion or statist ideology that is to blame for this type of behavior, but rather it is the nature of statism itself. Whether the nation state is run by Zionists claiming to follow Judaism, or corporate puppets, transhumanists, eugenicists and profiteers claiming to be Christian (as we have here in Canada and in the States), or oligarchs claiming to follow the Quran.. these are all statists, and thus their behavior will all be spiritually impoverished, morally duplicitous, anthropocentric and result in massive ecological devastation. For more on that, read: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-spiritual-poverty-of-statism
Many today are getting sucked into the trap of pointing their finger accusingly at Israel, thinking that if we just stopped the insane statists over there from doing what they are doing, the world would be so much better off, these people are neglecting to look in their own backyard. We have our own statist monsters here too, they just wear more masks and engage in more deception than the overtly murderous statists.
Despite all that, I still firmly believe that creating Bio-cultural Refugia and community food forests is an honorable, practical and spiritually enriching act. Even if the statist goons were to destroy what we create, there is still a reward to be had in just the experience of the co-creating with nature. And what is the alternative? Hide in a bunker and eat canned food waiting for the bad guys to go away? I personally choose to go forth and co-create things that nourish my soul and my body (regardless of what ever challenges we or our designs may face in the future). I just plant the seeds and tend them lovingly, the rest is in God's hands..
RE: The hazel shrubs that produce catkins but no nuts.
Did you get them from a nursery or grow from seed? It is possible they are all the same variety (and thus do not have enough genetic diversity to cross-pollinate each other)?
So glad to hear you appreciate the content my friend, thanks for the comment.
can say with some confidence that they were grown from seed since everything else Sean offers is. Now that I know what the female flowers look like I can keep on eye out for them.
There is perhaps a certain tendency for robustness in bi-gendered plants who still reach out to their species partners to reproduce
Mine are about 10 feet tall and shrug off beetle attacks and survive on the rain in dense clayey soil..
I planted 3 nursery-grown hazelnut bushes/ trees last year. I hope they start producing next year. Oh well, they’ll probably outlast me jut like the spruces and lilac bushes that delineate the old footprints of vanished homesteads.
Thank you so much for this amazing book in the form of a post! I have not read it all yet but I thought I'd add just a little bit of knowledge I gained from Graeber and Wengrow's Dawn of Everything that they found in the research of Stevens and Fuller 2012. The evidence points to the Neolithic cereal farming of southern Britain being abandoned in favour of Hazel food forests for a considerable period of time, not a regression but a choice it seems. Fascinating.
Thanks for the thought provoking comment Steve. I own a copy of Dawn of Everything so I will take a look.
In my article above I did mention how the pre-colonial indigenous people (from both Europe and here on Turtle Island) used strategic land management practices (such as regenerative controlled burns of underbrush and coppicing) to create hazel food forests, but I will re-visit the evidence you highlight here specifically and see if it could enrich that aspect of the article / chapter for my next book. I appreciate the recommendation.
One term I think I should steer clear of (as it evokes connotations that academia has ascribed to it in the minds of many) is "Neolithic". The term (for many) speaks to the story of linear progression from "hunter gatherers" to "agriculturalists" (which is an oversimplified and fallacious portrayal of the complexities of the human story, and how many indigenous peoples actually practiced superior forms of regenerative agriculture (superior in the anti-fragility as well as crop yield of those systems), not monoculture farming, both without a centralized state and prior to when European city building peoples began their intensive farming practices). Perhaps we need a new word to refer to that time period so that it does not confuse people into thinking we are talking about drooling stupid "hunter gathers" that barely survived by simply killing animals and gathering wild food. As I note in my article above, here on Turtle Island, we now have evidence of millenia old advanced regenerative agroforestry farming systems (7000 year old food forests that were tended and fed large communities of indigenous peoples before people in Egypt were growing wheat).
I have come across similar evidence that the people of Albion ("Britain"), Eire ("Ireland") and the nordic regions were using not only fire and coppicing to manage food forests, but also selectively saving seed and planting out choice species. The story we are told of linear "progress" towards "civilization" from a time when our ancestors were " stupid savages" (aka "hunter gatherers") is nothing more than a thinly veiled statist Eurocentric delusion of grandeur that is now deeply embedded into the sub-culture of university types and perpetuated through their hubris and devotion to the structures of "Civilization" and "Statism".
In reality, humans in many regions of earth created advanced food production systems prior to the ecologically illiterate monoculture farming systems becoming dominant via the imposition by imperialistic regimes (eg. the Romans and then the British crown) and the attempts of some within circles of academia to erase, downplay or convolute that aspect of human history is a sad attempt to cover up the realities of the failures and cultural adolescence of the "civilization" they have been conditioned to put on such a high pedestal.
I will be striving to set the record strait in that in my next book.
Thanks again.
Thanks Gavin, yes we do need a new term for the time period now described as Neolithic, to archaeologists it is (or should be) just a time stamp the value gets added by everyone else. It is one of my frustrations that peoples of the past, unless they were 'civilised' are portrayed as ignorant, dirty and disorganised - nothing could be further from the truth - and film makers seem to be the worst at this, it is rare that any attempt is made at archaeologically accurate representation.
Also, please forgive my use of the modern term Britain, I was attempting to be geographical, I have no idea how the ancient inhabitants of that island referred to themselves.
The relevant page in The Dawn of Everything is 105 and the note is number 41.
Agreed regarding film makers. I have yet to see a single ancient food forest portrayed in a movie about pre-colonial Turtle Island (aka "North America") and yet pollen records (as well as remnant old growth food forests) show that those food systems lined both coastlines (and much of the great lakes region) for thousands of years here and were reverently tended by multiple generations of inhabitants.
I only recently learned that one of the pre-Roman invasion terms for Britain used by her indigenous inhabitants was "Albion" recently myself... it seems to be a never ending unlearning process.. peeling away the layers of propaganda and colonial falsehoods that were crammed into my mind via the public "education" system.
In my search to cross reference and validate the hazelnut historical facet you mentioned in Southern Albion I came across this article which I thought you might appreciate:
https://www.shelterwoodforestfarm.com/blog/the-lost-forest-gardens-of-europe#:~:text=Coppicing%20was%20another%20important%20strategy,managed%20this%20way%20for%20millennia.
Oh and I found this related study to be interesting as well:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338249937_Neolithic_Farming_and_Wild_Plant_Exploitation_in_Western_Britain_Archaeobotanical_and_Crop_Stable_Isotope_Evidence_from_Wales_c_4000-2200_cal_bc
Thanks Gavin, two very interesting articles, much appreciated.
Beautiful article. And amazing research. Thank you for sharing.
I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.
May this article result in many hazel seeds being planted on your path in life, and may your path in life leave a wake of abundance and beauty for those that walk in your footsteps.
Wow, GM!!! There's a book right there! I'm in the process of moving, so I just skimmed this post (book) and will slowly peruse it when I'm ensconced in my new digs. Something to look forward to!!! My friend Gary bought your book for me and is bringing it on his summer/fall road trip...
CAN'T WAIT!!! ^_^
Also, m'dear, I think if you haven't already been sainted, I should simply do so now, and you can have a ceremony out in the forest to celebrate your work... You Are Hereby SAINTED. (and the crowd goes wild!) After the Revolution, Gavin, I will suggest that you become the Leader of Green Things. (I have much Celt in me, too!)
Love you! xox
Yes it was quite a long one wasn't it :)
I saw the order go through and will slip in some extra heirloom seeds with the books for both you and Gary.
Your kindness honors me and I appreciate the fun vision of a forest ceremony. Would there be a sacred fire with drums, forest herb infused mead and singing in Gaelic involved? If so, Count Me In! :)
Thanks for the generous and kind comment my friend.
You are one of the BEST, and I love your posts, and photography. Keep going! We’re gonna kick these Nasties to the curb! ;)
I planted several of these seven years ago, they produce abundant catkins but no nuts as of yet, maybe this year. Not sure what subspecies they are, probably American hazelnut. We occupy the Finger Lakes bio region.
Note that the Israeli genocidists demolished the indigenous Palestinian olive orchards as part of their ethnic cleansing operations in line with the methodology of imperialism facilitating the rise of “civilization”.
Appreciate the extensive information and inspiration!
RE: "Israeli genocidists demolished the indigenous Palestinian olive orchards as part of their ethnic cleansing operations in line with the methodology of imperialism facilitating the rise of “civilization”."
Yes, using food as a weapon is a favorite tactic for imperialistic statist regimes and it is an intrinsic part of the process called the "progress" of "civilization". I was presenting along side Geoff Lawton at an online Regenerative Agriculture conference and he was talking about how he worked to train people in Gaza (doing PDC courses) so they could create oasis and micro-food forests, enabling them to become agents of regeneration, creating hubs of biodiversity, increasing their food self-reliance and empowering them to take care of their families. He said their food cultivation plots were targeted by drones as a pre-amble to the overt genocide tactics.
I think it is important to point out that genocidal statists and imperialistic attacks are waged by humans that claim to subscribe to a wide range of religions, and it is not just Zionists engaging in acts like we have described above. Some are just as overtly murderous and then others, perhaps in an even more nefarious way, are more sneaky about it, killing people, poisoning and starving them intentionally with murder by a thousand cuts. Just look at Big Pharma and Big Ag and all the wonderful things they are doing to our food supply. (for more info: https://corbettreport.com/future-of-food/ )
Here on Turtle Island (as I outline in this post: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-anthropocentrism-bright ) people claiming to be Christian went about methodically ensuring that the Buffalo were exterminated and the millennia old oak/hickory/chestnut savannah food forests were clearcut with the express intent of starving out those that already lived on this continent so that those living by The Doctrine Of Discovery ( for more info: https://archive.org/details/doctrineofdiscovery ) could steal this land and claim it as their own "in the name of Christ". As I documented in the post above, centuries prior to what happened here on Turtle Island, other people claiming to be Christian enaged in very similar tactics of using food as a weapon and ethnic cleansing my Gaelic ancestor's culture on the islands of Albion (aka "the UK") and Eire (aka "Ireland").
In the middle east, present day, statist imperialists in Saudi Arabia (that claim to be Muslim) are currently systematically destroying the food systems of the Huwaitat tribe (they cultivated oasis, or small desert food forests, composed of date palms (Phoenix dactylifera), Arabian almond (Prunus arabica), fig trees (Ficus carica), olive trees (Olea europaea) pomegranates (Punica granatum) and Moringa trees (Moringa peregrina)..) to starve out and displace those people so that they can build their giant "Green" and "sustainable" "Neom" weird giant wall city in the name of "progress", "sustainable development" and "civilization".
Even some people claiming to be Buddhists have engaged in similar behavior in Thailand, demonizing traditional food forest polyculture food systems and ways of living in the forest, forcing indigenous people to speak Thai and punishing them for sharing knowledge in their native language. For more on that: https://youtu.be/fYVBjgHRmus?si=IneA0xwBkLdL9qqW
All of that is to say that I do not think there is one single religion or statist ideology that is to blame for this type of behavior, but rather it is the nature of statism itself. Whether the nation state is run by Zionists claiming to follow Judaism, or corporate puppets, transhumanists, eugenicists and profiteers claiming to be Christian (as we have here in Canada and in the States), or oligarchs claiming to follow the Quran.. these are all statists, and thus their behavior will all be spiritually impoverished, morally duplicitous, anthropocentric and result in massive ecological devastation. For more on that, read: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/the-spiritual-poverty-of-statism
Many today are getting sucked into the trap of pointing their finger accusingly at Israel, thinking that if we just stopped the insane statists over there from doing what they are doing, the world would be so much better off, these people are neglecting to look in their own backyard. We have our own statist monsters here too, they just wear more masks and engage in more deception than the overtly murderous statists.
Despite all that, I still firmly believe that creating Bio-cultural Refugia and community food forests is an honorable, practical and spiritually enriching act. Even if the statist goons were to destroy what we create, there is still a reward to be had in just the experience of the co-creating with nature. And what is the alternative? Hide in a bunker and eat canned food waiting for the bad guys to go away? I personally choose to go forth and co-create things that nourish my soul and my body (regardless of what ever challenges we or our designs may face in the future). I just plant the seeds and tend them lovingly, the rest is in God's hands..
(for more on that: https://corbettreport.com/a-brief-history-of-the-end-of-the-world/#comment-180346 )
Thanks for the comment.
RE: The hazel shrubs that produce catkins but no nuts.
Did you get them from a nursery or grow from seed? It is possible they are all the same variety (and thus do not have enough genetic diversity to cross-pollinate each other)?
So glad to hear you appreciate the content my friend, thanks for the comment.
can say with some confidence that they were grown from seed since everything else Sean offers is. Now that I know what the female flowers look like I can keep on eye out for them.
There is perhaps a certain tendency for robustness in bi-gendered plants who still reach out to their species partners to reproduce
Mine are about 10 feet tall and shrug off beetle attacks and survive on the rain in dense clayey soil..