GREAT LAKES PERMACULTURE PORTAL Resiliency in the Great Lakes Bio region: Starting Lists for Nutrition and Beyond This document is for people in the Great Lakes bio region who are interested in supplying all of their needs through local resources. It serves as a jumping off point, not a final destination, as it is not comprehensive. Although the document is focused on plant sources that grow in the bio region, a few species and sources outside of Plantae are mentioned for their particular usefulness. It is up to the site and individual to determine which species and growing methods are right for local conditions. Depending on the size of the site, it may be difficult to supply all of needs for living. In these instances, we suggest concentrating on food production, and working with your community to create shared resources for other needs. Resilient, Regenerative Laurentian Great Lakes Design greatlakespermacultureportal@gmail.com Author and photographer: metsbryan@gmail.com
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the primary molecules utilized for energy in the body. Choosing a variety of staples that you enjoy eating is an excellent way to start a resiliency garden. Oils have a variety of uses. Carbohydrate Staples Grains* (Amaranth, Corn, Rice) Parsnips Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Winter squash (acorn, butternut) Grain Legumes (garbanzos, beans, cowpeas, favas, teparies) Eggs Meat Jerusalem artichoke+ *Require more extensive post harvest processing +Emergency source, may cause intestinal distress Protein Grain legumes (garbanzos, beans, cowpeas, favas, teparies) Groundnut Potatoes Seeds Eggs Nuts (oil, protein, carbohydrates) Chestnuts Hazelnuts Walnuts (heartnuts, butternuts, black walnut) Acorns (oak) Beechnuts Hickory nuts Michigan Pecans Hardy almonds (edibility varies) Oils Sunflower Corn Soybean Siberian pea shrub Yellowhorn Lard
Beyond bulk nutrition, other vitamins and minerals are important. Many people would like to eat fresh food year round, so some hardy greens are listed here. Fruits are also a good, but less dense, source of calories. Summer Greens Winter Greens New Zealand Spinach Purselain Lambsquarters Baby beet greens Baby swiss chard Cucumber/tomato Quinoa Asian greens Arugala Chicory Claytonia Kale Mizuna Sorrel Spinach Watercress Berries and Fruit Apples Pears Plums Apricots Peaches Raspberries Blackberries Strawberries Blueberries Gooseberries Currants Autumn olive Aronia Goji Persimmon (Top) Mixed lettuces growing in a garden with partial shade. Most greens grow best in spring and fall. The ones listed here are known for their specific hardiness. (Middle) Red currant in its first season of production. (Bottom) Autumn olive is an opportunistic non native shrub. Eating the delicious berries is one strategy for limiting its spread. Sugar Sources Maple sap Birch Pine Butternut Sugar beets Honey Sorghum
Flavored beverages are a major expense in many peoples food budget. Here are some local options for making your own drinks. Teas Mints Dandelions Sarsparilla Saasafras Nettles New Jersey tea shrub Tea plant (zone 7) Echinacea Camomile Sumac Cedar Horsetail Chaga Maypop Coffee like Beverages Kentucky coffee tree Chicory Dandelion roots Spicebush Barley (roasted) (above) Viburnum underplanted with chocolate mint, apple mint, and lemon balm (from left to right). (top right) Sumac makes a delicious lemonade like drink. (bottom right) Cidering in Detroit. Wine/Hard Cider/Alcohol Apples Pears Cranberries Elderberries Cherries Grapes Raspberries Honey Barley
From building materials to clothing, to medicine, and more, there are many uses and reasons to raise specific plants, animals, and fungi. Below are some other catagories to think about including shade requirements nutrient fixing for bulding healthy soil. Forest Crops Fiber/Cloth Sources Mushrooms American Ginseng Ramps Sarsaparilla Spicebush Wool Garlic mustard Chicory Animal hide/fur Timber and Pulp Wood* American Elm Paper birch Black Cherry Black Walnut Jack Pine Mixed Aspen Red Oak Red Maple BT Aspen Beech Red Pine Sugar Maple Basswood White Ash White Oak White Pine Yellow Birch *For veneer sale 12 at thin end, 10 for timber, less for pulp. Prices vary. For personal use most tree species may be used for one or the other. (above, top) Sheep grazing at New Forest Farm in Viola, Wisconsin. (below) Not all willow varieties contain medicinal levels of salicin. (bottom left) A red oak and a white oak at Greenfield village show the differences in leaf color two related species may display. Aesthetic differences such as this may be a consideration in more advanced landsape designs. Nitrogen Fixing Shrubs New Jersey tea Prairie mimosa (desmanthus illinoiensis) False indigo bush Buffalo berry Goumi Pea shrub Autumn olive Nitrogen Fixing Trees Redbud Black locust Honeylocust Italian alders Other Useful Wood Black Locust (rot resistant when older) Cedar (rot/insect resistant) Osage orange (highest BTU wood) Willow (fast growing coppice, medicinal)
Further Resources Some valuable resources for more information on growing your sustenance year round in the Great Lakes bio region. Books The Resilient Gardener Carol Deppe The Permaculture Handbook Peter Bane Perennial Vegetables Eric Toensmeier Gaia's Garden Toby Hemenway How to Grow More Vegetables John Jeavons Four Season Harvest Eliot Coleman Michigan Forest Communities: A field Guide and Reference Donald Dickman Online PFAF.org Plants For a Future a database of plants and beneficial uses Apiosinstitute.org Companion plants and guild database to help match plants and create symbiotic relationships other resources can be found at www.greatlakespermacultureportal.com