Author Archives: Biologicalenrichment

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About Biologicalenrichment

I started a farm in the early 1980’s called Oikos Tree Crops. It was once a 13 acre pasture and overtime became a forest. Today I am dedicated more than ever to finding, preserving, creating and disseminating a wide variety of food plants. At my farm I explore new plants and healthy ways to raise them. I currently focus my attention on my seed repository while providing seeds and bring these new discoveries to the public at large. My farm is one of the oldest and most diverse maintained tree crop plantings in the U.S. using many plants from around the world as a form of global agroforestry applied at a local level. Every plant grown on my farm is grown from seeds. I use the tree crop philosophy as a means to expand the use of perennial, woody tree and shrub crops raised from seed without the use of chemical and high energy inputs.The two story agriculture is alive and well at Oikos Tree Crops. This blog highlights ecological enrichment as a means to improve human health and raise awareness of the possibilities of creating a healthy earth and a wealthy farmer. My story is told by describing my 50 years of farming and life experiences surrounding agriculture filled with my love of nature and my constant search for a greater diversity beyond the cultivar on a global stage.

Waves on an Ocean: From Monoculture to Diversiculture

Going to the Ocean of Corn Where Waves of Diversity Continually Emerge Like an ocean filled with innumerable waves, there is no end to plant diversity. When it comes to a common cultivated food plant like corn, the species becomes … Continue reading

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One Potato: Teeny Tubers on a Quantum String

Its a funny thing to talk about potato roots. It is for my audience of one. I can clear a room discussing potato roots. Need help getting rid of guests that stay too long? Let me talk to them about … Continue reading

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Diversity Explored: The Wild Blueberry

When my father and his friend from the post office purchased 140 acres of wetland in central Michigan in the mid-1960’s they knew that it was a swamp and generally unusable.The price was roughly $100 per acre at the time. … Continue reading

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Diversity Explored: The Edible Sunflower

I always was fascinated with the sunflower. There was always so much activity around them. My parents decided to move to a new home when I was 16 years old. It was in a new subdivision in the midst of … Continue reading

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Diversity Found: American Black Currant

When the ponds were built on my family’s farm, large ditches were needed to drain the water to finish the excavation. It was roughly a 30 acre pond surrounded by a wetland. The ditches near the highway were massive as … Continue reading

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Diversity Found: Dandelion

I had this collection of dandelion varieties for a while. These were selections bred for human consumption for the foliage as a super nutritious perennial green. I kept the collection secret. My employees noticed when they started to flower and … Continue reading

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Diversity Found: Blackhaw and Medlar

Almost immediately after I closed the door shut on my nursery in 2021, several great opportunities existed where I could foster new crops in unexpected ways. These would be crops that few people have experience with under the banner of … Continue reading

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The Pecan is the Pie in the Sky

I live in one of the cloudiest counties in North America. When sun appears, people comment on it in the stores. “Oh, it’s a sunny day!” As if to say time is short and you better enjoy it now! The … Continue reading

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That is the Power of Bamboo

When I lived in town with my family, I would go for a run and take the same route almost every day. I would pass by this house on an old brick road that contained a beautiful well cared for … Continue reading

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Chufa-The Savior of Sedges

One of the crop plants I had the pleasure of working with was chufa or tiger nut. I had heard about this plant from a food website describing the use of the crop and how it is cultvated. I ordered … Continue reading

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