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We send out a lovely newsletter once a month that will keep you up to date on our courses, tours, projects, and more!

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We are as diverse as the blooms of the desert. De We are as diverse as the blooms of the desert.  Dear @vinegaralleyfarms,  Thank you again for your question as well as patience for our response regarding our post on gender expansive pronouns.  We understand the concern for children. Indeed, concern for children is something that binds most of humanity. What we believe is that children are superbly capable of understanding the complexities of the world especially when guided by compassion. We value open communication with children led by mentors willing to discuss questions that arise for them in the ever-changing landscape of the social world.  Globally as well as here in the US, gender expression takes countless forms, today and historically. We support language that reflects these forms, and we believe all of us, including children, are just as capable of learning gender expansive pronouns as we are of learning the pronunciation of our names and learning about the life stories we are willing to share.  Because many of us at Quail Springs know the dangerous struggle of growing up queer or genderqueer in this world that repeatedly seeks to silence us, we are personally invested in protecting the rights of the vulnerable, including children, to celebrate who they are without fear of being physically or emotionally hurt. We invite our fellow human beings to celebrate with us. It’s long overdue that our political and linguistic reality reflects our societal reality, so that fellow human beings may express their varied and nuanced experiences of being human without putting them in harm’s way.  In this vein, it’s important to note that gender expansive pronouns aren’t mere preferences. They are linguistic tools to more clearly share who we are.  The beauty of having multiple pronouns is that children have the opportunity to identify in ways they feel best support their development, in binary or non-binary ways.  Identity formation is a challenge for children and adults alike, and having gender expansive pronouns allows us to meet that challenge with inclusivity.  With appreciation,
Quail Springs
🌀medicine garden at quail is magic🌀 Yarrow d 🌀medicine garden at quail is magic🌀
Yarrow dances in singing breeze, as nettle stretches their prickly leaves
Lemon balm soothes and mugwort dreams,
As silver sage flowers burst and beam
Elderflower tells tale of ancestral story, as chia lends to deep desert memory
Cottonwoods giggle and wave their sparkly hands
singing potent medicine to this holy land ✨
Pre-registration is now open for our 2022 online N Pre-registration is now open for our 2022 online Natural Building Course. Through a combination of live sessions and pre-recorded lectures and how-to videos that you can watch at your own pace, our instructors @earthenshelter and @nomadicbuilder will guide you through the basics of analyzing site soil, mixing and building with cob, and building a small project.  You’ll have instructor support and access to all content including start to finish how to videos on rocket stoves, cob ovens, earthbag, cob, and adobe for six months.  You’ll also get to tour all of these Quail Springs homes.  Cob, strawbale, and other  earthen hybrids.  Pre-Register or learn more through the link in our bio, or ask any questions in the comments below.  Which house is your favorite?  #quailspringspermaculture #naturalbuildingworkshop #naturalbuildingtour #rocketstove #coboven #cob #earthbag #adobe #naturalbuilding #naturalplaster #clayplaster #superadobe #woodfiredoven #gardenwalls #permaculture #localmaterials #sustainablebuilding #accessiblehousing #firesafehousing #nontoxic #pizzaoven #retainingwall #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #cobhouse #cobhousetour #offgrid #cobworkshop #tinyhousedesign #cobovenworkshop
We’re past the peak of the spring penstemon bloo We’re past the peak of the spring penstemon blooms, with their warming red flowers and beautiful upright stems lighting up the driveway and roadsides all over this land. Amidst the drought, the past few months have still been an incredible time for wildflowers at Quail Springs and the surrounding landscape. We’re grateful for the variations of color that ask us to take notice and look around more closely to see the subtleties of the season🌼
Beauty prevails. Beauty is many forms. Beauty is a Beauty prevails. Beauty is many forms. Beauty is a function. Beauty remains. 
🌼🌵💧 
What’s your favorite way to enjoy tuna fruit or nopales paddles?
Chumash Earth Day! Free and open to the public! S Chumash Earth Day! 
Free and open to the public!
Saturday May 21 10am-2pm
At Kitiyepumu’ Park
On the Santa Ynez Indian Reservation 
100 Via Juana Road, Santa Ynez  Hosted by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ Environmental Department  Quail Springs is honored to have been invited to table at the event to share about our work, our online programs, and also engage children and families with fun activities!  Please join us!  The zero waste event will feature activities for all ages, including arts and crafts, a raffle, appearances by Woodsy Owl and Smokey Bear, and a food truck with tacos and fry bread for sale.  Photo Credit:
Diego Cordero, environmental technician for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, helps a child plant a tree during a previous Chumash Earth Day event. (Courtesy Photo)
Dancing weaving unraveling explorations in the gre Dancing weaving unraveling explorations in the greenhouse …our dear new garden systems director, Haris, has brought his beloved plants from Northern California, two of which being a Bosnian Lily (from Bosnia!) and Light Root, or Dioscera batatas//Chinese Yam. We’ve been waiting for them to open and watching them grow. These marvelous creatures are bursting pollen and heavenly scent, and climbing up towards the tip top of the greenhouse. Blessings amongst us this day!
Our online Natural Building Course is now open for Our online Natural Building Course is now open for Pre-Registration!  This course will cover the basics of natural building, while also exploring the larger issues we face with our built environment, the changes that need to happen, and how to make those changes.  Through a combination of pre-recorded lectures that you can watch at your own pace, as well as live sessions with instructors @earthenshelter and @nomadicbuilder , you will be guided through the basics of analyzing site soil, mixing and building with cob, and building a small project.  Pre-registration is free and if you choose to enroll, you’ll receive 15% off tuition.  Follow the link in our bio to learn more about this course, and pre-register.  Or ask any questions in the comments below.  #quailspringspermaculture #naturalbuildingworkshop #naturalbuildingtour #rocketstove #coboven #cob #earthbag #adobe #naturalbuilding #naturalplaster #clayplaster #superadobe #woodfiredoven #gardenwalls #permaculture #localmaterials #sustainablebuilding #firesafehousing #nontoxic #pizzaoven #retainingwall #tinyhouse #tinyhousetour #cobhouse #offgrid #cobworkshop #tinyhousedesign #cobovenworkshop
How to Make Chard Paneer Still from 2 minute vide How to Make Chard Paneer  Still from 2 minute video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUMjt2emXqw  Welcome to the Quail Springs Kitchen! 👨🏾‍🍳  Out here in the #highdesert, we adapt our #cuisine to what we can grow with minimal water inputs and under challenging weather conditions. #Permaculture asks us to both embrace the dishes of our #ancestry and pay attention to the #environmental costs of #food production. For this reason, we try our best to make some of our favorite foods with what we have!  In this video we make #Chard #Paneer, an adaptation of the #Indian restaurant classic, Palak Paneer. Ashwin (one of our Executive Directors) loves making this especially for Sue (one of our elders) who is obsessed with paneer. Although Ashwin is South Indian, and didn't grow up eating this North Indian dish at home, this is always on his plate any time he's in an Indian restaurant with his family. Ashwin has experimented making this with combinations of other #greens that grow well at #QuailSprings, like #beet greens, #kohlrabi greens, malabar #spinach, and #sorrel, but chard always makes a reliable base because it's #flavor profile is milder and doesn't compete with the plethora of #spices.  #Enjoy experimenting!  Oh, and a BIG shout out to our lovely #goats who forage the land and turn the desert flora into delicious #milk.  Here is the “recipe”—we tend to cook by feel at Quail Springs, so hopefully this basic run-down will inspire rather than frustrate!  1. Boil morning’s goat milk
2. Break hot milk with vinegar
3. Strain and hang
4. Harvest chard
5. Chop + blanch
6. Caramelize onions + garlic (lotsa butter)
7. Collect + add spices
 1. Minced peeled ginger
 2. A little fenugreek
 3. A little ground cinnamon
 4. A little ground black pepper
 5. Dash of ground cloves
 6. Dash of cayenne
 7. Lotsa ground coriander
 8. Lotsa ground cumin
 9. Some garam masala
8. Brown with onions + garlic
9. Add blanched chard
10. Pour in some whey
11. Salt + turmeric
12. Blend + simmer
13. Remove + cut paneer
14. Caramelize paneer
15. Squeeze fresh lemon
16. Serve!
17. Celebrate sunset + moonrise
Our dearest @earthenshelter and @nomadicbuilder ar Our dearest @earthenshelter and @nomadicbuilder are announcing in person natural building workshops up in NorCal 🐻 🌲 ⛅️!  They will be co-teaching 2 natural building workshops this summer in Willits CA, with Michael Smith. The first one is: 🔥Rocket Mass Heater workshop - July 9-13 - We will be building a front loading batch style rocket mass heater. The workshop also includes general natural building instruction: a range of high-insulation and thermal mass natural building systems including cob, straw bale, light straw-clay, and slipsquatch (redwood bark and clay.) We will also install the drainage layer and the first pour of an earthen floor.
✨Sept. 12-16 - Earthen Plasters and Floors workshop-
A great opportunity to develop your skills and understanding of earthen finishes, including:
• straw-clay base coat plasters for sculpting and protection
• endless variations of clay finish plasters for durability and beauty
• durable, water-resistant earthen floors  These techniques are suitable for natural buildings including straw bale and cob, as well for renovation of conventional homes, where they can add natural beauty, thermal mass for increased energy efficiency, and health-enhancing moisture modulation. Plus they are fun, artistic, and inexpensive!  These workshops are at Abuelas Gardens. See their website for more information https://www.abuelagardens.com/ and on instagram @abuelagardens #naturalbuilding #naturalbuildingworkshop #naturalbuildingworkshops #rocketmassheater #rocketstove #earthenplaster #cob #lightstrawclay #quailsprings #permaculture #quailspringspermaculture #willits #norcal
Beauty carries us through these strange days… Th Beauty carries us through these strange days…
The chaparral yucca are on the verge of blooming once again: a bright and staggering highlight of spring in the high-desert.
Driveway surprises: Respect boundaries, admire bea Driveway surprises: Respect boundaries, admire beauty.
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Š Quail Springs Permaculture 2021
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