Many people celebrate their anniversary with the three Cs: champagne, candlelight and cuddling. We recently celebrated our anniversary, and we did have the three Cs, but we also increased our knowledge of the three Ms: manure, mushrooms and mulch.

My husband and I took a trip to Cook Forest, Pennsylvania recently and enjoyed hiking on the amazing trails and eating delicious BBQ at Copney’s and staying at the Gateway Lodge. It was a peaceful and rejuvenating weekend. One of the highlights of our trip was an excursion to the Quiet Creek Herb Farm and School of Country Living. Quiet Creek describes itself as a” nonprofit dedicated to increasing the public awareness of conservation, ecological thinking and healthful sustainable living.” We are already gardeners and aspire to some degree of independence and sustainability, but this visit was so encouraging and informative. We were inspired by the simple life and the many resources of this farm which has been in existence for 25 years.

The farm offers a shop onsite and online and some of the many offerings are honey, herbal salves, herbal massage oils, herbal teas and soaps, herbal seasonings, bulk dried herbs, essential oils, mushrooms and live plants. They run on a hybrid renewable energy system. They have bee hives and encourage other pollinators. What is the wow factor about this special place is not only do they offer the products, but they also show you how to do it for yourself. There are classes, workshops, demonstrations and internships available, so how much immersion in your interests is up to you.

 Quiet Creek is a monument to the fact that nature gives us simpler and better choices, and it’s not rocket science to start this endeavor, even on an apartment balcony. The wonderful part about homesteading, (let’s just call this for what it is) is that it can develop organically, literally, as you make mistakes and learn more. You don’t have to have five acres of land. There are so many resources here, too. It doesn’t require a huge investment, except time. For me, that means spending less time on my phone and social media. Win- win!

This brings me to our threes Ms: manure, mushrooms and mulch.  Each year that passes, I gain more and more respect and awe for God’s creation and plan to provide for us. While we were at Quiet Creek, we found so much simplicity in cultivation. We found out that livestock manure is some of the best manure because they have the plant nutrients. Poultry manure is the best and horse manure is closer to the bottom of the list, (which is good for us to know since we have horse farms around us), but it still has a high nitrogen-phosphorus- potassium content. These are the three numbers you look for in a fertilizer.

  As we noticed how mushrooms are grown in the center of old logs, we took baby steps into understanding the study of fungi and the real value of mushrooms, not only nutritionally, but also medicinally and ecologically, to repair natural systems. Quiet Creek lists their offerings of mushrooms as Shiitake, Oyster, Yamabushitake (Lion’s Mane and Comb Tooth), Hen of the Woods, Maitake, Sheep’s Head, Nameko, Slimy Pholiota, and Reishi.

 We found out that the best mulch is made with “Red Wiggler” worm droppings, with a” Zero Waste” worm composting program. Nothing is wasted from the farm and the result is excellent nutrients for beautiful plants.

Quiet Creek has a massive flower garden and a massive herb garden for spices and apothecaries.  In our brief visit, we learned a lot, but we know that we just grazed the surface of our understanding of the information available.  If you want a more self-reliant lifestyle and are interested in more natural solutions, this farm is the perfect place to start.

#homesteading #mushrooms #beekeeping #mulch #cookforest #sustainability