Osker Brown is not an idealist. When he started working with acorns, hybrid hazelnuts, hickories, and chestnuts from a food perspective, he began to learn the implications of the WNC food landscape, both historically and in the present.
“When I first started forest farming I envisioned 20 new hazelnut varieties in 20 years, and everyone in the region eating local nuts as a norm,” said Osker Brown. “Now, I think if we have at least a million hazelnut bushes in local forests by the time I die, and have somewhat of a relationship with those plants, then that’s good.”
He sees the establishment of regionally-adapted nut trees in the area not only as a way to feed people and animals nutrient-dense staples, but also to keep ecosystems thriving for years to come. Brown began his exploration of nuts as food for people and livestock as a way of farming responsibly in Western NC, and trying to raise a family. He cites Mark Shepard’s model of agroforestry as an inspiration, and from that model, he began to work on learning perennial food plants, particularly nut trees, and ensuring their establishment on his land and other properties in Western NC.
Brown runs a homestead called Glorious Forest on the outskirts of Barnardsville, NC along with his partner, Amber, and their two children. While the family doesn’t grow commercial produce or livestock anymore, they live off of the land and barter with neighbors. Amber also runs an apothecary. Brown’s work involves stewarding plants and animals, as well as building community around the understanding of nut trees and their uses. “Learning the plants and working to develop their genetics has been a source of passion for me, “ he says, “but the community dynamics around healthy forests and foodsheds also needs a lot of work.”
Workshop Class
Brown provides plant stock and support for partner hazelnut and other nut plantings in the region, including one at Living Web Farms, where he will teach a workshop on September 28, 2019 from 1:30 pm to 7:00 pm that covers the basics of why perennial tree agriculture is important in our region, and how to build capacity for it on small land holdings. The class will look at the history of WNC land, the amount of impact forests have experienced from people and animals, and how this can inform sustainable, perennial-based land management today. Brown will share photos and tips for establishing agroforestry systems that include nut trees, livestock integration, and examples from his own homestead. In addition, the class will take part in hands-on acorn processing, learning to use the nuts in practical and delicious ways. The group will enjoy acorn pizza and acorn cookies during the workshop.
“Re-establishing diversity and health in the forests is a long-term, multigenerational project that has land management as well as cultural implications”, Brown said. His focus is to teach communities to become familiar with nut crops and to consider creating an infrastructure of viable trees that can be counted on in the future. “If we want to continue being in relationship with this land long-term,” Brown says, “it can’t be tulip poplar monocultures.”
Workshop Tickets
To register for “Nuts as Staple Foods,” please visit livingwebfarms.org/workshops/nuts-as-staple-foods/