THE WILD GREEN YONDER: TEN SEASONS VOLUNTEERING ON NEW ZEALAND’S ORGANIC FARMS
PHILIPPA JAMIESON
NEW HOLLAND PUBLISHERS: http://www.newhollandpublishers.co.nz

If you are concerned about the state of the planet and have a keen interest in sustainability and organic gardening or farming, then read this book. Even better, become inspired to do something about it and volunteer as a woofer: WWOOF: World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. This is one of the most constructive ways to contribute to sustainability and also learn about a wide range of gardening and farming methods and gain practical experience beyond that which most books cover. But you do not need to be passionate about sustainability or organics to fall in love with this book. Fortunately for the reader, author and editor of Organic New Zealand, Philippa Jamieson, not only has a wide and practical knowledge of the field but she is a passionate and engaging writer, with a terrific sense of humour and you’ll find this is a book you quite literally cannot put down.

I’d dipped into The Wild Green Yonder a few times as woofers passed nearby at Rainbow Valley Farm and here at Mohala Organic Gardens and was keen to find the time to review the book. But since it arrived on my doorstep from the publisher, I have abandoned my sickle and seagrass collecting, nurturing our gardens for the winter, and become deeply immersed in the pages, reading aloud parts to permaculture teacher and co-founder of Mohala Organic Gardens, Dr. Karin Meissenburg, resulting in long korero about the methods used and learning new tips or variations on tried and true methods.

The Wild Green Yonder is one of those books you will read, refer to and read again, whether you are a general reader simply wanting an engaging book to throw yourself into or an organic gardener yourself, or thinking about becoming a woofer or just concerned about how we can live more sustainably on this earth. I’ll go even further to say that it is the most engaging book in this field since reading Barbara Kingsolver’s year of living sustainably on her land on Great Turtle Island. That is not faint praise since Kingsolver is one of my favourite writers.

It’s seldom that you get literary skill, keen observation, a deep knowledge of organics, humour and humility all in one text. The Wild Green Yonder is such a satisfying read that, now I have finished the book, I am aching to get back into the pages and to share it with others. Since my partner and I share an organic permaculture garden here in Aotearoa and also the small fishing village of Stromness in the wild Orkney Islands, I recognise a very classic Shetland humour and humility in the writing and perspectives of Philippa Jamieson and was not surprised to learn that she has Shetland ancestry, Jamieson still being a popular name in Shetland.

There are many people in the Asia-Pacific regions and beyond who are keen to know more about all the issues covered in this book and to have a sense of what it is like to be a woofer before actually committing to the experience and The Wild Green Yonder will be a bible for anyone contemplating such an adventure.

But be warned, this is not for the faint-hearted and there is hard work involved, as well as a chance to learn about organics, biodynamics and permaculture first hand from farmers. You also need to be open minded and non-judgmental, as you will discover a very wide range of people both as hosts and as fellow woofers and the author covers some amusing and eccentric adventures in the course of her ten seasons on organic farms.

Who could forget the wonderful, larger than life Czech woofer, Jacob, who dived head first into the freezer flinging about food until he discovered a pig’s head and then, ignoring the fact that three of the group were vegetarians [one recently converted as soon as she saw the pig’s head!], proceeded to roast it up and presented it, with an apple stuffed in its mouth and was deeply insulted that the author, fearing no edible food for vegetarians, made a chick pea curry to accompany the pig’s head.[168-9]. This is one of many eccentric and wonderful stories that go with the flow of different cultures meeting together during the woofing experience. Throughout this book, Philippa Jamieson delightfully explodes the conventional stereotype of those interested in organics having little or no sense of humour! I suspect that is simply another myth perpetuated by people with a vested interest in keeping conventional farmers stocked with pesticides and poisons. We are more of a threat to this style of farming than many may realise.

As an organic grower myself for several decades, I still find there is so much to learn and no book has it all. This text is peppered with fascinating practical experiences on a variety of farms and usually books reflect the experiences of one grower or farmer, the author. Thus this is an especially useful book and I have marked pages while reading that I want to return to so I can pass on tips to others during our organic gardening workshops or to use here at Mohala Organic Gardens.

For instance, students on our recent Sustainable Rural Development Course at Northtech were considering making seed balls after we talked about how Fukuoka [One Straw Revolution] used this methodology to ensure seeds were surrounded by the elements that would best encourage their sprouting. We have successfully used this method, even on conventional grass as well as areas planted in oats and peas. But we did not know of any other New Zealnders using this method until reading The Wild Green Yonder, where the author shares an excellent seed ball recipe invented by Robert Guyton of Riverton’s Estuary Festival fame and generously provides a website for further information: http://www.paradise.net.nz/sces/seedball.nz [pp36-38] Check it out as this method really works, saves a lot of time and effort and it is great fun to involve family, friends, students or fellow workers and have a shared feast afterwards. There is also a terrific online video of Fukuoka actually teaching his own seedball methods to his students. Google: “Seedballs Fukuoka” and click on the U-Tube Video - kamaho’o!

Throughout The Wild Green Yonder, readers will find many other practical tips that can only come from those actively involved in the process of organic farming and many who have experimented and discovered new ways of working or made machinery not formerly available that suits their needs, such as inventive methods of honey collection or converting seaweed to liquid fertiliser.

Philippa Jamieson approaches her subject with humility, despite her deep knowledge of organics and thus makes accessible many areas of working that may still be a mystery to the newcomer, such as giving an introduction to biodynamics, practised by farms like that run by the NZ Green Party Co-Leader, Jeanette Fitzsimmons and others. As the author points out, it is not often that a woofer has the chance to stay on the farm of a political party leader and to witness her returning from parliament and jumping into her gumboots to help out with farm activities.

The Wild Green Yonder goes beyond many organic and permaculture books to share experiences of Maori working on the land and with larger communities, often combining farms and educational opportunities with seeking jobs for their tamariki, such as at Waiomio Marae, famous for its Maori owned and run glow-worm caves, rich with korero and stories from the past. We also meet Louia, of Rongomaiwahine and Ngapuhi descent, who runs workshops for Maori wahine on organics and living healthily and sustainably, including growing, cooking and using permaculture methods taught to her by the late organic farmer and visionary, Joe Polaischer from nearby Rainbow Valley Farm here in Matakana: http://www.rainbowvalleyfarm.co.nz, an icon for woofers and organic and permaculture growers and enthusiasts, but curiosly not a farm visited by the author, maybe because it is so well known internationally, or maybe they did not have a space for a woofer at the time.

The book guides us to other Maori initiatives such as Te Waka Kai Ora, the National Maori Grower’s Association, run by Percy Tipene in Kaikohe and it is fitting that the next annual hui [conference] of PINZ: Permaculture in New Zealand, is celebrating thirty years of permaculture by involving Maori practitioners, welcoming new Maori growersand being held at Tutaeo Marae, Te Teko near Whakatane. This hui is based on Maori kaupapa, including weaving, building a hangi and site visits to reinforce the practical experiences of permaculture and organics on a marae alongside Maori kapa haka, performances from Ao Toa: Earth Warriors and other workshops. For further information, see:  http://www.permaculture.org.nz

Jamieson also covers workshops organised by Te Puni Kokiri at Kerikeri where the possibilities for Maori growing herbs of use to local and international companies, like the nearby Living Nature, could be beneficial to all [103]. Even better, Maori running their own herbal medicinal companies would bring in much needed funds and also provide employment for hapu and iwi.

Tena rawa atu koe, thanks Philippa Jamieson, for honouring tangata whenua who saved Captain Cook’s crew from scurvy by showing him native wild plants to eat and who fed the starving early settlers with their knowledge of agriculture and planting by the moon and who are today bringing forward the knowledge of our tipuna, or ancestors, so we can once again become self-sustainable as whanau and iwi. This perspective has for too long been absent from some of the pages of our organic knowledge and wisdom in Aotearoa and beyond. I cannot count the times I have heard the tired old cliché that Maori do not know how to develop their land from those ignorant of the vast history of indigenous agriculture in Aotearoa. To any others who think along the same lines, check out the Maori sustainable initiatives covered in this book, the websites dedicated to Maori agriculture and enrol in a wonderful free course, Mauri Ora, which will empower you to understand more: http://www.mauriora.co.nz

Because this book was commissioned as a review essay, I have been free to range over issues of special interest to me as an organic grower, indigenous educator and writer and avid reader of sustainability books. But I encourage all readers to dive into The Wild Green Yonder because you will all find material of special interest to you as a grower, woofer, dreamer, or lover of literature. This is a lyrical book that provides practical information for living a more sustainable lifestyle as well as insping the heart and soul. Whether you want to learn how to make willow baskets or learn about seedballs or heirloom apple trees or about the qualities of flaxseed oil or use dandelions for their beneficial healing of liver, kidneys and gall bladder or make kawakawa tea to heal almost all complaints, this is the book for you.

Make sure you set aside the time for reading The Wild Green Yonder, least, like me, you become engrossed once you start this book and cast aside all other pressing activities until you reach the end. Even then, you will want to begin again and make notes on those useful tips you gained on the first reading and tell other vegetarians about the Czech Pig Feast and watch their faces turn a whiter shade of pale! Set aside time now to immerse yourself in The Wild Green Yonder and you will emerge refreshed, empowered, energised and motivated by this wonderful journey. We can only hope this is the first of many inspiring books by author Philippa Jamieson.

[c] Dr. Cath Koa Dunsford

[Please fell free to copy and share this review so long as you acknowledge the author’s work]

Dr. Cathie Koa Dunsford[Ngapuhi/Hawai’ian/Pakeha] is author of 22 books in print and translation in USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Turkey, including the Cowrie novel series featuring strong tangata whenua from the Pacific region and covering sustainable ecological practice and vision. Cath Koa Dunsford is founder of Mohala Organic Gardens and runs organic gardening workshops in Aotearoa, UK and Germany with her partner, Dr. Karin Meissenburg [PDC]. Cath Koa is Kaitiaki and Kaupapa Consultant to Rainbow Valley Farm International Permaculture Courses. Both Karin and Cath are graduates of the Sustainable Rural Development Course, Northtec and Mauri Ora, Te Wananga o Aotearoa, [NZQA – Level 2]. Dr. Dunsford has taught Literature, Creative Writing and Publishing at Auckland University since 1975. She is director of Dunsford Publishing Consultants, which has brought 192 new and award winning Pacific authors into print internationally: http://www.dunsfordpublishing.com She is recipient of two literary grants from Creative New Zealand Arts Council and was International Woman of the Year in Publishing in 1997. Cath Koa Dunsford has performed her work at the Frankfurt, Leipzig and Istanbul Bookfairs. She tours the world performing from the books with traditional Maori waiata and taonga puoro. Contact: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)