Mulberries in the Rain: Growing Plants for Food, Friendship, and Abundance

Connecting with plants--a guide to belonging, ecological resilience, and permaculture design

The plants in our world not only nourish and sustain us, they root us within our human and ecological communities. Mulberries in the Rain explores these vital connections, combining evocative storytelling with detailed crop profiles and permaculture design tools to mentor and inspire you.

Central to permaculture is the art of creating beneficial relationships--crafting inherently regenerative food systems modeled on nature. As growers, we tend to interpret this idea literally--think companion planting, edible ecosystems, and food forests. Where do social relations and community-building fit in?

Authors and permaculture experts Ryan Blosser and Trevor Piersol:

• Demystify plant guilds, showing how to create biodiverse, low-maintenance ecological systems
• Integrate tried-and-tested permaculture frameworks such as the Scale of Permanence and the Ecology of Self, with tools from economics, mental health, and other disciplines
• Provide cultivation primers for permaculture plants classified according to function, identifying out- standing anchor plants, nitrogen fixers, barrier plants, beneficial attractors, and dynamic accumulators
• Use plant narratives to illustrate how our inner landscapes are inextricably intertwined with the way we show up in the world.

This unique, beautifully illustrated handbook breaks new ground in social permaculture while providing a deep hands-on dive into creating thriving foodscapes. Required reading for anyone who seeks a deeper connection to people and place, and a more resilient future.

Ryan Blosser is a farmer, educator, permaculture designer, writer, and mental health professional. He is co-founder of the Shenandoah Permaculture Institute and owner/operator of Dancing Star Farm. In addition, he holds a teaching license in the State of Virginia and earned an MA and Ed.S. in clinical mental health counseling from James Madison University. Ryan served as Executive Director of Project GROWS, an educational non-profit farm dedicated to growing healthy communities. He also taught permaculture design and gardening in Staunton Public Schools before accepting a position with Waynesboro School, where he directs the continued development of the Waynesboro Education Farm. The intersection of his twin passions for growing food and helping people fuels his unique perspective on building community health and resilience through permaculture design. Ryan lives in Churchville, VA.

Trevor Piersol is a farmer, permaculture designer, and educator. He is co-founder of the Shenandoah Permaculture Institute and owner/operator of Wild Rose Orchard, a diversified pick-your-own orchard and nursery producing fruits, berries, herbs, and pastured pork using beyond organic practices. Trevor is dedicated to the advancement of regenerative agriculture with a particular focus on perennial fruits, medicinal herbs, and easy-care native plants. He holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia and is a graduate of Allegheny Mountain Institute’s Food and Farming fellowship. A longtime self-confessed ＂plant geek＂ who loves spending time in the forests of Appalachia, foraging, wild crafting, and continually learning from nature, Trevor has been practicing, teaching, and writing about Permaculture Design since 2012. He lives in Mount Sidney, VA.