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El Sereno

@bosqueelsereno

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Land conservation project, Mountain Center, CA
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We are now 8 years in after the Cranston fire went through this land and still a lot of clean up to do.

Every month, on the new moon, we select and take care of trees and shrubs we want to keep.

Untouched Elderberries look old, they are too tall to reach the fruits and, with these dry spells, they are not yielding much. On the other hand, the ones we have coppiced look beautiful and are abundant with berries.

Black Oaks will grow like shrubs after the fire coppice and all branches will send out more and more twigs to reach for the light, making it weaker in the long run.

Yerba Santas will grow healthy and beautiful with a yearly coppice. And so it goes.

First image is of an untouched Black Oak after the fire. Then comes a pruned one. With an already established root system, this slow growing trees will grow surprisingly fast when pruned.

Third image is of an untouched Elderberry and then the coppiced one.

Fifth and sixth are of scrub oaks.

Plants and trees want to be taken care of and they will respond with beauty and abundance :) by @bosqueelsereno

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3 months ago

by @bosqueelsereno

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9 months ago

Movie night at the Mercantile 🎬 Sunday, Dec 7th at 5pm!
We’re screening Roots So Deep, a documentary by Peter Bick @carboncowboys about regenerative ranching and the real impact healthy soil can have on our food, our land, and our future.

If you’re interested in land stewardship, care about community and the small actions that add up to big change, this one’s for you.

Join us for an evening of good conversation and shared purpose - it’s free! And we’ll bring the popcorn and hot toddies. 🍿
See you there! taken in El Sereno Mercantile by @bosqueelsereno

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10 months ago

It’s been 7 years since the Cranston fire and the understory has come back strong. Most areas are so dense in brush that not even the goats can go through.

We want for this forest to be a healthy balance between trees and grasslands, a thriving place for all. With the goats and chainsaws, we are opening space through vegetation, we are selecting and thinning. Sun can reach the soil again and wake up those grass seeds.

Pines are popping out on their own, we are planting cottonwood, willows, alders, walnuts and other native species. When we find a scrub oak with a healthy shape, we clean around them and prune them down. Their roots are well established and they are growing relatively fast, they just need some care, some air and sun to flow again through them. by @bosqueelsereno

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a year ago

by @bosqueelsereno

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a year ago

NEWS FROM THE LAND - Winter projects
This barn is the first permanent structure at the ranch, and it has been a labor of love. Initially it was intended for the goats, but once we raised the structure the space felt so nice, we changed our mind and decided to turn it into a workshop… so now we have yet another project on our hands, as the goats still need a home.

At the same time, we’ve been hard at work creating paddocks to receive the goats (so much brush to clear!) and that’s when the main work of regenerating the soil starts. Animals have an incredibly positive impact on the land they graze, helping to fertilize, bury seeds, stimulate the root systems and create biodiversity - all of that while capturing carbon into the soil.

We’re excited for this new chapter and to be working during the colder months! by @bosqueelsereno

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a year ago

NEWS FROM THE RANCH! After nearly a year of sweat, sawdust, and splinters, our barn is finally standing tall! Built truly from scratch—cutting each tree, milling each plank, and chiseling every joint in traditional Japanese joinery—months of work came together in just one day with the help of friends.

Next up: the roof and siding. Soon, the goats and donkeys will move in - the goats to manage the brush, and the donkeys to keep them safe from predators. It’s a big milestone in restoring this land, and we’re so grateful—for the friends who lend their hands, and for our customers whose support in the shop makes it all possible. They say it takes a village, and we sure love ours! 🤠 #barnraising 🎥@adamjamesglover by @bosqueelsereno

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a year ago

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a year ago

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a year ago

Water and soil health go hand in hand, and they’re always top of mind in everything we do at the ranch. Our friend and mycelium scientist Ryan @soulfungi introduced us to the incredible ways mushrooms can help us on the quest for healthier soil—while saving water in the process.

Ryan has been experimenting with King Stropharia—a beautiful, burgundy-capped mushroom that improves soil health and develops a symbiotic relationship with trees, boosting yields and reducing water needs.

Following his advice, we started using King Stropharia as mulch around the fruit trees in our orchard, and also began a “mother patch” beneath an elderberry canopy to grow more mycelium we could eventually spread across the property.

Then came an incredibly hot summer, followed by an unusually dry winter—and we thought the mycelium was all gone.

But just last week, Ryan came by for a visit, and to our happy surprise—it’s all still alive, just sleeping! That was so encouraging to hear :) We immediately brought some fresh food to the patch and started watering again.

And you can really see the difference—everywhere the mycelium had taken hold, the soil was rich, dark, and smelled unbelievably fresh.

Nature’s resilience is truly something to behold.

🎥 @adamjamesglover by @bosqueelsereno

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a year ago

Finally moving pieces up to it’s permanent location. by @bosqueelsereno

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a year ago

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