Crandall Homestead - USA

This property is a wonderful find. A combination of large production fields, wetlands and woodland, steep rocky slopes, two established homesites (one historical and abandoned), a small pond turned into a large reservoir with the help of a well-placed dam, practically every type of growing space you might imagine. United Designers was asked to assess the ecological resources and make recommendations prior to further planning. Wild plant foraging and woodland herbs, mushrooms, and root crops were the intended harvests. Important to the process is the personal resources and skill set required by the inhabitants. As a broad scope of resources is available, they require extensive and well-planned management practices to make good harvests in the narrow windows seasons for each species.

Many may take multiple trips to monitor and harvest at their peak.  Within this agricultural region, it would be advisable to do a water test of the stream and reservoir. A walk up the watershed may reveal many point sources of agricultural run-off, drain tile pipes, or a natural spring (we’d hope). Check dams and small sediment basins would help with water quality as it enters the property as well as a healthy undisturbed, unchanneled wetland or bog. The property has access from the southeast and southwest, but the water features divide the area into two separate sections not easily crossed. It is simple to cross the land during winter or the dry summers. During spring or wet weather movement across the land may be limited. A system of carefully placed and hydrologically sound crossings might be needed in time. During a plant survey, hidden stands of wild Ramps and Bergamot were found and geo-located for later inspection.