Publication Date
7-29-2007
Document Type
Interview
Duration
1 hour 37 minutes
Subjects
Sustainable agriculture, Farmers' markets -- Oregon, Organic farming, Mushrooms
Abstract
Interview of Roger Allen Konka by Michael Schott on July 29th, 2007.
The interview index is available for download.
Biographical
Roger Allen Konka worked as a bicycle messenger for 4 years and a logger for 10 years before entering the world of permaculture farming. Springwater Farm, located in Yankton, Oregon is where Roger Konka cultivates mushrooms and many wild edible plants, which he then sells at area Farmers Markets.
Rights
This digital access copy is made available as streaming media for personal, educational, and non-commercial use within the parameters of “fair use” as defined under U.S. Copyright law. It cannot be reproduced, distributed, or broadcasted for commercial purposes. For more information, please contact Special Collections at Portland State University Library at: specialcollections@pdx.edu or (503) 725-9883.
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/10772
Recommended Citation
Schott, Michael, "Interview with Roger Allen Konka, 2007 (audio)" (2007). Sustainability History Project. http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/10772
Description
Roger Konka, of Springwater Farms, discusses the variety of crops on his farm, including wild and farmed mushrooms, wild grains, a small variety of produce, and edible flowers. Konka expresses the time commitment of being a small-scale farmer but speaks to the rewards of the job. Springwater Farms at the time of the interview relied on wild mushroom foraging to establish colonies on their property. By utilizing natural symbiotic relationships between fast growing Alder trees and various mushroom types, Konka aimed to establish colonies on his property to increase the farm’s production, efficiency of harvest and overall quality of produce. For the more domesticated varieties of mushrooms an old barn on the Springwater property was retrofitted to have colonies of Maitake and Shitake. Konka speaks to some of the medicinal, health, and nutritional features of various mushroom types and provides a reference to the Oregon Mycological Center for those interested in hunting or growing mushrooms.
This interview is part of “The Sustainability History Project: Documenting Sustainable Development and Practice in the Pacific Northwest” at Portland State University.