Applied Biodynamics — Issue 008 (Summer 1994)

Issue 008 (Summer 1994) is structured around mid-season practice and technique. The issue’s technical center of gravity is a detailed treatment of BD #501 timing and frequency in summer cropping, accompanied by an extensive BD #508 (horsetail) dossier that provides multiple recipes (fresh and fermented), dilution/potency guidance, and a visual-testing note (capillary dynamolysis). The issue also documents JPI’s institutional development via an Open House report, offers a profile of Alex Podolinsky as a biodynamic pioneer in Australia, continues the nutrition series through a physiology-of-taste essay, and adds concrete food preservation practices intended to extend biodynamic produce use into winter.

“Summer in the Biodynamic Garden” by Hugh J. Courtney continues the prior issue’s survey approach, shifting from spring to summer operations. The article states that summer practice centers on BD #501 (horn silica) and BD #508 (horsetail), with additional targeted use of individual compost preparations (#502–507) and occasional pest-response recipes (page 1). A practical problem is explicitly named: BD #501 tends to be neglected as the season progresses, largely because optimal spray timing differs by crop and growth stage (page 1). The article defines BD #501 operationally—quartz ground to fine powder, buried in a cow horn over summer—and provides standardized application quantities: ½ teaspoon stirred biodynamically in about 2½ gallons water; one unit covers up to one acre (page 1). Application timing is specified as very early morning on a warm, at least partly sunny day; a caution is included that spraying when the sun is too high can cause foliage burn/sun-scald (page 1). The article then supplies multiple crop-stage cues and scheduling rules (e.g., organ formation timing; repeated applications for flavor/keeping quality; special note that root crops may require an evening spray for optimum results) and aligns ideal timing to plant-organ calendar days (root/leaf/flower/fruit) as a decision aid (page 3). The survey portion records named grower practices with repeatable details: frequency (commonly 4–5 BD #501 applications for fruiting crops), prophylactic BD #508 routines (e.g., throughout season or every other week on tomatoes), and targeted oak bark (#505) and valerian (#507) use for disease/frost and pest pressure, with some growers employing sequential spraying during drought (pages 3–4). The article also introduces JPI’s “potentized” BD #501(5x), described as a higher-potency format mixed into 2½ gallons water and stirred 20 minutes for application, with early practitioner reports suggesting comparable or stronger effect than “orthodox” BD #501 (page 4). The piece concludes with an explicit research posture: current understanding of BD #501 is described as partial and readers are asked to submit further observations (page 4).

“Open House at JPI” by Chuck Roden documents the second annual Open House held April 30, with more than 25 visitors from multiple states (page 4). The report is method-forward, describing demonstrations that function as standardized training in repeatable procedures: a one-hour BD #501 stirring with participant rotation; hands-on insertion of compost preparations #502–506 into compost piles and spraying BD #507 onto newly built piles; a live compost-pile build demonstrating Pfeiffer layering and application of Pfeiffer BD Compost Starter during pile construction (page 4). The report also documents practical spraying logistics (stainless steel knapsack sprayers; fine mist application over hilly meadows) and shows that BD #508 was demonstrated in both fresh-tea and fermented forms for direct comparison by smell and handling (page 4). Additional demonstrations included stirring Barrel Compost and X500 (20 minutes), seed soak demonstrations, and raking-in Barrel Compost/X500 to garden beds (page 4).

“Alex Podolinsky Biodynamic Pioneer” by Nick Franceschelli profiles Podolinsky’s role in scaling biodynamic agriculture across Australia, including large-acreage grain systems (up to thousands of acres) and wide crop diversity (page 5). The article situates the profile in the context of a 1992 workshop and emphasizes professional standards, “active perception” (Podolinsky’s term for trained observation), and the operational problem-solving needed to apply preparations across narrow timing windows on large farms (page 5). The piece is descriptive and evaluative rather than procedural, but it provides concrete claims about the need to “reinvent” methods under harsh climatic and economic conditions and references specific published lecture volumes and a book (“Active Perception”) as technical resources (page 5).

“In Good Taste” by Betsy Cashen, R.D., continues the nutrition line by presenting taste and digestion as physiologically organized processes that begin before ingestion—through thought, smell, sight, and touch—then proceed through staged secretions and hormonal regulation along the digestive tract (page 6). The article provides specific functional details: saliva production up to roughly one quart per day; differentiated secretions (hydrochloric acid, mucus, enzymes) triggered in response to the type of food present; and an argument that digestion can be understood as a model for maintaining individuality while integrating external substances (page 6). The article uses Rudolf Steiner’s medical lectures to frame “tasting” as continuing through the alimentary tract and connects quality perception to cultivated sensory discrimination (page 6). The core operational implication is evaluative: food quality is framed as directly judgeable through trained taste and attentive digestion responses, rather than by labels alone.

“On the Preservation of Foods” by E. Courtney and C. Coffin addresses a practical continuity problem: biodynamic foods have strong keeping qualities, yet many crops still require preservation for winter and early spring (page 6). The article explicitly notes that “definitive answers” about impacts of technologies such as microwaves and pressure cookers are not yet available in the research cited, but argues for prudence and fast post-harvest handling (page 6). A set of practical tips is provided for canning, freezing, drying, and storage—e.g., pre-freezing fruits on cookie sheets to prevent clumping; drying fruit in a warm car with ventilation; freezing chopped tomatoes and peppers; drying or freezing herbs; storing apples individually wrapped or separated by straw; freezing pumpkin/squash after steaming (page 6). The article requests additional reader-submitted preservation methods for future issues (page 6).

A major technical dossier is devoted to BD #508. “Horsetail Herb Equisetum arvense – BD #508” by Hugh Williams argues that the preparation becomes something more than herbal tea through the combined steps of boiling, fermentation, and homeopathic extension (dilution/potentization), and asserts that experiential confidence increased after adopting fermented-and-extended methods rather than fresh tea alone (page 5). The article frames BD #508 primarily as an instrument for “managing the water household” and preventing fungal outbreaks under wet conditions, and offers a practical preference: application mid to late morning on freshly worked, exposed soil in conjunction with cultivation, with volumes not treated as critical (page 5). The issue then publishes multiple distinct recipes and usage protocols:

• Hugh Williams’ fermented BD #508 recipe provides an explicit workflow: 1:10 herb-to-water by volume; bring to rolling boil then fast simmer until a characteristic aroma appears (about 10–20 minutes); ferment 7–14 days while monitoring; strain herb off at the correct moment to avoid putrefaction; store filled to the top in sealed glass jars in dark storage; then execute a multi-step homeopathic dilution to D5 using measured subtractions and timed vigorous shaking (3 minutes per step) and a final 3-minute agitation in the sprayer/barrel (page 4). The text explicitly notes that concentration at D5 is 1:100,000 and asserts that potency increases with dilution steps (page 4). A footnote provides an observational rain-timing anecdote following rhythmic applications of Barrel Compost and equisetum and later BD #500 (page 4).

• Hugh Courtney’s fermented BD #508 recipe provides a quantified potency ladder: start with 10 oz by volume (1½ oz by weight) shredded horsetail in 90 oz water; boil and simmer up to 60 minutes; ferment 10 days to 2 weeks until a sulfurous “characteristic smell” develops; produce a base liquid (“D0”) and then build D1–D5 through repeated 1:10 dilutions, each stirred 20 minutes (or succussed 3 minutes for the earliest steps), with an explicit worked example for producing 120 gallons of D5 (page 3). A conversion table provides starting volumes for different final spray volumes (page 3).

• Lily Kolisko’s fermented BD #508 recipe (slightly modified) specifies one unit of shredded horsetail (about 10 oz by volume, 1½ oz by weight), simmered one hour in about one gallon water, fermented 10–14 days until characteristic smell develops, then strained and stored cool/dark; use rate is ½ gallon fermented tea plus 4½ gallons water, stirred 20 minutes, covering up to 1½ acres, with an explicit claim of increased acreage efficiency relative to fresh tea (page 2).

• Fresh tea version of BD #508 is also included: one unit horsetail in 1 quart water cooked slowly in a covered vessel for 20 minutes; strain and dilute with 2 gallons water; stir 15 minutes; apply as fine mist with a clean sprayer and use within a few days (page 3).

The issue includes a capillary dynamolysis note that frames this as a method intended to visualize “forces hidden in substance,” presented alongside images comparing capillary dynamolysis patterns from fresh vs fermented horsetail tea (page 3).

Finally, “About Biodynamics” (Steve Moore) provides a concise operational definition intended for public communication (originally a CSA brochure): biodynamic farming is described as improving soil, water, and air; building fertility with specially prepared composts; regulating and stimulating life activity through balanced crop rotation and preparation application; and avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on certified biodynamic farms, with claimed outcomes in nutrition, flavor, and shelf life (page 2). This section functions as definitional context rather than a protocol.

Articles

• Summer in the Biodynamic Garden (H. Courtney) Open House at  JPI (C. Roden)  
• Alex Podolinsky Biodynamic Pioneer (N. Franceschelli) In Good  Taste (B. Cashen)  
• On the Preservation of Foods (E. Courtney, C. Coffin) Horsetail  Herb Equisetum arvense – BD #508 (H. Williams) Hugh  Williams’ Recipe for BD #508 (Fermented Version) Hugh  Courtney’s Recipe for BD #508 (Fermented Version) Capillary  Dynamolysis of Fresh & Fermented Horsetail Tea Recipe for  Fresh Tea Version of BD #508  
• Lily Kolisko’s Recipe for BD #508 (Fermented Version) About  Biodynamics (S. Moore)  

Key Topics Covered

• BD 501 application quantity stirring and burn risk constraints
• Crop stage cues and repeated BD 501 schedules for taste and keeping quality
• Grower survey reporting BD 501 frequency BD 508 prophylaxis and sequential spraying in drought
• Potentized BD 501 5x preparation format and 20 minute application stirring
• Open House demonstrations BD 501 stirring compost preparation insertion BD 507 spraying and Pfeiffer compost starter layering
• Alex Podolinsky profile emphasizing active perception and large scale preparation application windows
• Taste and digestion described as multi stage sensory and hormonal processes
• Food preservation methods for freezing drying canning and root cellar storage
• BD 508 horsetail positioned for water household management and fungal prevention
• Multiple BD 508 recipes including fresh tea fermented versions and D5 dilution tables
• Capillary dynamolysis comparison of fresh versus fermented horsetail tea patterns

Citation

Applied Bio-Dynamics, Issue 008, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics, Summer 1994.