Dust that Rocks

Restoring the mineral content of soil is the aim of proponents of applying rock dust as an amendment. It's not an entirely new idea, but is highly likely an idea whose time has come. I first read about rock dust, I believe, in PathToFreedom's site.

But the impetus of my post (this one) was having read the excellent latest entry (02/02/20008) on Stuart and Gabrielle's Permaculture In Brittany blog site about their own adventures finding an affordable source locally...local to Brittany, that is :) I love following their progress in adapting many approaches with a permaculture emphasis. You'll love seeing Stuart's search for a locala rock dust source. Looks like he hit the mother lode!

I'll be following this topic with interest, as scientific trials expand, per the article here.
According to the article

...The recognition of the healing powers of rock dust comes after a 20-year
campaign by two former schoolteachers, Cameron and Moira Thomson. They have been
battling to prove that rock dust can replace the minerals that have been lost to
the earth over the past 10,000 years and, as a result, rejuvenate the land and
halt climate change.
To prove their point, the couple have converted six
acres of open, infertile land in the Grampian foothills near Pitlochry into a
modern Eden. Using little more than rock dust mixed with compost, they have
created rich, deep soils capable of producing cabbages the size of footballs,
onions bigger than coconuts and gooseberries as big as plums...

...The couple say that the rock dust means that crops don't need water to
produce harvests of magnificent vegetables. 'It would be perfect for Third World
countries that are usually unable to grow crops because the land is so dry,' Ms
Thomson said. 'This could hold the solution for them'...

Here is Permaculture Magazine's article about Rock Dust.

And here is the link to the SEER Center, with testimonials.

And one final link, from Remineralize the Earth.