Apple-atcha: A Cider Pressin’ Story

Last year, my friend and I made apple cider from the treasure-trove of forgotten apple orchards in Western North Carolina.  On some lonely trails behind a small, humble retreat center there are literally dozens of heirloom apple trees, mingled in with the wild, that drop bushels of apples on the forest floor and no one … Continue reading

Food Sovereignty

Hello dear readers…  I’m about to share with you a topic that is the nearest and dearest to my heart — food sovereignty.  And, ultimately what I mean by this is community-based NOURISHMENT. After being raised in a “food desert” of sorts in small Mississippi town, it took me years to recover my health and … Continue reading

Fermented Quinoa Raisin Muffins

After buying a 25 lb bulk bag of white quinoa, let’s just say I’ve been doing some experimenting.  First of all, I would like to praise the merits of buying in bulk.  If you have a cool place to store bulk items (I use a galvanized steel trash can in a cool part of the … Continue reading

Forgotten Forests

“But perhaps we may make our stand along the *edge* of that civilization, like a magician, or like a person who, having lived among another tribe, can no longer wholly return to his own.  He lingers half within and half outside of his community, open as well, then, to the shifting voices and flapping forms … Continue reading

Just Beet It

My love-hate relationship with red beets started many moons ago.  Fortunately, our late pop-star MJ, captures the essence of my former disdain for red beets rather well (look at his face).  He didn’t just belt out “Just Beat It” to bring insight into the web of inner-city gangs, he also sang to unleash the powerful … Continue reading

Coconut Coriander Carob Cookies (gluten-free)

How’s that for alliteration 😉 Well, having a gluten-free partner sure does change your life (thanks Phillip!) 😉  To tell you the truth, I was critical of the gluten-free revolution.  I thought that a lot of funny non-native products were being packaged and sold to the lost gastronomic cultural crowd of Americans like so many … Continue reading

Seasonal Intelligence (on-line course)

Hey there friends,  I am putting together a monthly (one, 1 1/2 hour session a month) course beginning Sunday, April 29th on foods, herbs, and simple exercises for seasonal health and wellness.  We will cover the basic understanding of the following topics: tonic herbs and infusions, body care herbs, yoga and breathwork, Traditional Chinese Medicine … Continue reading

The Will to Live: A Chicken Healing Story

Last week a friend’s Dominique chicken got attacked by the neighbor’s hound dog.  The dog was put in a small cage to reflect on his abrupt actions through the rainy night.  The chicken…well, she had a fist-sized wound under her right wing; basically, the skin had been scraped back and a large amount of muscle … Continue reading

Camel

Actually, this fella is one of my favorite recent drawings — the camel.  I thought I was going to draw a bird of some kind, but the direction of the drawing kept on bringing me closer to a camel.  So, that’s what it became 😉 So…relating to the camel…the image posted below has been floating … Continue reading

Guineafowl Puffer Fish

When I first got into the water near a small island near Coibas (Panama), to go snorkeling, we encountered our first friend — a pale, gray…and quite dapper…Guineafowl Puffer Fish.  He was pretty much hanging out by himself in the shallow waters — not up to much.  And, as we got deeper into the reefs, … Continue reading