Cape Town part 02

The beaches here are really great...massive boulders abound.

Its a little too developed for my taste, but they did it

pretty well and its probably the prettiest beaches

Ive seen with houses nearby...if you could call those "houses" haha.

Thank goodness for Woolworths...

They are one of the few places offering clean food.

I often go there everyday just for fun.

I'll usually eat one bag of this per day...

which isnt actually all that much, but greens are great.

Anyone recognize these?

AKA Incan Berries? 

Touted as a major superfood in the states and Europe,

they grow everywhere here and are basically just a sweet 

version of the tomatillo. I love them...I eat these with my yogurt.

R17.99 is about $2.50 - works for me! 

And yes...the good grass fed dairy. This chunk of goodness

cost me about $3...dairy is tricky...you gotta go for quality or

otherwise you should really just skip it. Too many questions marks.

I even harvested my own seaweeds and mussels on the beach the other

day and incorporated them into my scrambled eggs.

What would that go for at a restaurant? 

Being involved in the harvesting and then preparation

and finally the enjoyment of eating it...it really all makes 

it come full circle. I wonder if other people would even dream

of eating the seaweeds that cover these (very clean) beaches.

There is kelp EVERYWHERE.

When I see it for sale in the shops back home after this

I'll remember how people pile it up here and have it taken away lol...

Values...so different. Im telling you though...the people here could

really use those sea veggies...its a grain-potato based diet for sure,

and besides the young people, you don't see too many fit people.

I try to go to the beach at least 3 times a week..often walking home

past guava trees and busy restaurants.

I see everyone eating in the restaurants and it makes me kind of bummed out.

I don't like eating out alone...honestly Id rather just make it myself.

But when you see people eating out and having fun it definitely

does look appealing...Ive made friends here but its different.

Maybe im embellishing it all in my head.

Perhaps a wild-food meal at home while watching discovery channel is 

in fact a richer experience...maybe they both have their upsides.

I recently found a garden that Grow Paradise will be able

to help as well...they are a group of people living on the land

in the suburbs in abandoned buildings...they are technically squatters

but they have been there for so many years. They want to garden but

the willpower has been lacking. There are olive trees and fig trees there,

so Im thinking about putting in passionfruits, more figs, and whatever else

is more native or at least drought tolerant. Thats the beauty of the trees,

they grow so much easier than tender veggies. 

People think they have black thumbs when it comes to gardening,

but the fact is that they are growing very temperamental plants!!

More to come....

Cape Town...Part 01

Cape Town is really a fun city...Im enjoying every single day here.

 The Sunsets are amazing...and the beaches are absolutely 

loaded with life...so much kelp and seashells.

The seashells actually replace the sand. It goes to show what

nature can really do if humans let her.

Just a little exercise update. 

I've been staying at home each night after sunset

to make dinner and then work out.

I watch National Geographic, The Discovery Channel,

BBC, and The Home Channel 

(Some South African Version of HGTV)

and work do push ups and sit ups.

I havent been going out to eat much. 

I mostly cook at home.

What have I been eating? 

Biodynamic Yogurt, Sardines,

Sunwarrior Vanilla Powder, Coconut Oil,

Avocadoes, Cape Gooseberries, Kerrygold butter,

and nori sheets I brought from home.

There are lots of good places to get groceries though.

Its a very low sugar diet - and it WORKS.

Ive had very little fruit, and honestly I just dont want much

of it besides the occasional mango or papaya.

For Groceries, my favorite is "The Wellness Warehouse".

If you are ever in Cape Town...GO THERE.

This is Camps Bay...its LOVELY.

The 12 Apostles are the names for the peaks

behind the beach...I can only imagine all the good springs up there.

White Hibiscus! So pretty. Perfection really.

This is on the way to Camps Bay...Lots of people out at the beach

on a Sunday but what a view! I walked at least 5 miles and every

second had good scenery. 

This is the yogurt Ive been living off of!

I mix it with Cape Gooseberries (Inca Berries)

and its just great. 

And its biodynamic! Jersey Milk too...so better.

And since its fermented, no lactose! 

Perfect food...really. After years of vegan, I wish I would have

been open to this much earlier.

And check out this find!!! My friend Sephira gave this to me!

AMAZING! Probably the coolest wild food product Ive seen.

Im looking for more and will definitely bring some back for friends!!!

Much more to come....you would like Cape Town for sure...

it feels safe, its pretty, and the people are nice.

There are still remnants of racism here in a way...mostly just class based now.

Too much poverty leads to people putting up electric fences all over their property.

If the leaders and citizens only realized that we must ALL be abundant.

If only one group is, that is just as bad for them as the group facing lack.

We must all together Grow Paradise here...then there will be no need for locked

doors and closed hearts...2012 is the year to make this happen.

Up next - Boulders Beach - Wild Penguins and Wild Goji Berries!!!

Punta Cana December 2012

I would have thought that by now finding coconuts and other wild edibles

would have become mundane...I was so wrong. 

It still makes me so happy. 

Being grounded on the wet sand and connected

to the energy of the planet is so healing.

Get barefoot and work out your toes. 

Mine are finally spreading thanks to the vibrams and more barefoot living.

I wouldnt really go back to Punta Cana...it was beautiful and the

beaches were really nice, but there are so many other places to see in the world.

The magic just wasnt there like I thought...it could have been because

of where we stayed or the overall atmosphere, but it was still a 

wonderful place to disconnect and enjoy the fresh wind of the ocean

and way more fruit than Ive eaten in many many months. 

I brought back some passion fruit seeds so Ill be offering them

through the Grow Paradise Newsletter...sign up if youre interested.

When we got home, I was SO excited to drink springwater again.

I can't begin to explain how nasty bottled Reverse Osmosis water is after you've

had nothing but springwater for months and months.

We have it so good here. Never forget it.

SPAceforwellness

before we start - check out this deal they are offering

until New Years Eve...if you can make it to NYC,

this is a REALLY good deal and the place is wonderful.

I sat in the sauna for 30 minutes with my ice cold bottle

of spring water from Cold Spring Harbor and then had my massage.

I love it when places have Saunas...its such a treat and I always

try to take advantage...the heat relaxes my body before

the massage too so it really adds to the whole experience.

I met Dr Joe (founder of the SFW) thru Organic Avenue

and he invited me to have a chat with him over some fresh

coconut water...I found him to be a really down to earth guy

that is truly a warrior for healing and clean eating.

He asked me to write an article for them, and I gladly agreed.

It can be found HERE.

I did a quick interview with Dr Joe that I am working on now,

and it should be up in a day or two.

So if you are living in NYC or are going to be in the city anytime soon,

I'd highly recommend visiting this oasis in the concrete jungle.

You'll completely forget that youre in a city.

I loved the "no shoe" policy too! Genius!

They can be for at 122 E 25th St btwn Park and Lexington

and their phone number is 212 7772325. Give them a visit.

Their main site can be found here.

Thx again Dr Joe!

A Walk in the Woods

I've been really busy with consultations lately,

and although most are via phone or skype,

more and more are becoming in-person consults and

once in a great while these moments take you to special places.

It was a foraging/green lifestyle kind of consult.

However, being December, I was a little anxious about what we would find.

Sure enough though - the stars aligned and we found so much abundance!

Check these oyster mushrooms. Perfection.

All the rain and wind created so much mushroom food...they are thriving.

There were loads of stinging nettles too.

I was picking them through my glove and I still got nipped.

The tip of my right index finger was tingling for at least 12 hours.

Turkey Tail....again, perfection.

With the evening light, they were glowing.

Look up the power of Turkey Tail...especially for destroying breast cancer.

Here, a primo flush of oysters.

The understory of food forests and any orchard/garden should be

loaded with spots like this...It was a joy to see.

We saw someone riding a horse earlier in the walk,

but then we saw this horse and buggy coming closer quickly.

I took a photo just because it was such a rare site to see these days,

especially 45 minutes from NYC. (Not counting Central Park of course).

A group of four, and who was at the helm?

David Rockefeller. Um...DAVID ROCKEFELLER?

He waved at us as if he was our cheery old grandfather.

I couldnt believe my eyes.

It was so abrupt, so unexpected, and so out of place.

Turns out that he lives in the area and obviously enjoys

taking the horses through the woods in his free time...

Now, from what Ive heard about Mr Rockefeller...

well...organizations like the Trilateral Commission,

The Bilderberg Group, The Council on Foreign Relations,

and the now infamous Federal Reserve Bank of NY come to mind.

Many people think this guy is pure evil,

and here he was, just a fragile small-statured man,

waving at us as he was riding his horse and buggy through the woods.

One minute ago I was picking oyster mushrooms in the forest,

now Im looking "Mr Illuminati" in a horse and carriage? What the..?

This is how some people greet him -

Mr Rockefeller is accused of some nasty stuff,

but would it have made sense for me to yell something mean?

Honestly, I was in pure shock when it occurred,

but had I wanted to actually yell something out,

it probably would have been "Grow Paradise David!"

"FOOD FORESTS! ECO-VILLAGES!"

I will always think the "Food Forest" term will sink into

anyone's heart once they hear it and they grasp its potential to help us.

But again, I was half shocked and half scared.

I mean...if you watch some of the related youtube vids

as I have in the past, you wouldnt take a moment like that too lightly.

Yet, it amazed me how casual the four of them were.

It was so surreal to say the least.

We wondered through the back paths of Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

This was once a part of the Rockefeller property,

and now it is a beautiful place to eat very expensive local + organic food.

This is how we all used to eat for eons. Local, lighty processed, organic food.

We have to bring this model back to the everyone though...

Its a beautiful place of course and roaming the property is amazing,

but the food really shows the value in growing our own and

making our own food with love...its beyond priceless!

And its just so wonderful how affordable it all is when you

take on the responsibility and do it yourself. Its a win-win for SURE.

A bit dark, but you can see that even in December they have lush growth

and covercrops going in the garden...nothing sadder than an

empty garden in the fall....people usually stop gardening after september

for no reason! Kale, Collards, Arugula, Beets, Spinach...tons of greens...

they all thrive in the fall weather and with care they never have to stop.

They had bees too...its a fun place to visit,

and if you dont want to visit the restaurant,

there are gift shops and places to get small treats I think.

They color the boxes to help the bees see better...

never thought of that but it sounds good to me!

Aesthetically though...I love a nice unpainted wood for my hives.

Here were some of their cows.

This was kind of sad, because although many of the cows

were truly on pasture, some, like these, were just in muddy

enclosures eating dried hay in the feed troughs.

Who knows when these cows will be consumed (eeks!)

but they certainly werent eating fresh green grass right there.

I would hope that those cows better be eating

the freshest, ocean mineral enriched, biodynamically grown grass possible.

Again...it shows the value of doing things ourselves.

Maybe they bring these cows on pasture in the spring before

butchering, but for me this wasn't really exciting.

Even the pigs they had...just roaming around in mud.

No grass or tubers or wild greens.

Just think of the amazing quality produced

when you raise animals and plants yourself...its hard to match.

So what was at first a consultation about foraging and food forests,

turned into quite an afternoon...

Its all about being in the flow and letting the lessons come your way.

The teachers are everywhere...

the mushrooms on the logs, the pigs in the mud,

the old billionaires driving their horses, and especially the sunset.

There is magic in every moment...

open yourself to it and see how it starts to flood in!

BTW - My consultation page is HERE - contact me for those

and also for setting up food forest clinics in your neighborhood.

The time is now to start planning!

-A