Edible Reforestation

I was just messing around on the computer and out of
nowhere this term hit me like a lightning bolt.

Its Arbor Day coincidentally (or not?)
Planting trees is really the clear and direct way
to improve this planet we live on.

The old paradigm -
To be ethical, green, and "conscious", we had to give something up.
Before - Not being able to do something we previously enjoyed.
But with gardens, we get to now ADD into our life something fun
like planting fruits and vegetables with our loved ones.

So much more pro-active and positive than
all the negative environmental guilt-trips.
AND CARBON TRADE.

This should be the standard while looking for love -
The more trees you plant the sexier you become.

You seriously planted HOW many food forests? Why, hello...

Take part in edible reforestation.
Make it tasty and green up your space.



I did a food forest search on youtube and this came up.
Some might say it moves a little slow, but it would be
exciting so he how her space develops...good for her!

"Dude - I met this awesome girl who planted 1000 trees - Im in love."

Back in NY

After a long break from planes, trains, and public transportation,
I have found myself back in NYC for a little bit.

There are big things on the horizon,
and I have to keep proceeding with faith that Im
being cared for by the universe.

A production company has developed interest in
the rawmodel story and the mission and want to
film me doing....um...doing what I do I suppose.

We are going to Central Park tomorrow to film
some foraging, then will be going to the East Village
tomorrow evening for some good ol' fashioned dumpster diving
for organic compost scraps. They plan to come to Minnesota and
Arizona as well, and are giving me a handy HD flip camcorder
so I can get some decent "B Roll Footage" *new term to me lol*

We are harvesting some honey on monday in Minnesota,
and will be doing some more spring runs and manure runs.
All these runs...all this filmable stuff.

I was mostly alone in the garden before, and filming myself
was way more demanding than I was able to deal with.
My hands were always dirty and I just wanted to get on
with it and keep building my space without pausing to film everything.
It felt as if it wasnt authentic anymore,
always trying to capture the magic that I felt.

I dont know where this is going to all proceed,
but Im approaching it with authenticity and the hope that
the message of reconnecting with Mother Nature
thru family food forests (kin's domains) and living
without dependence on corporations and utility companies
WILL SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE through the hearts of many!

Im super optimistic - Just hoping things stay fresh!
Spring runs, kitchen fun, garden excitement...its endless right?

Im flying out Sunday morning to head back to MN to
work on my space some more. Tentatively, I have 6 solid days
of potential time to put into it before heading back to Arizona,
so i should easily get everything cleaned up and established
before I have to take off again. Its just getting better and better,
and the trees from 2008 and really getting established now!
What a joy to see bees all over a big apricot tree I planted!

I ordered some more stuff from Onegreenworld.com,
and Curt from McKean County Biodynamics is sending
me some more Selke Biodynamic Cherry tomatoes,
but those are the last ones of the seasons so order from them
next year FOR SURE....FOR SURE. Best tomato to grow!
Sam from Yardsnacker.com and Jake from Rawutah.com
are sending some comfrey my way! Exactly what I needed.

Thanks brothers!!! Ill be making some truffles sunday night for you!

Just sticking with the mission...planting more and more
and doing whatever we can to get others inspired to do the same.

Thanks to the internet, the GOOD ideas have a chance
to spread to others like never before. We are so blessed!

Filming tomorrow! Wish me luck on this one!

100th Online Order Truffle Giveaway

First off - Thank you to everyone who has ordered our Cacao Truffles.

I appreciate it so much and Im glad everyone is enjoying it.

Its such a sacred feeling-to actually be making food

that people are putting into their bodies - their temples.

Its a big deal to me, and I cant thank you all enough for your trust.

We make these with the cleanest and safest ingredients we can find,

and it blows me away to think that there are companies out there

that can make so much garbage without any regard towards the

health and well-being of the people actually consuming their product.

Remember as well, there is no added sweeteners in here.

No agave. What the heck happened to agave??

Check out David Wolfe's article about agave HERE.

Remember when this was all the rage?

Like - Agave was THE sweetener to use?

Who is still using this stuff? WAY WAY WAY too many companies.

Myself - I am totally over this stuff, and Im pretty disillusioned

about how everyone including myself bought into it before.

Who are we to trust? Seriously! Who?

That being said, we are just using dates.

Im over super sweet treats. They are way too old-school.

The less sugar I use in my life, the less I want.

I can drink teas with no sugar and be perfectly content with

the simple taste of....TEA. Wow...who would have thought?

Digressions.....

Blackbird is doing very well, especially online.

We are an efficient family-run business,

and so far all of our profit has gone to planting

fruit trees and vegetable gardens in our space.

I spent last night looking at the garden in the light of the

moon and my heart seriously was bursting.

I cant even describe how good and right it felt.

Check out the Food Forest page HERE.

Please do whatever you can to work with plants more

and more and more in your life,

I promise you that they will give you so much

more than just edibles for your stomach.

Anyways, in light of our 100th online customer,

we are offering another giveaway.

A 10 pack of truffles of your choice -

Raw Vegan or Pasture Butter with Cacao Nibs or Pistachio -

and you can also do half & half if you like.

You know the drill - Comment to win.

Ill pick the winner in a few days.

Comment about whatever you want.

Just say hi, I dont care. Its all good.

Again, thank you so much to everyone who has supported

this venture. You can also add us on facebook too.

Click here to become a fan.

Here is the link to the site in case you want to order now.

And here is a review from Dhrumil of Welikeitraw.com...

he appreciates the lack of agave and sweeteners as well.

Thank you brother for your support!

Blackbird Naturals from Dhrumil Purohit on Vimeo.

Deb visits us in Arizona - and we got springwater!

Deb from Debbie Does Raw is an ANGEL.

Being that Im relatively new to my tribe in Arizona,

I am VERY picky about who comes to visit and spend

quality time with us. Deb fit the bill all the way.

We had such a good time having her here,

we went to the farmer's mkt, made lots of good treats,

and went to Sedona for hiking/springwater/and dinner at

ChocolaTree, which was really great.

Its been quite awhile since Ive been to a raw restaurant -

I was pretty much over paying so much money for food

I would rather just make at home with loved ones -

but this was really good, and they have started a food

forest in their back garden which was a total joy to have

our dinner in. Way to go ChocolaTree folks - Nice work.

I also found the last copy of the Ringing Cedars Series there too,

which totally made my day...reading it now and its just

as out there as I suspected. Read this series PLEASE.

I dont necessarily agree 100% with everything, but its worth the read.

And by judging the look on my face here,

I was insanely happy to be drinking springwater again.

It was so cold and felt so buttery and silky.

I had been drinking primarily reverse osmosis water these past

4 months, and although that is WAY better than tap water,

springwater is just pure magic. I cant even describe it.

Its just - divine. Seriously, do whatever you can to harvest

your own springwater. Daniel Vitalis and Heidi and JS

started findaspring.com because they know the power

and pure joy of springwater, and wanted to share it with all of you.

Its an incredible resource, so please take advantage of it.

Here is the springwater vid -

And here is Deb's video as she makes Raw Cheez-Its - They were incredible.

We've been living a very bloggable life lately, hence the lack of posts.

Im off to NY tomorrow, so Ill be online a little more. Stay tuned!

I had a major breakthrough last night as well,

so Ill be writing about that asap.

Anthony

Jason Mraz - Outdoors

I saw this on Jakes site at www.rawutah.com. Please check out this site -

Some of the most inspirational gardening vids ive seen! Thank Jake!

Jason Mraz just got way way way cooler for me. Great song.

Springtime...make your computer time as short as possible - get outside and explore.

A Hearty Dose of Poison Ivy

It seems to happen every time Im clearing brush in Minnesota.
I dont like wearing long sleeve shirts because it gets too hot,
and my gloves always get wet and sloppy after about 2 hours,
so those usually come off before breakfast.

That being said, I got a good patch of this junk on my arms and legs
and Im really wishing I would have just taken the extra precautions.

Honestly though, its only bad when I start to scratch it or my jeans rub
up against it as I walk around, otherwise its not so unbearable.
Heres a video to watch in case you come across some of this stuff.
And remember, if youre clearing brush at any time of the year,
and you know PI is in your area, just play it safe and wear gloves and long sleeves.



So...I havent used anything. Most creams have crazy stuff in them,
and even the oatmeal bath sounds like way too much work and mess
for some minor temporary relief. Id rather scratch my arms than
scrub an oatmeal ring out of the bathtub lol...

And who names their daughter Doris Day? Really?


I planted over 150 shrubs and trees last weekend,
and everything looks to be doing well.
I put the pine nut trees, the hickories, the walnuts, and the mountain ash trees
in containers because those trees need a little extra tlc
and Id like them to be more established before I put them into the soil.
One year of greenhouse living should suit them well-I hope.

I took a ton of pics and videos so they will be uploaded within the next week I hope.
Flying back to Phx tomorrow! Deb from Debbie Does Raw is visiting us!
Lots of activities and you know Deb will have her camera! We love you Deb!

A Big Bowl of Sadness

LOVED THIS!

Im off to NYC for a job (Its been 2 MONTHS since I modeled lol)

and then Minnesota on Thurs to start the spring planting!

There is just so much work to do...its divine!

Ill be shooting everything so lots of photos and vids to come soon.

Enjoy the vid!

High Density Urban Food Forest in SoCal

Am I the only one geeking out right now???

Started 12 years ago...I wish I got started so much earlier.

Enjoy the video!

Planting a Fig...the Organic Way!

Arent these new videos insanely better than before?

If youre curious about the mix I used,

I did lots of organic composted mulch,

some organic topsoil, mixed in with native soils.

The fig was planted on the west side of the house, so it doesnt

get hit with direct sun till 12 noon, but the sun is intense,

so for Arizona it will work out perfectly.

I will continue to expand the radius of mulch and soil,

so the fig will continue to push its roots further out.

I added lots of mulch on top, and will add some more soon.

Clipplings, weeds, dry grass, branches...it all works.

No need to ever use chemical fertilzers...

and no need to ever support the companies that make them,

or EVER use them on your precious soil.

Compost, kelp, manures, your own pee and poopy,

your pet's pee and poopy lol...its all good.

And I think the whole scare-tactic about using omnivore manure

is of the same mentality that tells us to get vaccinated, cook all our

foods, and use antibacterial soap on absolutely everything.

I wash my hands like everyone else, but for the soil around

fruit and nut trees, its a totally different ballgame.

The soil likes all that crazy stuff...it eats it up.

I wouldn't use dog poop from a dog eating GMO soy and corn,

but if it was eating organic foods and meats, then of course.

You should see the new growth on the fruit trees since I've

been adding horse and dog manures under all the mulch.

Wash your hands and don't touch your eyes or mouth out in

the garden if at all possible, and always always eat lots of fermented

foods to keep your good bacteria levels high so nothing bad

has even a chance of establishing itself.

If you can grow one type of tree and you dont live in a tropic area

(that includes southern california and florida) I would def go with figs.

Pound for pound, nothing is more seasonal and pricey per pound.

Jake over at Rawutah.com has a ton of figs growing around his dome

and I cannot wait to see what it will look like in 2-3 years.

I water the trees almost every day, and continue to mix in food/kefir residues with

my special water blends...chlorella is great as well as some sugar for bacteria.

I hope you all enjoy the videos.

Fruit trees are so cheap when you really think about it -

Lets get in long-term mode and start planting trees.

Sanitary Mary signing off...

Contest Winners and New Juice Video

Whats up everyone...sorry for the delays but we have been

filming like crazy and planting so much and making truffles

so Ive been offline tons lately.

So...the giveaway from the last post:

Esther824 and Kara are the contest winners.

Ill email you both really soon so we can set up the chat (if youre interested)

Thanks for the all the good comments and ideas everyone -

Here is a new juice video uploaded just today.

We also planted a beautiful Black Mission Fig this evening

and filmed the whole thing. Cant wait for you all to see it.

We did 5 solid days of juicing and blended soups and smoothies,

and I have to tell you, the raw vegan truffles got me through the tough times!

Just those little nuggets of heaven...once or twice a day, and I was golden.

-Anthony