Costa Rica Ramblings
-
Dreaming of permaculture: our journey to Costa Rica
Written for Health Action magazine It started twelve years ago during a Saskatchewan winter. Having just finished my training in herbology and sick-to-death of the cold, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to study herbs in the rainforest. It sounded like a whim and people laughed it off, but I began to do some research and my husband and I created a five-year-plan to move back to BC, pay off student loans, and embark on a six-month trip to see what I could learn about medicinal plants somewhere warm with gorgeous beaches. We chose Costa Rica for a few reasons. One, it has more protected rainforest than any…
-
Chan – the Next Super Seed
Chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds – the Western world is getting familiar with the idea that seeds are superfoods. Little powerhouses of nutrition, seeds are packed with enough goodness to give an entire plant or tree it’s start in life and as such are usually pretty good for you. As I listen to the deafening noise of the cicadas in the rain forest of Costa Rica I sip on a weird local concoction that might just be the next superfood seed to add to the list. The first time we tried the strange drink called fresco de chan was five years ago when we were out for dinner and…
-
Top 5 Love/Loathe About Living in the Jungle
Every, single day, at some point in the day, I think to myself: This is ridiculous. It’s too hard, it’s too much, what on earth was I thinking? I want to go home. And every single day, at some point in the day, I think to myself: This is amazing. I can’t believe I get to do this, I love my life! These two points are not as far apart as one would guess. We’ve been here almost two months now. Construction on the new space is in full swing and the walls of the kids’ new rooms are almost finished. Anyone who read my post about my attempts to…
-
My clueless attempts at permaculture.
OK, so some of you may have been reading about our renovation process and how we are going about rehabilitating the cabinas we have purchased in the jungle. Part of this whole process however is the idea that we are going to live as self-sufficiently as possible and that means growing as much of our own food as we can. Our property is only about one acre: some of that is primary rain forest, some hillside, a large amount of driveway and some inhospitable cliff. We are trying to purchase a nearby property that would give us some actual farming space, but, like oh-so-many things in Costa Rica, it is…
-
Why all the cool kids are growing pineapple
There are pineapples growing in my garden. As a Canadian who was always struggling to get even tomatoes and peppers to grow in my short summer season, this is the height of tropical decadence. As a nutrition fiend and herbalist, there are some major health benefits to growing this fruit and I thought I would share a couple of them here. Pineapple has gained respect in the past couple decades or so in the health field because of the enzyme bromelain. Bromelain helps with the digestion of proteins, so it is sometimes found in digestive system supplements or weight loss products, but it also works to break down dead protein…
-
Moving to Costa Rica – Welcome to the Jungle
We have begun this new chapter in Costa Rica. Life here is simultaneously simpler and more complicated than we were used to in Canada. Our cabinas were open to the elements, moldy, full of insects and the evidence of the bats and lizards that had been hanging out here before us. We still have house geckos of course, all of which our 3-year-old calls Little Buddy and chases after. We spent the first few days scrubbing walls and floors with bleach and brushes, then painting the interior walls white, filling in the gaps at floor and ceiling to try to minimize the bugs. Two of the three cabins are sorta…
