Fall Harvest

The bountiful fruits of Fall spill forth from the earth every year at this time and yet, they never cease to amaze. How splendid are the organic heirloom tomatoes, bursting with flavor and the nuance of the land on which they were grown?

 
And the tri-colored peppers, all ready for pickling or just to be eaten raw if you like things spicy.

Oh and what of the Japanese eggplant, purple-hued, firm and delicious when roasted with fresh garlic and rosemary?

The wild young ginger is such a welcome treat, as well. Sweet, pungent scents wafting from both the root and the stem...

And what to do with all those apples? Make a pie of course. Or two or three! Sure, you can always save time and buy a delicious pie from the local farmer's market.

But there's nothing like homemade.

And one is never enough.

And some times, neither is two...

Potatoes, too, are in ample supply during the autumn months. One of the most exciting things to do with a surplus of these root vegetables is to make gnocchi. Find a good cookbook to walk you through it and you'll be on your way.

Granted, it is a time and labor intensive process, but the yield in yumminess makes it all worth it.

These bundles of pillowy succulence will delight you on many a Fall evening, guaranteed.

Princeton

Did you know that Princeton has an awesome community auditing program where inquisitive minds who live nearby can sign up for and take classes for a small fee? Though most of the participants are older retired folks looking to increase their IQ, the program is open to all adult residents. A great opportunity to explore subjects like Italian Art & Gastronomy or Quantum Physics, the CAP program is very user-friendly and straightforward. Between classes one can tour Princeton's stoic halls of higher learning and engage the diverse and friendly students who fill the campus.

The Architecture of the buildings is superb, especially the University Chapel where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech in 1960.


The many cultural events at the University can keep you occupied even if you don't choose to attend a course.

The town of Princeton is quite interesting as well. Many streets are cobbled and the historic roots of the place is palpable. A great walkable community, you can set out from the Princeton gate and explore the quaint town by foot.

There are shops of all kinds here, preppy old school and hippy new age, alike. Shop the World is of the latter variety and the place to go for all things fair-trade.

Not to far from Princeton, the towns of New Hope and Lambertville are worth a visit. They are humble yet culturally rich little towns bathed by the Delaware River and bursting with charm. Check out Peddler's Village for a joyous and peaceful shopping experience and pick up some eclectic gifts.

My favorite shop of all is Journey's. If you love crystals and flowery, lovely, inspiring things, this little gem is not to be missed.

Another gem, the New Hope Public Library is very petite, but well-stocked and staffed by friendly local people.

And locally owned, mom and pop shops abound. With no whole foods within 30 miles, try the River of Life Natural Foods. The woman who runs it is a treasure.

You can even take pottery classes at the wonderful Earth Center Pottery located in the Tyler Park Center for the Arts. 

The instructors are hands-on, very friendly and extremely patient. You'll be surprised at what you can make after your first lesson.

So much to love about this area and once you finish wandering around New Hope, head over the bridge to Lambertville using the walkers lane. 

The view is spectacular and may make you want to linger,

but if you hurry, you just might catch the sunset back at Peddler's Village and it is to live for.

Wild Food

Fermented and living foods are to the body what a wild ocean breeze is to the spirit and soul - cleansing and revitalizing. We need to fill our bodies with spirited food in order for it to maintain its natural exuberance and vitality. In essence, what we eat must be alive if we are to fully inhabit our bodies and live in them wholly. Many healthy shops are sprouting up to serve our holistic dietary needs. Organic Avenue in NYC is such a place, where one can find tasty living food on the go. Though still, simpler is better and if you can, take time to prepare basic meals yourself, in the comfort of your own home. Fruit is always a great way to prepare the system for more bio-active foods, as it clears and refreshes the system and upstarts it for cleansing on deeper levels. A day in the life of of a wild food connnoiseur may look a bit like this...

Green and purple grapes for breakfast to flush out the body and lubricate it with the vitamin-rich, pure water that makes up these simple yet sweet gems.

Then, a bunch of just picked wild kale paired with a few delectable heirloom tomatoes grown organically on a local farm. Eating greens fresh and tender this way helps to sweep the digestive system and make way for the activation of the tissues and cells with living nutrients.

Later on for lunch, it's salad again. This time the live ingredients are richer and more varied. There's arugula and radish for their bitter astringent qualities, cucumber and squash blossoms for their purifying components and green onion for its antioxidant factors.

For those who need a bit more protein after an active day, dinner can include a fritatta made with fresh and local free range eggs paired with more salad, even richer than the last. Organic carrots, red cabbage and more heirloom tomatoes round out this nutrition-packed boost for the body.

Add some delicious olives cured with rosemary and orange peel and you have a feast for the gods.

 

Another great addition to a dynamic salad -  homemade pickled peppers. Sliced jalapenos in a broth of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil marinated for a few days in the refrigerator will produce a most delectable spicy pickle and elevate your already vibrant meal to new heights.

The real magic, however, comes in when you add fermented specialities like, Wildbrine sauerkraut, teeming with probiotics and friendly bacteria. All the cleansing that you've stirred up within, courtesy of the grapes, and began flushing out with the greens can now be fully activated by the wild living food.

The Madras Curry lends that South Asian flavor to your salad. While the Arame & Ginger infuses each bite with a zen palate.

One of the vital aspects of digestion, which eating wild foods enhances, is enzymatic activity. Without enzymes food doesn't get properly digested, and raw, living foods provide loads of these essential enzymes. A good way to supplement, after years of depriving the body of all the wonderful natural foods it thrives on, is to take Raw Enzymes directly.

In addition, Flor-Essence, is a  wonderful healer of an over-taxed digestive system that is loaded with un-assimilated, toxic material. An elixir of 8 wild-crafted herbs believed by the Obijiwa Indians to be a "Holy drink that purified the body and mind." Yes, this tisane will definitely aid in the process of re-invigorating the wild essence of your body.

And for all the fresh, wild greens that you didn't get to eat, this superfood mix of Digestive Greens is a great enhancer as you begin to incorporate more nutrient packed green foods into your dietary repertoire.