Wild Garlic and Walks

I found wild garlic yesterday, huge amounts of it. Its all going into jars of pesto and being sold at Dragonfly Wholefoods in Highgate. The flowers are amazing and it is true that wild food make me feel so incredible. I am in love with the connection from strolling in nature's paradise to nourishing the body and soul and I am yearning to learn so much more about picking my own wild foods.

Hopped on to Rob's website this morning, a miletstone of accessible information on wild foods and would you believe he is offering nature walks over the next two weekends where he will be pointing out all of natures' edibles? Yes! I shall be attending one this Saturday, and would love you to come along also, imagine what fun we could have! For more information, visit Rob's site.

Also since its the season of vitality and blossom, I would love to share my recipe for raw elderflower cordial...

4l warm water
40 heads of elderflower - you can use less
4 lemons squeezed the thrown in the bowl
a whole jar of wild raw honey!!

Put it all in a bowl and allow it to infuse for as long as possible.

If you are feeling extra creative, you can use this sryup to make the most amazing raw pear/apple crumbles. Oh yes, photos still to come. Hold tight!

Is It All Over My Face, You've Got Me Love Dancing

2am and I am supposed to be up in five hours to chef at the raw food cafe in Highgate and there seems to be no chance of my sleeping in the near minutes to follow - I am high once again on cacao and mesquite, my drug of choice, yet not by choice - I had to sample the raw mint chocolate brownies and love-heart chocolates that I have made for tomorrow. Thanks to cacao, my creative juices are flowing, (also made a raw elderflower cordial for my raw pear and elderflower crumble, and a luscious vanilla cream to go with it, mmmmmm!) I will try to get photos of these posted soon.

Cacao gets me dancing, had a disco session tonight to Larry Levan's "Its all over my face" classic, and in the midst of ecstatic dancing I only just figured the enititled 'all over my face' riff, is a reference to the white powder that fuelled the disco era. Aha! Let cacao be the new drug of love dancing!

Punta Mona finally got back to me to let me know that I am welcome to come and stay in their beautiful sustainable community - am off to Costa Rica very soon, hurray!!

Had a fine weekend shared with Holi, even more stunning in real life. I am bowled by the wonderful ribbon that she laces through life, and feel totally inspired to travel now. I am learning to let go of doubts, fears and just run with life, and dancing to music is my yoga right now. Holi and I shared a little adventure in Heathrow airport this weekend that totally confirmed my current movement, all about dipping toes in, taking leaps foward, then sometimes a pause, trying, sometimes finding the groove, sometimes just searching for it. There are no mistakeS, and I think less and less that there is a right and wrong in life, just a constant search for alignment. I feel like a kid right now, banging on the keys of a new-bought piano, thrashing chords, some that clash and some that rhyme but all necessary in the quest for a melody that allows me to sink into the deep spirtual and emotional power of life and love.

Realising Dreams

Its been a darn long time. Been sucked into the money generating machine in Londonia, making funds to fund the enxt step in my beautiful journey. I am a little trapped in the London whirlwind right now; working in power crazed structures, feeling like a caged rat in a system I don't believe in. Exciting ventures all over the world of people who want to shout love, dance and life into the ears of their children. I wish I could shut out the words that are I am hearing in the background on the family telivision covering the mayoral elections; appalling, fundamentally wrong, shameful, deprivation, anxiety, problem are big words for little people to use so freely. I want to tune into love, dance and rejoice the beautiful gift of love that was given to each and every one of us. Why do we think that life was given to endure, a test..I don't know. It seems so surreal, I don't seem to want to make the city work for me, I would rather wake up to sunshine, flora and fauna. The energy comes out of the sun, the food comes out of the ground, and human contact is all around, don't need to go to social clubs to find love. Costa Rica here I come. Hardships letting go right now, moving out of my comfort zone, a few hardships to endure but so worth it in the long term. I have known this dream for a long time, now I am finally realising it.

Every day right now is so much fun. I feel like one lucky girl. Yesterday I started a new job, love it! Then attended a wonderful raw potluck with some beautiful people, nabbed the last half hour only though. Then joy, oh joy went dancing. Amazing sound, in my little corner next to the huge speaker going to some beautiful ecstatic place in my heart, and really getting down to the music that I love! Then bumped into a dear friend and we went off on a 3 hour walk around Clapton in true Situationist style, talking, talking and talking, kindred souls connecting, different paths, same vision. Both of us are tapping into the freedom of joyful living and embracing new experiences, and finally accepting the potential within ourselves, reaching out and tapping into the wonderful sap of life, but in very different ways. Another reminder that the choices in life are infinite and varied, as extensive as the imagination. And the choices we make allow us to connect with what is already within us, compassion, love, creativity. I think these are tools that allow us to create our world - love creates love, passing . So that my focus, to continue evolving and on this path, continue making my dreams real and inpsiring others along the way, if i can!

Inspirational fact, I have never been able to do all-nighters. Used to work in a nightlub, and by 2am, I was the grumpiest, most dispondant barmaid in the world. The past two nights I have been dancing, laughing and chatting all night long without so much as a stifled yawn. Even the night bus home has been lovely. I am finally getting the whole energy thing of raw food and I feel amazing and joyful and happy that my body seems to be ticking away so well. Energy has always be an issue for me, but now I seem to be sleeping much less and going like the Duracell Bunny, feels good.

Wild, Crazy Poppy-ness

Crazy energy right now its mental. Soaring high on life. I feel ready to explode with the surplus of electricity pouring through my body, unless I find a practical outlet for it -that is! I sometimes crave heavy, stodgy cooked food, an antidote to this hyperactivity, it feels almost too much - like I am on amphetamines. I am literally buzzing to a different beat to those around me, constant silliness, cracks and frenetic movement. Feeling like the kid, for whom the world turns round her centre. Such a contrast to JFing. Am so far for introspection, and more living in NOW, relishing the ecstatic joy of the present, no room for responsibility, no room for boredom and bullshit, purlease! I feel like the loudmouth missy that was always in trouble at school - BE-lieve, no teachers to tell me off now.

Going out to dance all night! Me, myself, that little corner of Plastic People on a Friday night, and meditate on the reverberations of heavy bass. Laaaaa! Oh sweet joy, if this is where its at, its all mighty good.

Staple foods: Marinated Kale, Pea Shoots, Garlic Shoots, Alfalfa, Spinach, Sauerkraut, Cucumbers, Avocado, Lemons, Hemp Oil, Hemp Seeds, Dried Figs, Cacao and Wild Honey. Green Juice, Nettle Tea, Lemonade and Mango Smoothies. Mmmmmmm!

Tune of the moment: If This Ain't Love, Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators

Giving Tuppence

Early morning discussions with the twin about care, love consideration. Used to be work as a pastry chef, I love perfection and care put into the small details of things. I think that little love that goes into the preparation of a 'tartelette aux fraises' makes all the difference. I notice less of the love going into the food I buy, the clothes I buy and the restaurants I go to.

Sometimes when I waitress, and I see the chef screaming at his sous-chef and I ask myself how on earth can you serve that food to another person, the food that you have prepared and poisoned with anger. And sometimes I just look at the food on the plate, and I ask myself how can you serve such uncared for, sloppy food and charge so much - I see it everywhere and feel a sadness at the loss of care and integrity in industry. I hesitate to 'blame' commerce, because I can not believe that such negates honesty, love and integrity. In fact, I believe that when I go to a restaurant, I am paying for that somebody to prepare with equal care the dish as they would for their loved ones or family - and yet I can say that the past six years that I have worked in restaurants I have seen only one place prepare food with such care and love for what goes out on the plate in the wonderful Rose Bakery. I know that when I go to the farmer's market, Perry Court Farm give me the same amazing pears, carrots, beets and spinach that feed their own children and I feel gratified for the care with which they pick the best ones out for me. It transforms my whole relationship to the food, and makes me happy to part with my money for that. My salary is afterall, a product of my time, of my efforts and of my giving to others with equal care of their needs and desires as humans and as paying customers, that as such I can't stand to provide any less than the best. I quit working for Wholefoods after one week, understanding that money ruled over integrity for them - their daily food wastage could have filled a hundred homeless bellies alone, I just can't represent that - it feels so wrong!

Traditionally clothing and cooking were acts of community sharing and love. The effort that was placed into preparing a meal, weaving a dress that was made to last, or a scarf for a loved one was prepared in the context of caring, creative giving. If each act was fulfilled with full awareness of its journey - from my heart to yours, I think we would feel a lot closer as humans. Many talk about our loss of connection with nature, provoking a looser connection to the fundamental axis of our existence. Perhaps it comes more down to time; running around like headless chicken we lose sense of the value of this very moment here and now, always projecting our minds to the future, turning our actions into drawn out lists of things to do, just so the end can justify the means, we can pay the bills. Passion is key, living every minute and living each other with love.

My brother blames Tescos this morning, another blames McDonalds and another blames the 'system' conspiring against us. It seems so futile to talk of systems, of organisations. We're all human, and I am in to dealing on human levels now, building communities and putting my energy into making grow the things I love. More to come soon...Love!!!

Losing Contact

After last week's depressing post, I wanted to touch base to let y'all know I am still alive and kicking. JFing has been broken temporarily, pending prosperity and a little more ease in my financial shituation. Spring is here and with it kilos of fresh luscious greens for the cheap; divine. Can't stop humming in the beautiful sunshine, giving and receiving beautiful smiles all around.

Starting to feel in two-minds about this blog. Firstly the name, juicefeast restricts it to certain niche in time from which it has evolved and I think it needs to evolve now too. Secondly, its content, in all it graphic honesty is aimed at a small circle of readers, friends shall we say, whom I felt very at ease with discussing the intimate details of my 'raw' experiences becuase I know that they're on the same journey, leaving me beautiful comments and sharing their own precious paths. I have since discovered that it is quite accessible to others, my stats have rocketed with the imminent opening of a certain restaurant, and I have noticed people from that particular domain checking the content with the incessancy of the intigued, enthralled or the paranoid - leave a comment, if you will Joe. I have also noticed people coming onto my blog typing in my full name or the name of people in my family, and I feel quite exposed! I am not sure I feel so at ease with the information I put out there and I feel a sudden impulse to control or pull back in the the rope that I have naively thrown out there - not quite grasping that anything I throw into cyber space becomes totally public and indelible to anyone who wants to read it! And here's my typing away at all the intimate detail of my existence, hmmm! Hence my quietness these past few days, pondering 'me', divinely indulgent introspection and taking some time in Paris with my sweet. How restorative love is, one doesn't realise its missing, and then boom, you realise wowwwww, this is love, yeah, we're talking Jill-Bolte Taylor, right-brained euphoria!