The Food & Medicine Garden

25/11/2023

🌿 Nurturing Your Well-Being 🌟

🚧 Boundaries: Your psychological 'fence' for self-preservation. Setting healthy boundaries empowers you to maintain emotional balance and protect your well-being. 🛡️

🌿 Nature Therapy: Embrace ecotherapy! Nature's healing powers can reduce stress and boost mental health. The natural world is a sanctuary for your mind. 🌳💆‍♂️

😴 Sleep Science: Sleep isn't just rest; it's restoration. Dive into the science of sleep to optimize your physical and mental health. Sweet dreams equal a sound mind. 💤🌙

🎨 Creative Mind: Unleash your inner artist! The creative process is a psychological playground, promoting self-expression, problem-solving, and emotional release. 🎨✨

🏃‍♀️ Active Mind, Active Body: The mind-body connection is real. Regular physical activity releases endorphins, enhancing mood and reducing stress. Keep moving, keep thriving. 🧠💪

🤝 Connection Matters: From attachment theory to social support, human connection is crucial for well-being. Nurture relationships and watch your mental health flourish. ❤️🤗

🧘‍♂️ Reflect & Reconnect: Dive into self-reflection; it's your internal GPS. Practices like mindfulness and journaling can help you understand your thoughts and emotions. 🧠🧘‍♀️

🌟 Find Your Purpose : According to Self-Determination Theory, finding your purpose is about understanding your intrinsic motivations and values. When you align your life with what truly matters to you, you'll experience increased autonomy, competence, and relatedness, leading to a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life. 🔑💪

29/10/2023

06/09/2023

Wow. Invite the neighborhood.

A huge cluster of grapes in Italy ..

27/08/2023

Erodium moschatum, musk storkbill.I found this w**d while visiting my twin grandchildren in Houtbay. I will have to come harvest some in summer when it is flowering. To make a tincture, a tisane or to enjoy them in my food. Not indigenous to South Africa, but found in a similar habitat as in Europe. Rocky places close to the sea.

**ds
**ds

27/08/2023

27/08/2023

Today I came across this w**d in Houtbay CT.

06/07/2023

This was quite an inspiring message to receive! What are your reasons for growing food?

Dear Food is Free gurus,

Thanks for being awesome. Why? Many reasons, but one big one is because my 60 year old dad has been inspired by you. I sat with him at Christmas and told him all about y'all, and he was inspired too.

He planted a big garden in his yard and he has harvested onions, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, squash of all assortments, beets...and more I can't even remember.

He is out there everyday, happily tending his garden. He is eating healthier, his blood pressure is down, he has lost weight, he's stopped some of his medications due to improved health, and he LOVES his garden.

He shares his crops with his coworkers and neighbors. It's all organic, and he's even excited to start composting too 🙂

You've helped inspire his positive health change and his happy attitude. So thanks; you rock.

Sincerely,
A girl who used to be scared her dad would have a heart attack

14/06/2023

You are the essence of beauty. A reflection of Nature. 🍃

14/06/2023

😍

Credit ~ unknown

03/06/2023

They smell like bruised grenadillas, make you mouth water and your nostrils flare... And the Colour! So welcome this time of the year when we NEED yellow. Family of the famous khakibos it is easy to grow but not invasive. Hardy with beautiful flowers which are edible and a powerful antioxidant. Prune to shape and dry those fragrant leaves and flowers.

02/06/2023

Sooo funny

01/06/2023

Leonard Cohen said his teacher once told him that the older you get the lonelier you become, and the deeper the love you need. This is because, as we go through life, we tend to over-identify with being the hero of our stories.

This hero isn’t exactly having fun: he’s getting kicked around, humiliated, and disgraced. But if we can let go of identifying with him, we can find our rightful place in the universe, and a love more satisfying than any we’ve ever known.

People constantly throw around the term 'Hero’s Journey' without having any idea what it really means. Everyone from CEOs to wellness-influencers thinks the Hero’s Journey means facing your fears, slaying a dragon, and gaining 25k followers on Instagram. But that’s not the real hero’s journey.

In the real hero’s journey, the dragon slays YOU. Much to your surprise, you couldn’t make that marriage work. Much to your surprise, you turned forty with no kids, no house, and no prospects. Much to your surprise, the world didn’t want the gifts you proudly offered it.

If you are foolish, this is where you will abort the journey and start another, and another, abusing your heart over and over for the brief illusion of winning.

But if you are wise, you will let yourself be shattered, and return to the village, humbled, but with a newfound sense that you don’t have to identify with the part of you that needs to win, needs to be recognized, needs to know. This is where your transcendent life begins.

So embrace humility in everything. Life isn’t out to get you, nor are your struggles your fault.

Every defeat is just an angel, tugging at your sleeve, telling you that you don’t have to keep banging your head against the wall.

Leave that striver there, trapped in his lonely ambitions. Just walk away, and life in its vastness will embrace you.

— Paul Weinfield