More Raw . . . . (no, not milk)

We found raw honey two nights ago. It was easy to find, just like everything else here (well, no, not everything. Not coconut oil or books in English). We just popped in at a house down the street with a sign that says “Miele.” They had three kinds on hand: castagno (chestnut. a very strong flavor, and one that we’ve been enduring since I bought a kilo of chestnut honey in Saluzzo months ago), dandelion, and melata.

Coincidentally, I was just reading about melata honey the other day when I was researching apitherapy (healing with honey and other bee products). We’ve done a few rounds of royal jelly, but I wanted some unprocessed stuff straight from the farm.… Read more

London Town #1

We had a fun-filled and adventurous vacation last week. Since we already had tickets on the cheapest Ryanair flight to London, we thought we’d take advantage of it and go visit the Temple there. We planned to spend four nights in the Temple’s accommodations for out-of-town guests, and then fly home again. What could be simpler?

Well, there were a few crucial bits of information that we now know. Most importantly, everything that you and I have heard about Ryanair is true. #1 They do indeed have the lowest imaginable fares for air travel in Europe. #2 They travel between some of the most inconveniently located airports in the world.… Read more

Liquid Flowers

I was listening to a program on NPR by a guy in Vermont who decided to eat locally all year. He joined some farm co-op where he could pick up fresh vegetables in season, decided to drink apple juice instead of orange, because that’s what grows there, and uses maple syrup all the time, because that’s probably the most quintessentially native food in Vermont. I liked the idea. It’s so easy for us these days to lose touch with our communities. Everything is so mobile now. Not only do people move around a lot, but everything we own is made in China or Honduras, and even the food we eat has probably traveled thousands of miles to get to us.… Read more