I am back in North America, breathing the fresh and cool air,
after an adventure-filled year in tropical Costa Rica. Although I am
recuperating from changing seasons, a diet change is by far my most interesting
adjustment. As I re-experience winter comfort crops, I reminisce about how
different my diet was only days ago when I was foraging in and around a lush tropical
rainforest.
Here are my 2012 forest food highlights (all are organic!):
1. CHOCOLATE
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Cacao beans - these seeds can be eaten or ground into a paste to make hot chocolate, we flavoured it with fresh ginger.
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| 100% pure cacao - this hand-ground paste is ready to be boiled into pure hot chocolate. |
2. PEACH PALM
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| Peach Palm fruit - these fruits are hung over a wood burning fire to give them a smoky and nutty taste. |
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| Photo by Edder Francisco Diaz Segura |
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| The whole peach palm is edible. I'm holding the inflorescence (eaten roasted) and the heart of palm and young flowers (white material) are cooked in this large green leaf. |
3. BANANAS
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| Purple bananas - it is more sweet and filling than a standard yellow cavendish; Purple bananas are also the special ingredient in Armadillo stew. |
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| One versatile banana - this sweet dessert banana can be eaten as a snack or boiled when unripe to add to a meal; here I was eating this banana with wild greens and eggs. |
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| Roasted bananas - my favorite afternoon snack with a cup of hot chocolate. |
4. SIMPLICITY
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| Stone-ground corn (we did the grinding by hand) - how often can you make corn tortillas or cornbread from scratch? All you need is corn, water, and a couple stones. |
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| Simple yet satisfying |
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