I was at a small local market recently that had baskets of different varieties of peaches available, all from local farms. If you want to make me smile, just show me something as gorgeous as that! Even if I’m not feeling so great, a sight such as that will always make me smile.

I actually ate a peach that I had never even heard of before from that bounty! This was a real treat.

There is a variety with white and pink flesh, that has pink dots on the skin. It is called the “snow gem” or ” snow giant”. What a delicacy. I have seen white peaches that have some pink in them before, but this one really seemed quite different.

But one of my favorites is from Frog Hollow Farm of course… home of the perfect peach, an inspiration to my soul. I think I actually cried when I first tasted the perfect peach, fresh picked, and grown organically after many years of not having one. (I lived in Hawaii for 10 years and trust me, peaches were not the fruit of choice in the tropics as you can only imagine! Of course, I would not have complained.)

I know, I get excited about a good piece of fruit.

Well, that is really the good stuff in life. The simple, real, good stuff for me.

I think of my mother who grew her own vegetables on the big Island of Hawaii for so many years, and her phone calls to tell me about the beet, or kale, or basil she had just picked and eaten… She would describe the “high” from this life giving fresh food that one can only understand after eating such a food for oneself.

I invite you to go explore your local produce isle or farmers market today! Go have fun with whatever you find. Perfection is found in appreciating a good thing.

Bon Appetite!

How much D do we need? What is the best way to get it? Is it safe to be in the sun? To use tanning booths? Why do we need D anyway? What does it do? How much is too much? Too little?

These are all important questions and many of which I go over in my nutrition consulting practice with clients.

Many factors are important in determining how much D a person requires and from what sources they receive it. Some important factors are ethnicity, current climate and latitude you live in, current diet, and accessory nutrients taken in. All of us will need different amounts and all of us will need lab testing to determine our D levels throughout the process.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are much greater than just bone loss. Some other possible symptoms include:

• Depression and seasonal affective disorder
• Getting sick often, low immunity
• Syndrome X or Metabolic Syndrome
• Metabolic slow down, and weight gain
• Fatigue
• Cancer

Get the skinny on vitamin D and safe sun exposure for your skin type and ethnic heritage. We all need good amounts of vitamin D, some from sun and some from foods and supplements, and all in various amounts. Learning your own personal need for D is imperative for optimal wellness.

Why make it hard? It doesn’t have to be. My excuse used to be that I didn’t have any land, or that it was too foggy here. Well, others are doing it, so maybe I can too. I even found out that I have a neighbor who is creating his own “backyard garden” right on his porch.

Interested in permaculture solutions and getting involved?  Here are some places to start:

PlantSF.org

Gardenfortheenvironment.org

Daily-acts.org

Regenerativedesign.org

Ecology Center of San Francisco