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Welcome to the world of Ancel Mitchel, herbalist, storyteller, chocolatier, and overall quality human being. In today’s episode, we dive into the value of connecting with & supporting local indigenous communities, various ways that one might prepare a cacao bean, and the value of embracing the mythological roots or our plant medicines. Ancel is one of the key players of Finca La Isla, along with her partner Peter Kring from last week’s episode. Both of these pioneers have had a lot to share. Kick back and enjoy the stories that Ancel lays out for us. It’ll be time well spent. This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU! I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without my selling you stuff. Isn’t that great! So, instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee! Go to https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care. To follow more of Ancel’s adventures in chocolatiering, check out: https://talamancachocolate.com https://www.costaricaorganicsfarm.com/ FB - https://www.facebook.com/garden.botanicals IG - @chocolateismedicine Ancel’s Medicinal Sodas class on Amazon Explore: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1718970?s=13&unique_share_id=5fb27ae8-033c-4e63-85aa-d813e6f875a3   If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen. It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects. Special thanks to Peter Mukuru for editing this episode! Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Follow Sharing Insights: https://sharinginsights.net Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/sharinginsightspod  Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharinginsightspod  Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharingipodcast  Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqV63Fonev-y25FVSjGDvCg

Meet Peter Kring, a nurseryman & farmer who has more than 30 years of experience in tropical agriculture. Peter has introduced many valuable species into cultivation in Costa Rica and maintains a collection of over 200 species of fruit trees.  His farm, Finca la Isla, on the Caribbean coast, offers a plethora of workshops in horticulture, medicinal plants, chocolate making, fermentation, and farm to table practices.     In today’s episode, Peter shares with us his insights into sustainability through producing goods to sell at the farmers' market.  Peter is an advocate for farmers’ markets and is the president of the committee that manages the market in Puerto Viejo.  He also touches on organic certification, what it takes, & whether it’s worth it. Beyond that, Peter shares with us his preferred soil amendments and walks us through some of his fruit forest maintenance. I hope you enjoy!   This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without my selling you stuff.  Isn’t that great!   So, instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!    Go to https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.  Make sure to check out the 2 videos that we made at Finca La Isla, where Peter describes his grafting process and fruit forest maintenance.  You can find those at:https://youtu.be/z8RJcrgmHtMhttps://youtu.be/9bpSvIDTB_0    To follow more of Finca La Isla’s adventures in biodiversity and sustainability, check out:Website - https://www.costaricaorganicsfarm.com/ FB - https://www.facebook.com/peter.kring.1 https://www.facebook.com/Finca-la-Islas-Botanical-Garden-373141649468327  Maps - “Finca La Isla” Email -crgarden@mac.com Whatsapp - +50688294929   If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen.  It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.   Special thanks to Peter Mukuru for editing this episode! Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Follow Sharing Insights: https://sharinginsights.net Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/sharinginsightspod  Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharinginsightspod  Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharingipodcast  Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqV63Fonev-y25FVSjGDvCg &

The conversation continues from last week’s episode with Justin Dolan of St Michael’s Permaculture Country Club, in Central Pacific Costa Rica.   Justin mentions a number of the innovations that he’s been experimenting with, including natural building with bamboo, bioremediation, soil health, natural cooling with living rooftops and vines, waste management, and more.  To follow more of Justin’s adventure’s in Permaculture, check out: Website - https://stmichaelscr.com/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SaintMichaelsCR/  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/permaculturecountryclub  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/st.michaelscr  Be sure to check out Justin's Top Tropical Plants recommendations: https://sharinginsights.net/top-tropical-plants This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without my selling you stuff.  Isn’t that great!   So, instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!    Go to https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.  If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen.  It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects. Special thanks to Peter Mukuru for editing this episode! Follow Sharing Insights: Website Facebook  Instagram Twitter Youtube

   In today’s episode, we join Justin Dolan at the St Michael's Permaculture Country Club in Central Pacific Costa Rica. Justin shares his passion for seed propagation, medicinal plants, and using bio-ferments for healthy soil as well as animal care.  We explore topics such as healthy competition, the value of studying with a mentor, and using plants for natural home cooling.  Justin is a wealth of knowledge and the conversation ended up continuing into a second episode.  If you enjoy listening to Justin and the insights that he has to share, be sure to subscribe to the podcast, so you’ll have immediate access when Part 2 is released.  We’ll be hitting on topics such as natural building, and greywater management.  Be sure to check it out!   To follow more of what’s happening at the Permaculture Country Club, check out: Website - https://stmichaelscr.com/  FB - https://www.facebook.com/SaintMichaelsCR/ IG - https://www.instagram.com/st.michaelscr/   Be sure to check out Justin's Bokashi Recipe: https://sharinginsights.net/bokashi For more insight into Justin's Bokashi Recipe, we took a video of his stations where he makes it.  You can find that at https://youtu.be/ZPmh8zRE9jY  Enjoy! This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without my selling you stuff.  Isn’t that great!   So, instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!    Go to https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.  If you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen.  It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects.   Special thanks to Ariel Poltronieri & Peter Mukuru for editing this episode!   Follow Sharing Insights: https://sharinginsights.net Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/sharinginsightspod  Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharinginsightspod  Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharingipodcast  Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqV63Fonev-y25FVSjGDvCg

  In today’s episode, we visit with Ed Bernhardt at the New Dawn Center/Finca Alba Nueva, in Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica.  Ed is a deep ecologist, and author for several newspaper & magazine articles in Costa Rica, including the Tico times.  Ed shares with us tips for soil building & supporting your plant’s immune system with a recipe that he calls “kombucha for the plants,”  He also shares stories about what it was like to homestead in the 80’s, in Costa Rica, while teaching organic gardening to the locals from young school children to University students.  Ed is developing an online course to continue reaching out to those who are willing to receive the wisdom that he has to share, earned over 40 years of gardening in the tropics.  Ed also grows a variety of medicinal plants that he processes with his wife for sales at the local farmer’s market.     If Ed’s description of his bio-ferments has you wanting more, be sure to check out the YouTube video that we created, where we take you right out into his back yard where he has it bubbling.https://youtu.be/WIkdeT_AVyo     Of course, make sure to subscribe to the podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave us a rating and review.  It’s the best way for people to find us and trust that there’s something here worth paying attention to.   This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to be attracting sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without me selling you stuff.  Isn’t that great!  So instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee.    Go to https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights  to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care.   To follow more of the New Dawn Center’s adventures in earth care education, check out: Website - www.thenewdawncenter.info FB - https://www.facebook.com/fincaalbanueva  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/newdawncenter/videos    Other recommendations from Ed: Ed’s Bio-ferment recipes: https://sharinginsights.net/bioferments Check out our YouTube Tour of Ed’s Gardens and Bio-Ferment stations! https://youtu.be/WIkdeT_AVyo  Global College -https://gci.edu.np/  Apprenticeship Program INA (Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje) -  www.ina.ac.cr  Ed’s Mentor - Edmond Bordough - Ecological Health Gardens https://amzn.to/36nAdLv  Ed’s books: Medicinal Plants of Costa Rica https://amzn.to/37nKOpe  Kiss the Ground Documentary - https://kissthegroundmovie.com/ Special thanks to Ariel Poltronieri for editing this episode!   Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Follow Sharing Insights: https://sharinginsights.net Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/sharinginsightspod  Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharinginsightspod  Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharingipodcast  Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqV63Fonev-y25FVSjGDvCg 5EXXFbwsO0V3bjJbTSwl

   In today’s episode, we visit with Suzanna Leff, one of the cofounders of Finca Amrta, a permaculture farm in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica.  Suzanna has been running her volunteer program for over 30 years and has been able to keep it full, almost exclusively by word of mouth.  We discuss topics like, how to find volunteer managers and administrative support, helping guests find their passions, and how to keep people engaged and happy.   If you enjoy the podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a rating and short review wherever you listen to podcasts.  It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the word about our mission to others looking to improve their own projects. This episode is brought to you by, well, YOU!  I haven’t built up my audience enough to have attracted sponsors and all that, so even though it’s the holiday season, you get to support the show without my selling you stuff.  Isn’t that great!   So, instead of buying an organic cotton shirt or an online course, maybe you can just buy me a coffee!    Go to https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights to drop a few dollars in the bucket and let me know you care. To follow more of Finca Amrta’s adventures in homesteading, check out:The companion video to this episode, where we explore her organic gardens, greenhouse, and food dryer - https://youtu.be/3WOeAYZlKjE Finca Amrta’s Website - http://fincaamrta.com/  FB - https://www.facebook.com/fincaamrta/  Email - amrtasa@yahoo.com   Other recommendations from Suzanna: Nonviolent Communication Training - https://www.cnvc.org/  Volunteer Latin America - https://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com/ Special thanks to Ariel Poltronieri for editing this episode!   Music: Rite of Passage by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4291-rite-of-passage License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Follow Sharing Insights: https://sharinginsights.net Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/sharinginsightspod  Instagram: https://instagram.com/sharinginsightspod  Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharingipodcast  Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqV63Fonev-y25FVSjGDvCg 

This brief episode is a thorough introduction to Sharing Insights Podcast, what I seek to bring to the world through this medium, and exactly how I intend to do it. You will also get to hear my story and journey from traveling to communities around the world to owning my own land-based project here in Costa Rica.    The takeaway from this episode is that this is a journey we must take together because, without the collective sharing of insights, we will not grow. I hope you take the time to listen to this introduction and feel encouraged to share your insights with us too. In the meantime, I have a favor to ask of you. As a fledgling podcast, it is vital to gain some good reviews across our streaming platforms. If you have a moment and want to help support this podcast, please leave us a review on your preferred podcast streaming service.    You can also support the podcast financially by donating to the cause here: https://ko-fi.com/sharinginsights Thanks, and enjoy the show!