Recently my friendly New Chapter rep (Lisa Martinez) called me and ask if I would like to join her for a first hand educational look at the New Chapter farm in Costa Rica. Being a lover of organics and nature, I jumped at the chance. The itinerary included full tours of the farms operations, training seminars on new products, guided walk through the Sacred Seed garden, and a full day of exploration into the surrounding area. Needless to say this was an enriching experience.
The first day we got there was set aside to rest and acclimate. The farm is in the mountains so for a Miami guy like me this was a welcomed inclusion in the plans. Upon arrival at the farm we were greeted with refreshments of lemon grass and ginger ice drink, fresh made banana bread (that was exquisite), and ginger snaps. Being that ginger is one of the main crops of Luna Nueva I was excited to sample some of their product right off the bat. After being showed to my quarters I decided to take a dip in there chlorine free ozinated pool, followed up by a quick trip to the secluded jacuzzi. I know, I know its sounds more like a resort than a farm but that is because they have built a fully equipped eco lodge to accommodate all the people who want to see a real live biodynamic farm in action. later that evening we were treated to a locally grown organic feast. Needless to say I fell fast asleep following our meal.
Day two consisted of a touristic outing into the surrounding area that boasts Volcano Arenal, majestic zip lining, hot springs , and quaint towns. Our tour started with a zip line adventure that was electrifying followed by lunch at a local eatery. After that we visited the town of La Fortuna which by my tastes is much too close to the Volcano.
The next stop on our journey was a beautiful hot springs that is heated by the Volcano Arenal. This for me was a highlight. The springs were not crowded and were surrounded by a lush tropical garden. I don’t know about you but there is something about hot springs I feel is special especially for muscle fatigue which I had accomplished earlier on the zip line. The day ended at a restaurant/tilapia farm where we enjoyed fresh food and a quick tour of the farm operations.
Our third day began much like the previous with an elaborate farm fresh organic breakfast. One of the highlights for me was the fresh water buffalo keifer mixed with New Chapter’s Berry Green. Of course I mixed that with oats and granola and then went to town. After breakfast we were given an informational talk on New Chapters medicinal mushroom products. After lunch was the tour of the farm with the president of Luna Nueva, Steven Farrel. Steven is a wealth of knowledge in the biodynamic world so getting a tour from him personally was a pretty special experience. During our tour Steven went over the basic concepts of biodynamic farming. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach to farming where any byproduct produced by the farm should be used on the farm. This is all made possible by never using any types of chemicals. During our tour were saw the famous Turmeric fields of Luna Nueva, Awesome! Although this was not the only crop we saw it would be too long a list for this blog.
Day four was filled with fun and education. In the morning I rode in the back of a pick up truck as we drive 1000 feet up the mountain to reach a hiking trail that would lead us to a beautiful water fall. Which of course I had to swim to. Later that afternoon we walked through the Sacred Seed garden with Steven leading the way and dolling out info at every plant. The Sacred Seed garden is a great idea where they grow all traditionally used plants for medicine throughout the world in one location in an effort to hedge against extinction of these plants. This garden was packed with every herb possible, like cats claw and holy basil just to name a few. Sadly this was our last night at Luna Nueva so we all had dinner as a group and Steven joined us. The soup that evening was made of peach palm fruit and we were told that a small portion of the soup had over 400 calories. Great!
This was a great experience. I would suggest the new chapter farm in Costa Rica to anyone. In fact anyone can stay at the eco lodge, here is the link (http://fincalunanuevalodge.com/)
Please email me with any questions info@orionherbs.com
