Nature has a zero waste rule and sticks to it. Any and every bit of organic matter, living or dead, is reduced, recycled, repurposed or reused.

More people have been writing to me to ask, So what’s in your food forest? In response, I’ve put together this list of many of the trees, vines, shrubs, and roots we have planted since arriving on our land six years ago.

To stake off the rainforest as a no-man’s land does not solve the problem at hand, nor does it acknowledge the rich history of not just people but civilizations thriving in a seemingly inhospitable jungle, while keeping the delicate balance needed to sustain the ecosystem.