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News from Reevis Mountain School
March 2009
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A Division of the PAAK Foundation, an Arizona 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
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 Time seems to behave in strange ways here on the farm ... Sometimes, when we finish a project, Bigfoot will say that that task had been on his to-do list for ten years! With so much to do every day, it's easy to imagine how a not-so-urgent project could go for years without getting done. Ten years doesn't seem like so long.
But sometimes, a few months feels like eternity. Nicole was here for five months, and now that she has moved on, it seems like she was always here. Mike has been with us for about fourteen months ... and now that he's about to leave, those months seem like a long, long time that went by so fast.
Nate has, amazingly, taken over both Mike's and Nicole's chores - watering the orchard and garden, weeding, caring for the poultry, and much more - practically overnight and without missing a beat ... while still managing to prepare gourmet meals every day. How he can do all this is another mystery of time.
March was an active month. We had 60 visitors to the farm, including some of Bigfoot's wrestling buddies from Phoenix College - members of the Wristlock Club, where Peter wrestled in the late '60s. Patricia's friend Victoria helped us plant two new ginkgo trees, and Mike's friends Holly and Alexander told us stories about their farm in California (Live Power Community Farm), and taught us about lactic fermentation and cheese making. We also had a week-long visit from our new friend Sam, who is taking a break from the Teaching Drum community in Wisconsin to hitchhike to the West Coast. It was wonderful to have his help during the last part of March.
One of the tasks that had been on Peter's to-do list for years, and finally got done in March, was to revise his Book of Ancient Natural Remedies. This book includes an introduction to Oriental Touch Healing and natural treatment methods for many injuries, conditions, and illnesses. It is the text for Peter's Oriental Touch Healing class, and that class had not been offered in years because the book was out of print. We finally got that book revised in early March, printed a few advance copies, and held an OTH class the first weekend of the month. (The book still needs a final proofread, indexing, and printing. We hope to have copies for sale by June.) Bigfoot also taught two plant study classes at Lost Dutchman - a total of 20 students.
As the weather warms up, the wildlife is waking up. We haven't had any encounters at the farm, but we hear that a mountain lion attacked a horse down in Roosevelt, over in Cottonwood a rabid bobcat laid siege to a barroom, and at the Spring Creek Store they've already sighted three rattlesnakes. Here, we've begun to see scorpions, and that means we're in high gear gathering Western Mugwort and making the summer's supply of Scorpion Sting Remedy.
Today, Bigfoot is at work on the Boulder Cabin, getting it ready for visitors for our Nature Retreat April 10-12. Also today, we have an ad coming out in the Globe/Miami paper, advertising our produce for sale locally. This month we'll hold two more Useful Plants classes - here on the farm - as well as a class on herbal pharmacology (how to harvest, store, and prepare herbs in teas, tinctures, and other preparations). April is sure to go by as fast as March did!
For more
information (and pictures!) about the farm, Peter Bigfoot's herbal remedies, and classes and events, please visit www.reevismountain.org.
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Coming Events
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nature Retreat at RMS, April 10-12, $198
Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants (special class for SWIHA students), at RMS, April 17-19, $142
Herbal Pharmacology, at RMS, April 24-26, $198
Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants, at RMS, April 29-May 2, $268
Stone Masonry, at RMS, June 1-6, $152
Please see below for more information.
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Featured Remedy: Scorpion Sting Remedy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Indian lore says that if you get stung by a scorpion, you should cut off the stinger segment, then cut off the next segment and squeeze the juice inside it onto the sting. Don't do it! Bigfoot tried it and nearly died ... so you don't have to!
Peter has been stung 29 times in the past 29 years by the dreaded Centuroides scorpion (rock scorpions don't count). He has experimented with natural remedies and found some that work - including the leaves of cottonwood, aspen, chaparral, desert willow, and prickly pear, as well as hedgehog cactus, all used as poultices.
But his favorite remedy is Western Mugwort - used both externally and internally. Peter found that Western Mugwort will keep the toxin from spreading and decrease the localized symptoms of pain, tingling, and numbness almost immediately. You can carry the bottled tincture with you on camping and hiking trips and have it ready to use when you need it.
Scorpion Sting Remedy is a "3X" tincture, meaning we have run each batch through fresh Mugwort leaves three times, making it triple-strong. To use it, soak a mass of cotton with the tincture and hold it on the sting; also, take some of the tincture internally, diluted in water.
Get yours before you get stung!
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What We're Growing, Harvesting, and Eating
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 We'd like to share with you what's going on in the garden, the orchard, and the kitchen - the vegetables we're planting, the bounty (fruit, veggies, livestock, and herbs!) we're harvesting, and how we turn our harvest into nourishing, delicious meals.
What We're Growing
Asparagus! The asparagus started coming up about two weeks ago, and now we are harvesting three or four pounds a day. This year it is incredibly sweet. We also have cabbage, kale, spinach, and broccoli ... and the hens are laying again. The milo that we plan to use for feed is coming up, and we hope to be spending less at the feed store this year, as the price of feed has nearly doubled in the past couple of years.
What We're Harvesting
We harvest asparagus every afternoon, and it's a treat to have some at the dinner table almost every day. This is also chaparral harvesting time - down in Roosevelt, it is just about to bloom, the perfect time to harvest ... and this year the chaparral looks wonderful, with glossy, deep green leaves. We harvest sustainably by hand from land belonging to friends in Roosevelt, and this year we've already harvested about 70 gallons, fresh ... which will dry down to about 14! We're also harvesting burdock root, yellow dock root, and peppermint from the garden.
What We're Eating
Every meal at RMS is built around greens, whole grains, and meat or eggs. With cabbage ready in the garden, we've started to make cole slaw again, one of our favorite dishes, and a good alternative to green salads. We just shred lots of cabbage along with some sweet onion and carrot, and combine with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. We enjoy this just about every day during the spring.
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| Nature Retreat at RMS, April 10-12, $198
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enjoy two days and nights in RMS's magical wilderness sanctuary - a place of inspiration and peace, a space to experience inner tranquility. Includes lodging in a cabin or yurpy (as available); a one-hour herb walk and one-hour natural healing lesson and Q&A session with Bigfoot; healthful and hearty organic meals from our garden; informal nutritional counseling; and ample time for relaxation or hiking in nature's beauty. Option for meditation class with Peter Bigfoot: Learn and practice several meditation techniques on your journey to achieving inner peace and a tranquil mind. Learn to manifest what you want to have and what you want to become. Peter Bigfoot has been practicing meditation for over 35 years and will share his experience with you.
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Herbal Pharmacology, at RMS, April 24-26, $198
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter Bigfoot has been making herbal remedies for over 25 years. In this class he teaches how to gather, dry, process, and store herbs; methods of preparation (tea, decoction, fomentation, poultice, salve, tincture, and more); and the properties of medicinal and culinary herbs. Two days.
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Stone Masonry, at RMS, June 1-6, $152
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hands-on experience in the art and skill of stone wall construction: selecting native stones, mixing concrete, placing stones, esthetic and structural considerations, choice of tools and materials. Bring work gloves and work clothes. Help build something that will virtually last forever and never need paint. Five days. For this class, shuttle pickup on the first day is at 10 a.m.
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Planning to attend a class or event?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Classes held at Reevis Mountain School include: meals (arrival night meal is a potluck party - bring a healthful, natural dish to share!), class supplies, hot showers, and campsite. Camping is free, or stay in a yurpy ($10 per night) or cabin ($25 per night) (availability permitting). Yurpies and cabins have beds and pillows; bring your own sheets and blankets or sleeping bag.
Complimentary shuttle service from Roosevelt, 10 miles one way - or caravan in your own 4X4. Shuttle pickup is at 5 p.m., first day of class (except for the Stone Masonry class - pickup is at 10 a.m.), at M&S Marine, Hwy. 188, Roosevelt (between milepost 233 and 234).
Early Registration: 10% discount if you register with full payment 30 days prior to class date.
To Register: Send your name, phone number, postal and email addresses, and a 50% deposit to the address below. Indicate whether you will need shuttle service from Roosevelt and/or wish to rent a yurpy or cabin instead of camping. Balance due prior to class.
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| Wilderness Retreats at RMS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  RMS is a sanctuary free of most modern-day distractions and pollutants (including television!), a place to reconnect with Earth and Spirit, while enjoying the school's organic/whole foods cuisine and wilderness surroundings. Yurpys and cabins are available for overnight, weekend, or longer retreats. Please visit www.reevismountain.org or email us for more information. |
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How to Purchase RMS Remedies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peter Bigfoot's herbal tinctures and salves are available to order by email (orders@reevismountain.org), phone (928) 467-2675, on our website (www.reevismountain.org, click on Country Store), by mail (HC-2 Box 1534, Roosevelt, AZ 85545), or at retailers in Phoenix (Healthy Habit, 6029 N. 7th St., and Total Body Awakening Legacy, 3747 W. Montebello Ave.), Scottsdale (The Natural Medicinary at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, 8010 E. MacDowell Rd.), Mesa (Preparing Wisely, 144 S. Mesa Dr.), Tempe (SWIHA's bookstore, 1100 E. Apache Blvd.), Flagstaff (New Frontiers Market and Village Healing Center), Sedona (New Frontiers Market), Cottonwood (Mt. Hope Foods), and Camp Verde (Healthy Thymes). Retailers: Please order from RMS by email, phone, or mail at the numbers and addresses given above.
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We Welcome Donations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RMS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization; donations may be tax deductible. We're currently wishing for the donation of a commercial-grade riding lawnmower, a second solar water pump to replace the gasoline pump, and two or three Merino sheep. Cash donations are always welcomed with deep gratitude and will help us with the costs of feeding our work-exchange residents, who are not required to pay for their room and board.
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Quick Links...
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"Love your body. Be kind to it; nourish it; tender it. It is the pure instrument of expression that allows you to experience life on this plane. Become unlimited in your thought processes but also take care of the vehicle that allows you to do that." - Ramtha
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