Warm greetings all! 🙏 💚
Everything is valuable to someone. The trick is connecting with those who value what you have, and capitalizing on it. What is of no use or basically worthless to some individuals, is of great value to others.
This evening my partner, @kai-sunrise, and I did our first full harvest of the Krishna tulsi plants, Oncimum tenuiflorum, that I've planted and tended over the past several months at The Sanctuary of The Blue Dragon, in Seaview, Lower Puna, far East Big Island of Hawai'i. We usually never harvest so much at once, however, a local fellow who makes and sells medicinal elixirs from Krishna tulsi, has been asking me to bring him some for months now. I've been slowly propagating and planting new Krishna tulsi for months now, with the intention of selling or trading our Krishna tulsi with him. We also need enough plants so that we have enough for our own medicinal concoctions, usually teas, which we prepare often.
This fellow that I mentioned, Vidyapapi, always gives my partner and me fruit and bottles of his super strong ginger elixir, at no charge, as a way to let us know that he values what we have to offer, and as a gentle nudge to bring him some. Tomorrow is Saturday here in Lower Puna, which is when the Kaimu Farmers Market in Kalapana comes to life, out in the middle of a flat lava field. Vidyapapi will have his stand of fruit and health elixirs near the market, on the corner of Route 130, which goes to Pāhoa, and The Red Road/Kalapana-Kapoho (Beach) Road/Route 137 (it has multiple names), which goes in the direction of Seaview, Pohoiki, and Kapoho. We'll bring him a nice surprise, and as he has done for us, we'll give the two densely-packed gallon bags of Krishna tulsi to him for free. This to me is creating good relationships with people in the local community, and one specifically who strongly values and wants what we have. We'll also discuss with him the details of how our exchanges will go moving forward, whether straight trade, or using fiat currency (US Dollars).
One important thing I want to point out is that a good portion of the Krishna tulsi plants that I have came from someone who did not see value in them, so gave them away/threw them out. I took them, nursed them back to health, then planted them, and now we're harvesting these surpurlatively medicinal herbs for somene who finds immense value in them, and will give us things we need in exchange. Brilliant. What is garbage to someone, is treasure to someone else.
Connect with those that value what you have, and capitalize on it.
Lower Puna is an ideal location for people to put themselves out there in the local community, and offer the unique and special magic that only they have, which is often really quite amazing. There are so many creative and talented people out here that offer or create so many fantastic things, and across the full spectrum. Lower Puna is basically a completely free and open market economy, with people selling or trading almost anything that you could image. I love to see it and I love to participate in it.
These are the Krisha tulsi plants that someone down the road gave away/threw out, and that I cared for and planted. This is before their 'haircut', harvesting to give to Vidyapapi tomorrow morning.
After their trim.
These are two other Krisha tulsi (after Harvesting) that were planted several months ago. The one on the left is a variation with wider leaves and the darkest purple foliage that I've ever seen on a Krishna tulsi. I love finding fascinating variations like that! I'll take cuttings from it soon, to get more of this beautiful variant planted in the garden!
The two densely-packed, vacuum-sealed, gallon bags of Krisha tulsi that we harvested this evening, and that we'll give to Vidyapapi tomorrow morning.
That's all for now! I hope y'all enjoyed this little slice of our bustling Lower Puna economy!
Thank you all so much for allowing me to share more of the beauty and magic from my life and my world with you, and for your continuous appreciation and support! I am deeply grateful! 🙏 💚
Image created by @doze