Nature is the original medicine cabinet! When you step into a raw, natural space, something shifts—emotionally, physically, and mentally. Nature inspires a sense of empowerment and tranquillity, igniting an electrifying paradox of sensations.

Humankind has long understood the healing powers in nature. The ancient Greeks were pioneers in this field. Hippocrates, the godfather of western medicine, famously said “sickness is not sent by the gods or taken away by them. It has a natural basis. If we can find the cause, we can find the cure.”

Imagine going to your doctor and, instead of a prescription for some named or generic pharmaceutical, you instead receive a prescription for a 30-minute walk in nature. This is not actually that far-fetched. 

Paracelsus, the 16th-century German-Swiss physician, wrote: “The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.” He could not have imagined the advent of the Smartphone, nor a 24/7, digitally enhanced, Instagram-able world. Much has been written about the evils (and glories) of technology, but the resulting dissociation from our natural surroundings leaves us emotionally and physically worse off. We are bereft of nature. Our bodies—and our minds—need nature. And there is hard science to prove it.
In fact, there is enough science about the health benefits of nature to get the attention of the medical profession. Nature as medicine. Just don’t tell big Pharma.

One contributing factor to this is the shifting demographics—people are living in urban areas, often with little or no nature. In 1950, around 30 percent of the world’s population lived in urban areas. By 2018, that number was 55 percent, and, by 2050, it will be 68 percent. With this spread unevenly around the world (for example Northern America has 82 percent of its population living in urban areas already today!), it is clear that more people are living in settings with little—and sometimes no--nature.[1]  Not only has this resulted in a decrease in experiencing the joys of nature, but it has also meant that the healing power of nature is not readily available for most people in the world.

At his office in Washington, D.C., Dr. Robert Zarr, a pediatrician, writes prescriptions for parks. He pulls out a prescription pad and scribbles instructions—which park his obese, diabetic, anxious or depressed patient should visit, on which days, and for how long—just as though he were prescribing medication. 

Learn more about the healing powers of nature in our current issue - or stay tuned for more blogs about this very important topic!

Take a park over.a pill today!
Source: 2019 Wellness Trends, from the Global Wellness Summit.

Still looking for that last minute gift? Check out The Gypsy's Farmhouse in Cumming, Georgia. It's open every day and features colorful, and fun, products including an eclectic assortment of furniture, home décor, artwork, jewelry, handcrafted soaps, and other artisanal gifts. Their bohemian style is super casual and friendly, with a relaxed approach to shopping. The Gypsy's Farmhouse features more than 50 vendor and is all about being positive and giving back to the community. 

The boutique is packed with really fun inventory that changes every day. 
Shop local - support local!
The Gypsy's Farmhouse
598 Veterans Memorial Blvd.
Suite #100
Cumming, Ga 30041

In search of that special evergreen gift?  Take a look at this... 
This exclusive gift pack includes 3 editions of Nourish and Flourish featuring over 300 pages of editorial content with zero advertising . . . just beautiful, original photography, inspirational stories, and tons of great recipes for every occasion.

Each issue is handcrafted by Nancy, a designer and art director and Morgan, a professional photographer and producer. Each edition takes months to create + hundreds of hours to bring to life on our printed pages and digital platforms. Every copy purchased supports our ability to bring you great stories and, of course, more awesome recipes!

Each edition is also interactive. Our QR codes take you to expanded editorial content, videos and recipes on the web. Where they point changes over time so the content remains fresh and new. 
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We nourish your mind, body and spirit!
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This one is a real beauty! After months of planning, writing, creating, shooting and designing, issue #4 , you can now place your order. Copies are limited so get your order in soon!

IN THIS ISSUE
FEATURES
Treasured Lands and Our National Monuments by QT Luong
Gorgeous Gourds
The Healing Power of Nature
Chanticleer: A Magical Garden
The Plant Hunter: Cassandra Quave, PhD
Plants: They Nurture, Nourish, and Heal
Mindful Gifting: I Must Go Shopping Today
Love Can Be: A Literary Collection About Our Animals
Farmstyle Living: Scottsdale Farms
Build Your Best Life: Time to Declutter
We’ve Got Your Back: JDog Military Veterans Helping Others 
   Reclaim Their Lives
Creativity and Community: The Gypsy's Farmhouse
Fresh From Open Waters: Alaska Salmon Shares
Raised Southern: Jamie Parrish

FLAVORS OF THE SEASON
Featuring signature recipes and profiles of notable cooks. Stay tuned...
more to come.

Click the button below to order you copy today!. Each purchase helps support our small business and all of our contributors. Thank you!

​This is a limited edition.

© 2021 Creative 3 Publishing, All Rights Reserved.
Cover art direction: Nancy (Suttles) George
Cover photo: Morgan Rhodes

Fresh, healthy and delicious! We are proud to be part of the Big Green Egg culinary team developing and creating exciting new recipes for the season. A big thanks goes out to Second City Prime Steak and Seafood for the snapper that inspired this recipe.

Secret Ingredients
The northern red snapper, often known as Caribbean snapper, is a popular game fish and is highly prized table fare. It is a readily available fish and is mild in flavor. 

For this recipe, we decided to kick-up the flavor of the fish and make a Recado rojo (Red Achiote) inspired paste to rub on the fish prior to grilling. Achiote paste is a popular coloring and flavoring in Central American, Mexican, and Caribbean cuisines and is made with annatto seeds, cumin, pepper, coriander, oregano, cloves, and garlic. It adds an earthy, sweet, spicy, and slightly smokey flavor to food and can be used as a sauce, marinade, or rub for most proteins. You can purchase pre-made achiote paste (which needs to be diluted with water or broth in order to be used for cooking), or make your own homemade achiote paste which has a much better flavor. You will need a spice mill and blender; the paste will last a month stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The star ingredient, annatto seeds, are known in Mexico as achiote (pronounced ah-chee-oh-tah), and come from a tree thought to have originated in tropical South America. They have been used for centuries by people in Central and South America and the Caribbean to give a yellowish or bright red color to human skin (as in body paint), cloth, and edibles.

​We didn’t have achiote seeds on hand for this dish, so we created an alternate recipe inspired by the traditional recipe. The taste is very similar and worth the effort.  

The Veracruz style salsa consists of a tomato salsa that is enriched with a number of ingredients that the Spaniards brought to Mexico; which started to popularize in Mexican dishes. The salsa is prepared with typical Mexican ingredients and the ingredients that are annexed, on behalf of the Spaniards, are the olives, capers, oregano, garlic and oil. The addition of this salsa as a garnish on the grilled snapper adds an explosion of flavor. 

Ingredients
2 Second City Snapper filets
Snapper Seasoning Paste
1 1⁄2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp white vinegar 3⁄4 tsp dried oregano 1 garlic clove, minced 1⁄4 tsp cumin
Juice of 2 limes
Splash of olive oil

Vera Cruz Salsa
1 red bell pepper
5 mini sweet peppers
2 serrano chilies
5 plum tomatoes
Olive oil for brushing the veggies Coarsely ground salt and pepper
1 cup pitted Manzanilla olives, chopped 1⁄4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Method
One day before the cook, combine all the seasoning paste ingredients in a small bowl until well blended and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

Set the EGG for direct cooking without the convEGGtor at 400°F/204°C with a cast iron grate.

 For the salsa, brush the peppers, chilies and tomatoes with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill until slightly charred on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam for 10 minutes or so. Remove the skins and seeds and dice. Combine the diced peppers, tomatoes, chilies and all other ingredients in a bowl and let mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes allowing the flavors to meld.
Rub each side of the filet generously with the seasoning paste. Grill the fish directly on the cooking grid until the paste is nicely charred – 5-7 minutes on each side until the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145°F (63°C). Transfer the fish to a platter, spoon salsa on top and garnish with fresh herbs.

Recipe and photos by Nancy Suttles, created exclusively for the Big Green Egg.
Sources:
Snapper
Authentic Salsa
Achiote paste substitute recipe adapted from Epicurious.com
Source: https://www.tasteatlas.com/recado-rojo

LOOKING FOR SOME MINDFUL GIFTS THIS YEAR?  Here is your answer! "The Inspiration Edition" is packed with 112 pages of beautiful images showcasing artisans from all over the country - with zero advertising! 

Take a moment to think about how you will share gifts with your loved ones this year - especially since so many items are now available online. There are so many talented artisans working tirelessly creating, making, and growing incredible, inspired  products. Now, more than ever, you can have these products shipped safely and directly to your home or office while supporting and buying local, "Main Street America" products.

Together, we can make a difference. From our creative team to you, may 2021 bring you good health, joy, prosperity, and happiness.

​Check back often as we will be adding more and more unique items to our online gallery and store featuring:
Home. + Garden. + Kitchen. + Lifestyle. + Cooking. + Art. + Paper Goods

also Results: Accomplished!
I am proud to have worked with the Big Green Egg for over a decade as a creative contributor and serious EGGhead. I have been around EGGs since 1977 as my parents had one of the "originals" and I grew up right down the road from Ed Fisher's (founder) first retail store. I have also been involved with helping their marketing team publish Big Green Egg Lifestyle since 2010. So many delicious meals later,  we decided to try some new things and they asked me to prepare and create an entire wild game meal on the Big Green Egg by just "me." I am not a professional chef by any means, however, I love food and have been around professional chefs my entire life My husband, Dan, and I have four (4) EGGs at home and love everyone one of them. And yes, these are my babies! (2) Large EGGS, (1) Small EGG and my sweet little mini! 

I am all about creating realistic, easy-to-make, wholesome food that you can cook at home. Especially these days! After researching wild game, I decided to try rabbit - something totally new for me. I was curious how it would turn out. I can say in one word - AMAZING! 

Rabbit is often available at specialty markets, fresh or frozen, or can be ordered by your local butcher. If you can find fresh rabbit, have your butcher piece it out for you. I sourced my rabbit from Tim Worley, owner of a Bentley’s All Natural Butcher store in the small town of Winder, Georgia. All of their specialty meats and wild game are hormone free with no preservatives. Thanks, Tim and team!

Next, I had to figure out what to pair with this meal. With the help of James Stone. glass artist and former restaurant owner, we decided on bourbon in his kicking' hand-blown rocks glasses!  WOW!!
​
Rabbit has a earthier and more intense flavor than chicken - a bit more similar to bone in chicken thighs. The texture is bit different, however, stewing on the EGG really intensifies the flavors for a delicious and nutritional savory winter meal. I really enjoyed making this dish and hope you will try it, too."
~ Nancy Suttles, Creative Director and Dedicated Home Cook

Background
A peasant dish that’s fit for a king, rabbit stew has long been a mainstay on menus across Europe – think ‘Stuffat tal-Fenek’, is considered Malta’s national dish, Coniglio alla cacciatora (hunter’s rabbit stew) in Italy, Estofado de conejo (rabbit stew) in Spain and Lapin à la cocotte (rabbit casserole) in France. Rabbit is also eaten in stews and tagines in Morocco and North Africa. Rabbit is becoming popular again and this warming stew is an old classic. Because rabbit meat tends to dry out during the cooking process, braising it slowly in liquid in this way guarantees the meat to be so tender it falls off the bone. Source: roadsandkingdoms.com


Ingredients
 Print

• 1 ounce of dried porcini mushrooms
• 1½ pounds mixed fresh mushrooms
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 whole rabbit, broken down into pieces 
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 10 small yellow or red potatoes, whole or sliced
• 1 cup sherry or white wine
• 1-2 cups water to soak mushrooms
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock – Nancy used “Better than Bouillon” 
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

InstructionsEquipment
Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven 
Method
Set EGG for direct cooking without a convEGGtor at 500°F/260°C with the Dutch oven preheating in the EGG. Soak the dry porcini mushrooms in water and drain to remove any grit. Set aside.

Season the rabbit legs with salt and pepper. Put the 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil into the Dutch oven. When the butter has melted and the oil is hot, add the rabbit legs (in batches if necessary – the meat should sear, not steam). Brown the legs on all sides then remove from the pan and set aside. (video shown above)

Add the convEGGtor for indirect cooking at 375°F/191°C with the Dutch oven back in the EGG.

Add the shallots, celery, porcini and wild mushrooms to the Dutch oven and cook until soft and beginning to caramelize. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and add enough wine to deglaze the pan. Return the rabbit legs and add the rest of the wine, chicken or vegetable stock, potatoes, carrots and thyme making sure the pieces of rabbit are submerged. For more flavor add the back, ribs and belly loin portions to the stock. Cover the Dutch oven and cook for 60–70 minutes until the rabbit is tender. After 30 minutes, remove the lid to allow the liquid to reduce.

Before serving, remove the back and ribs. For the legs and belly loin, remove meat from the bones and shred. Serve the stew with hunks of freshly baked bread and quinoa salad.

Quinoa Salad Ingredients

• 3 cups quinoa, cooked according to the package directions
• 1 persimmon or blood orange, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
• 1 bunch of fresh kale, striped from stem and cut into ribbons
• 4 tsp fresh lemon juice, separated

Quinoa Salad InstructionsSet your EGG for indirect cooking with the convEGGtor at 325°F/163°C.

In a bowl, massage the kale and toss with 2 tsp lemon juice and let sit while the persimmons or blood oranges cook. This will reduce the coarseness of the kale.

Dry and toss the persimmons or blood oranges with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a roasting pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove and set aside.

Place the kale on the roasting pan and cook for about 10 minutes, until soft and wilted.

Toss the quinoa with the wilted kale and garnish with pomegranate arils, persimmon or roasted orange slices. Add 2 tsp of lemon juice and serve.

Roasted Garlic Bread Ingredients

• 2-4 whole garlic bulbs to roast for the bread
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive for the garlic 
• 1 loaf of 5 grain bread

Roasted Garlic Bread Instructions

​Equipment
Aluminum foil
Method
Set your EGG for indirect cooking with the convEGGtor at 375°F/191°C.
Slice off the top of the garlic bulb (depending on the size of your bulb it should be around ¼ to ½ inch from the top) to expose the individual cloves. Discard any loose papery outer layers. Drizzle the exposed garlic cloves with olive oil. Wrap each bulb with aluminum foil and place on the cooking grid. Cook for 30-40 minutes. While the garlic is roasting, wrap the loaf of bread in aluminum foil and cook 10 minutes or until warm.
Once the garlic is soft, remove from the EGG and unwrap. Gently remove the individual roasted garlic cloves from the skins and spread over warmed bread.
Enjoy!