Soil. Microbes.
Plants. Food.
Human Health.
The Grounded Path is where I write about the living connections between the soil beneath our feet and the ecosystems within us. My work moves through soil biology, plants, food, fermentation, the human microbiome, microscopy, self-reliance and the daily lessons coming from Living Ground in southern Ecuador.
Explore The Grounded Path
You do not need to read this site in chronological order. Choose the subject that interests you and follow the connections from there.
Soil & Microbes
Soil Food Web, roots, compost, fungi, nutrient cycling and the living relationships beneath our feet.Human Microbiome
Gut ecology, microbial diversity, digestion, food, minerals and the terrain that supports human health.Plants & Herbs
Garden plants, useful plants, herbs, wild foods and the relationships between plants, soil and people.Kitchen Alchemy
Fermentation, cultured foods, sprouting, food preservation, recipes and bringing the garden into the kitchen.Blood & Microscopy
Live and dried blood, microscopy, terrain patterns and the connections I follow when studying a case.Living Ground
Stories, experiments, workshops, gardens and the practical work of building Living Ground in Ecuador.Featured Reading
These articles are useful doors into the way I connect soil, microbes, food and human terrain. They are not simply recent posts, and they help explain the larger thinking behind Living Ground.
The Path From Soil to Cell
Relationship Between Human & Soil Biomes
The Map Behind Live Blood Analysis
Latest Writing
New articles from The Grounded Path are shown here, while the Explore section above gives older writing a way back into view. Browse by subject whenever you want to move beyond what was published recently.
Sauerkraut, Soil and the Hidden Life of Food
I am deep into writing a new book, Plant & Kitchen Alchemy, and it is will become the foundation for the student manual and teaching material for our upcoming Plant & Kitchen…
Fiber to the Max? I Am More Interested in What the Gut Learns to Do With It
I was reading about the latest dietary trend called “fiber maxxing,” where people deliberately try to push their fiber intake higher and higher, sometimes to 50 or 60 grams a day. I…
From Snake Room to Spa
There is another project quietly taking shape here at Living Ground, and this one has actually been circling around us for about a year. We are creating a small spa area with…
Apparently, It Is All a System
I have been on a deep and very determined dive into the world of technology lately, and it has been tedious, arduous, frustrating and, at times, completely depleting. It is also necessary….
Why I Am Saying No to Treated Seed
Living Ground has already been sprouting alfalfa, mung bean and sunflower at the café, and we have also been freeze-drying the sprouts into these ridiculously good little crunchy packets of nutrition. Now…
The Path From Soil to Cell
I have never been one for protocols, which is a little ironic because protocols are part of my work. I understand why people need them. I create recommendations, work with herbs, tinctures,…
What is Living Ground?
The Living Ground Project is a living classroom in southern Ecuador, built from soil, food, plants, microbes and community. The gardens feed the café, apothecary, workshops, books and the people who come here to learn a different way of living.
Our work brings together soil regeneration, gardening, fermentation, herbal knowledge, food preservation, the human microbiome and practical self-reliance. Healthy soil, diverse plants, nourishing food and resilient microbial communities belong to the same living continuum, and Living Ground is where we explore those relationships in practice.
“If I want people to care about the Earth itself, about the land and soil that feed us, about the way our food, medical, political, and religious systems are shaping us, and about how divided and dysfunctional we have become, then I need to plant those concerns inside stories that are wide enough and deeply connective enough that others can recognize themselves within them.” — Leisha, Living Ground Project
Learn With Living Ground
The articles are one doorway into the work, and the courses take the subjects into deeper practical study. You can learn online at your own pace or follow Living Ground for upcoming hands-on workshops in Ecuador.
