Unplugged 2019

The contemporary concept of “forest medicine” originated in Japan, a place where nature has long been celebrated. The practice of forest bathing (also called shinrin-yoku) comes from Japan. The idea? To take a stroll through or simple visit in nature as a means a relaxation. Scientists claim there’s a whole list of health benefits from spending time relaxing outdoors in a beautiful setting but suffice it to say it just makes you feel good. Especially if you spent time in nature with barefoot, the human body gets negatively charged from the ground, called “earthing”. I recognize this habit as an essential practice to increase my QOL and detox from dirty electricity I get in the city. What I experienced during my time camping is the healing effects of our planet Earth.

We went to the same national park in Andover, MA as last year. You can check it out> Unplugged 2019. It is only 30 mins away from Boston, and we can bring ourselves to the middle of nature. All we did was eating, walking, playing, and cooking. Don’t say ,“You eat too much!“

Stress-related diseases have become a global problem. Human beings are over-stimulated and stressed by today’s human-made world. Shinrin-Yoku cannot treat disease, but I believe that it can help prevent it. During Earthing, negatively-charged electrons on the surface of Earth are absorbed by the body electrons – supporting cellular function, neutralizing free radicals, reducing inflammation, and discharging stored emotional energy.

Why is reducing inflammation so important? Inflammation is the complex biological process of the body that supports wound healing, protects our body from pathogens, and ultimately ensures our survival. However, prolonged or chronic inflammation leads to the attack and oxidization of healthy tissue and hence the progression of degenerative disease conditions.

Well said Tateki, but what I ate at the campsite is a lot! As you can see, pictures, but I didn’t feel sick at all because my wife and I were super active throughout a day. We started our morning with Ashtanga Yoga and walking before breakfast. I stopped by a playground and did some bodyweight prisoner training like pull-ups and dips. Then we chowed down breakfast and went for a farmer’s market near there and hiking. Of course, all cooking process is more active than being at a kitchen at my place.

No matter the type of camping your planning to do, your tent selection is key to creating a positive experience. Mine is Camp Dome4, so two of us easily fit in this tent and slept like a baby for 2 nights. I camped here two nights, and it was an amazing experience the same as last year. In Massachusetts, you can make a reservation up to six months out and until one day before your trip. To reserve at most campgrounds, you must stay for at least two days. You can book up to four reservations at once, but you’re limited to 14 days total at any one park during the peak season — between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

No trip is complete without great camping food. My most favorite time during camp! I really enjoyed the hearty flavor of a gourmet, grass-fed Ribeye Steak from my neighbor butcher. The marbling of fat throughout makes Ribeye Steak the champ of grilled steaks! This is mouth-watering, tender, well-marbled beef.

Before arriving at the campsite, we stopped by a farmer’s market and got a lot of fresh organic vegetables from farmers market in Andover. Big ass salad and ribeye stakes sent me to the heaven!

My favorite camp meal is a large serving of meat and fresh vegetables from locals. I binge on camping food because this time was not only a post-competition period but also being in nature boosts my appetite to the moon.

One of my favorite ways to cook meat is to smoke it. I did Petit Salé, which is a French method of immersing cuts of pork for up to a few days in brine.

In a mixing bowl (or directly into ziplock bag) add-in high-quality salt, ground black pepper, the favorite spice for bacon flavor, distilled water and lastly ½ teaspoon of Prague Powder #1. Once everything has been mixed together pour it into a 1-gallon ziplock bag then add the pork belly. Once everything is in the bag squeeze out the air as much as possible while coating the pork belly all over. Lastly, place the bag into a tray just in case there are any leaks in the bag and place it in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Because the belly will release liquid as it sits in its brine, it will be important to flip the bag every day that it’s in the fridge to help redistribute the juices and spices. After 4 days in the fridge and a few flips, this pork belly is fully cured and ready to prep for the smoke. The next step is to rinse off the surface to remove any large deposits of salt.

With that our pork belly is ready to be smoked so it's time to get a dutch oven for cooking at 225F. After dinner at day1, I placed smoke tips on the bottom of the dutch oven, put a strainer over smoke tips and put a pork belly in the strainer, so it doesn’t touch smoking woods directly. I covered it and left it overnight.

It came out really nice!

Bon appétit!

You're probably hungry by now, so I won't keep you any longer. Hopefully, you've now found your new favorite camping food and can't wait to reserve your spot for the next camping season.