Thursday Jun 27, 2024
38. Holistic Edge Radio w Guest Journei Bimwala Foraging for Food in the Forests/Parks of the Bronx as a Life Skill June 27, 2024 Host: Enoe Aracely Brown
Born in Congo, Journei Bimwala lived in France and moved to NYC at the age 12. She learned foraging for food and being with nature from her Congolese grandmother. Journei has lectured at the NY Botanical Garden, and been featured in The New York Times, she is also co-chair of the Bronx River Foodway at Concrete Plant Park, one of New York City’s only edible food forest where people can still forage legally. One of her missions is to teach black families to reclaim their knowledge of the woods and herbal medicine techniques, to give them food security and self-empowerment. She teaches about the necessity for all to learn how to live with the land, especially during a crisis like covid, where she helped many in the Bronx survive well with these teachings. Foods found in foraging trips can include berries of all kinds, mushrooms, scallions, antibiotic barks, etc.
Music Featured : I Will Be By Your Side by MeloMance; Superstar by Lee Seung Hyub (J.Don) (featuring Cheeze) Solo Debut
Guest Bio: Journei Bimwala is a well-known Bronx forager, clinical herbalist, and is a Bronx community leader, who is educating local families on how to use native plants for health and nutrition. She grew up in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she learned to forage alongside her grandmother, and continued to develop her skills in woods and meadows when she moved to France. Her background is a mix of ancestral knowledge, observations in nature and formal courses in botany. Since 2017, she has been co-chair of the Bronx River Foodway at Concrete Plant Park, one of New York City’s rare sustainable food landscapes and its only edible food forest where people can still forage legally. She is CEO and founder of EachOneCarryOne, a school whose mission is to improve and sustain the health and wellness of Black families within the African Diaspora, and improve generational health & well-being by providing foundational living skills that rely on the resources provided by nature. There she teaches about creating apothecaries, foraging, whole foods, and herbal medicine. She has taught at the NY Botanical Gardens about Urban foraging: Food sustainability & Survival, and educates the staff, partners, and volunteers at The Bronx River Alliance. During 2020, she led countless virtual tours on cooking demos that brought nature and healing to hundreds of people who were isolated indoors during the COVID pandemic. Journei Bimwala has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Thrillist, Creative Time NY, BronxNet, and many more.
Guest Contact: www.eachonecarryone.org natureclassroom1@gmail.com
Host Contact:
Enoe Aracely Brown
Host & Producer