Explore Archives - Local Belle

How to Hang a Hammock Without Trees?

Do you know that you can enjoy hammock camping without trees?

One day you may find yourself camping open spaces where there are no trees to hang your hammock tent but you can still use it.

There are different methods that you can take to use your hammock in the event that there are no trees.

Ashram Life

Recently, as some of you may know, I’ve been staying at an ashram in southern India. Kerala to be exact. And while I had my Julia Roberts fantasy of eating, praying, and loving going into the experience.

I didn’t quite come out of it with enlightenment (or a crazy Texan friend that was way too up in my business).

Despite these setbacks, I did come out of it with some awesome traditional Keralan recipes and increased flexibility (four hours of yoga a day does have some benefits, and being able to bend in weird positions is one of them).

The rules of the ashram were pretty intense (read: get your ass out of bed at 5:30 am every morning) and the diet certainly matched this strict and regimented atmosphere.

I’m talking no alcohol (fine), no drugs (that’s legit), only vegetarian food (no harm there), and no garlic or onions (wait *record stops* WTF?!).

Kitchen Visit: Baruch Rock Homebrewer

Remember that time I spent New Year’s Eve rocking out in the middle of nowhere Connecticut at a Jewish food conference? Oh yeah., that happened.

Since 2010, I’ve been attending the annual Hazon Food Conference, and this year was no different than the rest- simply incredible. One of the many sessions I was able to attend was about making beer at home.

And while I’m still working up the courage to make my home-brew dreams a reality, for now, I thought I would share this interview with Baruch Rock, who taught a session on home-brewing during the conference.

Hammock With Mosquito Net Tent

A hammock tent is your best companion when you go out camping since it gives you comfort during resting time. The coming of the summer season often means the increased frequency of hiking and camping activities.

However, summer also comes with other things like mosquitoes that can spoil your camping experience.

While many people are used to staying in tents during their camping expeditions, these temporary shelters can be heavy, contain too many components and take a long time to set up.

But, there is a better replacement of the traditional tent in the form of the best hammock bug net.

The hammock with mosquito net tent is specially designed to ensure you comfortable sleep during the night. There is nothing so irritating as waking up to a mosquito buzzing sound during the night or having an itchy face in the morning.

Guest Post: Best Mexican Food in LA

Today’s guest post I’ll admit is long overdue- Virginia emailed me this summer about sharing the best spots in LA, and I’m so happy to finally share this post.

While I’m not living in LA anymore, these Mexican spots might be worth the drive! To be fair, I should probably write the best Mexican spots in San Diego too! Take it away, Virginia.

Tzfat Recap

As mentioned earlier this week, I had a ridiculously wonderful time exploring the ancient city of Tzfat and northern Israel.

Below is a picture diary, and a glimpse into my week in the mystical Tzfat.

Enjoy!

Zion National Park + Peanut Butter & Co

Heyo Bellpeppers!

Given the sad state of affairs today (read: the government not getting its act together and shutting down (?!?))

I wanted to share some love from my camping trip this past weekend at Zion National Park.

Considering national park employees are not going into work today, I’d say I had pretty good timing.

California Road Trip

It’s good to be back on the blog today! In a week I’ll be moving across the country from sunny San Diego to the front of Boston.

I’m really excited to make the move, but I’ll admit it’s definitely bittersweet. I’ve had a beautiful community of genuine, interesting, and motivated people for the past 15 months.

Weekly potlucks, a shared community garden, interesting events and lectures, and the freedom to create meaningful work and projects. I’ll definitely miss it.

As I say goodbye to California (for now) I decided the proper way to celebrate would be a road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway.

Here are some of the photos from our stops along the way- enjoy!

Spring Cleanse and Thirst Juice Co.

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to go check out Thirst Juice Co. a juice shop located right in Downtown Crossing in Boston.

You all know how much I love green juices, and since moving from San Diego to Boston, I was starting to lose hope in what the green living scene here was.

I must say, the transition between California and Massachusetts has been tough. I moved in the dead of winter, and pretty much hibernated for three months.

I didn’t venture out, I stayed indoors, ate terribly, didn’t move my body, and treated myself so poorly. I remember when I lived in Philly I would get SAD, but never to this extent.