​We know that the vitality of our food has a big impact on our health, but could this vitality increase if we interfered less with the soil? 

However loudly we voice our respect for Nature’s intelligence, when it comes to growing food, whether on a commercial or an amateur basis, we’re reluctant to rely on it. Instead we act as if the soil had little life of its own. The worldwide and slowly expanding network of Shumei Natural Agriculture farmers believe that it is time to let Nature show us the way. The simplicity of their methods may challenge our deeply entrenched ideas but their results are impressive. Perhaps trusting in the power of the soil could be of greater help to us than we imagine?

Four years since it was published in Outside Magazine, Florence Williams' article, Take Two Hours of Pine Forest and call me in the morning continues to be an excellent introduction to the idea that spending time in Nature is something we all need.