Path taken

Son of Northeastern healers and raised at the foot of the Serra da Bocaina in Paraty, Jorge has had the forest as a refuge, school and sanctuary since he was little. It was there that he learned to appreciate silence and to immerse himself with his soul and five senses in each ecosystem, from large biomes to tiny fungi. His observant spirit and curiosity led him to delve deeper into the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest, specializing mainly in plants and mushrooms with gastronomic and medicinal potential.

Moving between the universes of farmer, collector, researcher and disseminator of knowledge, Jorge acts as consultor ambiental, gastronômico, farmacêutico e cosmetólogo. As atividades são sempre orientadas para aproveitar o potencial da biodiversidade de maneira sustentável, enriquecer o solo e valorizar a relação ser humano-natureza.  Entre as ações desenvolvidas estão conceber e implementar sistemas agroflorestais, estruturar inventários florestais e florísticos, e assessorar projetos ambientais. 

Another universe of action is that of research and consultancy for the use of the gastronomic and medicinal potential of the forest. Jorge is dedicated to the dissemination of Brazilian ingredients and gastronomic cultural rescue, building his trajectory alongside family farmers, caiçaras, traditional peoples and Brazilian chefs. In addition, he explores the universe of wild mushrooms alongside great researchers.

From the certainty that it is necessary to know in order to preserve, Jorge acts as a pollinator of everything he has learned. Workshops, courses, lectures, experiences and forest expeditions are some of the paths offered to adults and children who want to know more about biodiversity, environmental education, mushrooms, wild plants and agroforestry systems.

Being in nature

My whole life was waking up and, by daylight, understanding what I should do: if it's sunny, I'll weed; if it rains, I will clean the banana plantation; if I'm not brave enough, I'll walk in the woods and watch birds. That's how my heart is happier, when I can make the organic decision for my day… I don't see myself separated from nature, I'm part of it and its rhythm is also mine.

I'm Jorge Alves da Silva Ferreira, son of northeasterners.

My father, José Ferreira, and my mother, Carmelita Alves da Silva, were born and raised in Pernambuco, children of farmers, and 30 years ago they migrated to Cabo Frio, in Rio de Janeiro, where I was born. After an attempt to return to the northeast, they decided to live in Paraty.

At that moment, my family settled in the Sítio São Joséin the Sertão do Taquari. My father bought this property with the dream of raising his children in this world of food production. I was only five years old and my two brothers were even younger.

Our house was almost three kilometers away from the urban part and it was necessary to walk on a trail inside the Atlantic Forest. For being distant, I didn't go to school, being literate by my mother. From my father I learned the whole process of family farming, I accompanied him in his daily activities, planting bananas, yams, corn…

There, we spent many years working with commercial products, such as bananas, yams and coffee. And, to a lesser extent, we had products for our own consumption. We always try our best to produce food for the family. I grew up eating tapioca, biju, flour… Everything produced right there and by us. 

It was after a financial crisis, mainly related to the difficulty of selling products, that my father had contact with a different type of agriculture, agroforestry. We went from producing focused on commerce to choosing what and how to cultivate, in a more harmonious way with the forest and with greater self-sufficiency. 

From Jorge Ferreira to Jorge Forager

It was at this time that my gaze at nature sharpened even more and I created a new relationship with my surroundings. I started looking for species in the forest that were interesting for our food and without knowing I was entering the universe of experience, to collect in nature. I learned in practice about wild and medicinal plants – in fact, food and medicine are often the same thing. As I was already interested in botany (at that time I didn't even know it was called that!), I dedicated myself to studying all the plants I could and specialized in it.

The combination of an agroforestry system, collecting food in the forest and the medicinal use of plants was consolidating in me a vision of the world. I perceived the human being as an integral part of nature and felt the need to create another relationship with our surroundings, with more connection, respect and synergy. I saw that we can be and benefit from the forest in a sustainable way. 

Whatever biome I'm in, I look around and see so many possibilities in biodiversity. I see food, I see healing, I see flavors, I see pigments, I see odors... And that's what we know only a small part of all the potential that there is in the forest! All this fascinates and motivates me a lot. 

I always seek to be present in every moment, bringing attention, intention and intensity to my actions. Experience and share flavors, aromas, sensations and knowledge. In this passionate universe, I found myself and I found, not just a profession, but a way of living life.  

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