You see, foraging has not only helped me supplement the produce I get from my grocers, it can help to calm my mind.
In the past month, I have been scouting the property for existing plants, and planning my vegetable garden. Along with carrots, corn, cucumber, and other crunchies, I plan to plant perennial edibles. (Hee hee, I am SOO into alliteration!) But if I already have them growing in abundance in my yard, even better!
So far, I have found clover and creeping charlie (of course!) and year-one garlic mustard, and purple dead nettle, and speedwell, and wild chives, and yarrow, and wild carrot (but make sure it’s not hemlock!), and cattails, and dandelions, and curly dock, and burdock, and mullein and . . . well, I could go on and on! Yes, I found all of these within a few metres of my front and back doors.
See how many edibles you can find here (no, the photo isn’t great!)
So, the next step is to find out when to harvest them, and find recipes or suggestions on how to prepare them. Some, like speedwell, are good as tea. In fact, after a hard day, it can help relax your muscles! Others, like wild garlic, can be chopped up and added to your morning omelette or sizzled on the side of your steak. You will start to find so many uses for these plants, it will be hard to contain yourself!
But, contain yourself you must. Yes, my friend, you must always make sure that there is plenty of your desired species to share with the rest of nature — and your neighbours, if they are so inclined.
By the way, if they see you out there with your pruning scissors collecting bouquets of dinner, tell them what you are doing, and ask them to look around, too. Maybe they have something over there that you don’t have over here. Sometimes, the grass really IS greener on the other side!
Until next time, stay home, stay safe; sniff, rub, then nibble first before eating; check with your physician, pharmacist, or homeopath before consuming something new, and come on back for more fun tips.
