Foraging wild plants for food, medicinal or cosmetic purposes is one of the many ways of developing a meaningful connection to our earth.
The earth we all depend on as earth beings and that makes our lives possible to begin with!
Oft forgotten, minimised or shunned, this ancestral, vital, unsynthesized, natural connection is sadly overlooked by many these days, yet is likely to be the missing part of the puzzle that helps harmonise all the woes we face.
Of course, one doesn’t have to forage to develop this connection. Developing a capacity for quality time in nature, without headphones or screens, listening, smelling, looking and feeling what is taking place around us and within us in wild places that are untouched, unmowed, unprimped and uncultivated by man is really all we need to begin re-establishing this link to our abundant life source.
We don’t have to intellectualise the process, we just need to shed the layers that make us feel separate from or scared of nature and we do that by investing more of ourselves into it, in small, manageable increments that are maybe challenging but definitely not terrifying.
For those that would be more reassured to learn “scientifically” about all the magnificent life that contributes to the dizzying abundance of our existence, Narrow Leaf Plantain – Ribwort – Plantago Lanceolata (shown in video) is an incredible one to start with because it is pretty easy to identify, is so common, found almost everywhere, considered a pioneer species that will reestablish life in barren places, is packed full of nutrients and has so many incredible uses should foraging be the goal.
Please remember to forage responsibly, be 100% sure of what you are about to harvest, do so with respect for the plant and environment, take no more than you need and do so with gratitude, always leave enough for the plant population to continue thriving and never pick rare or threatened species, only forage in unpolluted and unrestricted areas.
There are so many free resources available online to help; guides, tutorials and videos, books and apps etc. Realistically, anyone with a humble curiosity can develop this essential connection, just ask if you need help ❤🌱🐺🌠