Nature Cure
We are now deep into the season to gather and forage your flowers, leaves and greens! The Elderflowers are in bloom, it’s not too late for some wild garlic pesto and even a few nettles for your soup can still be had.
If you are like me, you may find yourself craving these foods for the well being of your mind and body. I have come to believe we require a wild element to our diets, just as much as protein or water.
Perhaps in a similar way to other cultures who partake in various methods of nature cures, those of us who forage are soothed, healed and uplifted by nature as we wander and pick our way through the hedgerows.
Nature is an inherent part of our beings, she is not ‘out there’, while we are ‘in here’. We are not separate from each other and there is a part of us that longs to merge with our environment and hears the call of the wild.
Nature and her forests, the surrounding countryside and all of the natural world that exists on our planet also need us to participate in these ancient rituals of gathering some of our food, teas and medicine as it blossoms and ripens in its’ particular season.
These practices help connect us to each other – the land calls out to us, speaks to our hearts and asks to be disturbed through our selective gathering of it’s fruits at the appropriate times. What we get in return is a deep healing of our spirit, reaching out and touching our souls as only something that seeks to meld and join with us can do.
This deeply embedded practice of gathering our roots, shoots, nuts, flowers and greens from nature, is part of the seasonal DNA of our species as well as each of these species of plants.
They blossom, grow and bloom in larger numbers the more we interact with them! There is magic in the minerals, vitamins and flavour of these blossoms we gather...
Have you noticed that each year we are foraging more and more, the trees are giving back in determined abundance? This year we speak again of how we have never before seen so many elderflowers. But, we also said that last year, and if I recall, it was mentioned the year before.
They just keep getting more excited, anticipating our return, to interact, gently pick their flowers and to feel delighted to see us back again, to be seeking them as part of our food.
There are quite a few plants that can be foraged this time of year for food or herbal teas and natural concoctions;
- Nettles
- Elderflowers
- Sorrel
- Dandelion
- Hawthorn
- Watercress
- Wild mint
- Horsetail
When you are foraging, remember to pick a clean area, don’t take too much from each plant or tree, leave some for the birds and honey bees. Thank the plants and trees for these gifts and enjoy your wild food.
The abundance of nature are an indicator of how we are doing on a conscious level as a species….let’s choose to rise!
April
