Mindful foraging is not just being respectful of how, what & where you harvest.
- Emily Lucas
- Sep 30, 2024
- 2 min read
It's also about practicing mindfulness, being fully present & engaged. One of the reasons it's so great for your mental health & wellbeing is exactly because it's such an immersive experience.
It's impossible to feel anxious & stressed out when you are in the moment, using all of your senses in this way.
I'm available to guide mindful foraging walks, book through my site to experience this incredible activity.
1. Staghorn Sumac - When sumac is in flower you can harvest it's bloom to use as a versatile spice. Make lemonade, Lebanese salads, hummus, mezze, Palestinian dishes with a sprinkling of its zesty flavour.
2. Spindle Tree - The fresh leaves, dried fruit & seeds were used in traditional herbal medicine to treat head lice, scabies & other skin parasites. The wood is very hard & was used to make spindles, hence the name.
3. Common Rush - An amazing natural resource for weaving baskets & mats. The spongy inner pith can be used to make oil lamp wick.
4. Skullcap - A herbal medicine for anxiety, used as a sedative & mild relaxant. Eases withdrawal symptoms.
5. Wild Snapdragon - The flowers are edible, they look beautiful in salads, a great cake decoration too.
6. Gray Alder - The catkins have a peppery flavour, can be used as seasoning, or boiled to eat. The leaves can help ease breast discomfort for nursing mums.
7. Woody Nightshade - Toxic, not edible. The bark, twigs & leaves were historically used to make medicine for skin conditions such as eczema.
8. Bristly Oxtongue - Edible stalks & leaves cooked or raw, peel the stalks first, as the name suggests they are bristly. Use the flowers to flavour vinegar.
9. Field Parsley Piert - Traditionally used as an infusion for kidney stones, bladder stones & fluid retention.
10. Wild Radish - Edible leaves, flowers, seeds & root. Raw or cooked, peel the root before using.
Consult with a trained medical herbalist or your GP before using herbal remedies. Make 100% certain of identification before consumption of wild plants.
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