Not too long ago in human history we spent most of our lives outdoors, interacting directly with the land, relying on it for our food and ways to heal ourselves. Nowadays we find ourselves increasingly behind our desks and in front of a screen. As a result, our health has declined and our connection to the natural world has disintegrated.
Spending time outdoors, in nature, has a plethora of healing benefits— lowering stress levels, improving mood and enhancing overall well-being. Add to that the practice of foraging and eating what grows locally, and your connection to the natural world around you strengthens. I often tell my students, “The greatest connection and relationship between yourself and the earth is through food.” By keeping food and foraging traditions alive, we help to rekindle that connection in ourselves and our community.
You don’t need to be an expert forager to take advantage of the healing powers of nature, just curious about the world around you.
How to Forage Mindfully
Embrace curiosity about what important plants live in our area by taking regular walks on local trails and exploring the open spaces in your neighborhood. Take notice of the different plants and trees that grow there. Look at the various shapes and sizes of leaves, flowers and types of fruits. How does this plant stimulate your various senses? Notice how it smells when a leaf is crushed between your fingers. (But first, be sure to know ahead of time what poison oak and other poisonous plants in our area look like.) Notice where it grows most abundantly and guess its stage of growth. What other characteristics does this plant have?
Sometimes we are eager to quickly identify a plant using our instant access to online information, but when we take the time to use our senses and observe before we jump to a name, we are able to learn it more quickly and increase the ability to recognize it the next time we see it.
Tasting the Wild
As you become familiar with the edible plants that share your environment and develop a deeper relationship with them, the landscape becomes a rich and complex language of colors, textures, smells and even tastes. By learning about and looking at nature more intimately, we naturally develop a greater respect for it. From a culinary perspective, every trail and open space has its own flavor palette—one that is not known, and may never be known, by the shopper at the supermarket or convenience store.
One of my most favorite and distinct local plants that grows abundantly in our area is black sage (Salvia mellifera). While it is related to the garden sage used in cooking, it has a deeper, stronger and more complex flavor with a hint of mint. I use this in both savory and sweet dishes and it often pairs well with chocolate. As is common with many mint-family plants, black sage also has wonderful wellness properties: It is excellent for soothing sore throats and coughs, combating viruses and bacteria and is often used as a digestive tonic.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Jess Starwood, an herbalist, forager and chef based in Thousand Oaks, educates about wild food, herbal medicine and our natural connection to the land through what we eat. She has a master’s of science degree in herbal medicine and is the author of Mushroom Wanderland: A Forager’s Guide to Finding, Identifying and Using 25 Wild Fungi available on her website. JStarwood.com
