Resilience Through Nature

+++Nature is a feast+++ On many meadows, we can find an abundance of edible wild herbs, chock full of vitamins, and growing in ideal conditions to thrive. Many of us know of dandelion, clover and nettle, but did you also know that you can eat the young tips of fir trees, or that you can pick a band-aid to go (an herb with helpful properties – plantago longifolia) on a meadow, should you ever need it?

Bottom line, nature is pretty much packed with plants big and small that can be fantastic helpers for us, if we only know of it. In many ways, they are already incorporated in our food and medicine, even if we are not aware of it. For example, aspirin is derived from willow bark, while thyme is often used to clear mucus when sick. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

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+++ Assignment 09 +++ Let's get wildly educated!

Take an afternoon to explore the wild herbs in your surroundings. Consulting a book, video, or similar guide, make yourself familiar with the very specific look and feel of each plant, and start with just a few. There's enough time for more ambition later. Remember, it's key to be fully certain that the plant you are picking is exactly what you think it is! To start, choose five plants that you are already perhaps vaguely familiar with, or that you have already spotted in your vicinity. From there on, you can work your way forward with time.

Experiment with the many different uses of your findings as well. For example, we love eating yarrow in scrambled egg, or drying yarrow for tea. It's also a fantastic treat (or gift!) to make your very own herbal pesto in Spring. So... which five herbs will you start with?