Foraging for Resilience - July 19th

A day spent foraging and learning about the environment that provides our wild food

An opportunity to learn about and forage wild plants on a 110 acre farm within the ancient forests of the High Weald, which is currently being rewilded. As we wander around the farm identifying and foraging for wild edible spring greens we will look at the ways in which animals selectively use wild plants for food as well as self medications. We will also explore how they intuitively know what is good for them and how we humans can rediscover this natural instinct. We'll acknowledge the ancient Bronze Age Settlement that has been discovered here on the farm and how our ancestors would have had relationship with the land and nature and how we too can tap into those forgotten ways in our modern human way.

Once we have foraged our food we will gather in the woods to prepare a lunch together round an open fire with seasonable edible greens. Discover some unusual wild flavours you wouldn't find in supermarkets and explore the importance of our healthy gut microbiome and how fermenting of wild plants can be a great way to assist with this. We will make a fermented wild drink to try on the day, as well as one to take home with you. We will also explore hyperlocal wild teas that connect you to place and season.

Things we will cover in this workshop:

• how to safely identify wild plants and make a lunch from them alfresco style
• how to make a fermented drink
• how to forage sustainably and the laws around this
• knowledge around habitat ecology
• foraging with our ancestors in mind
• identifying and preparing plants for culinary, medicinal and cerimonial purposes
• tending to the land
• regenerative harvesting practices, food security
• mindfulness in nature and understanding and enhancing plant habitats