Do you recognize or have relationships with any plants that grow around us? I’m currently energized by hosting a Community Guild with Earthand Gleaners where we are investigating micro-local seasonal wild foods: ways to recognize, harvest, enjoy, and preserve these gifts for ourselves and others. We share the foragers ethical code, which means we take care and nurture: give back to the land.
In building relationships with local wild plants we deepen our awareness of place and grow our sense of belonging. How are we transformed as we pay deep attention to change, ripeness, and summer’s perfect offerings? Plant foods, teas, berries, fruits, roots, seeds, nuts.
This group aims to build human connections as well. As we are each comfortable we take turns sharing our investigations creatively with the group at bi-weekly sessions. Drawings, photographs, stories, researches, tasty treats… we’ll learn from the work and inspiration of others.
These pictures are part of our first session which was last night.
big leaf maple blossoms before leafs emerge 
harvesting in the sunshine 
prep for maple blossom pesto 
ground layer emerges before the trees. Redwood Sorrel 
wild harvest salad 
Ocean Hylands berry harvest, local first nations. Native ve non-native plants 
berries! oso berry aka little wild plum 
salmonberry 
Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Honourable Harvest, from Braiding Sweetgrass 
thimbleberry in a local alley 
thimbleberry calling for my tending, covered by bindweed 
wild cherry tree 
wild cherry harvest 
wild unripe apples added to cherry jam for pectin 
berry sign, as you walk watch out for berry sign! 
berry jam, sweet for kids 
un-mowed yards, welcome yarrow (i was looking for a long time for yarrow) 
mid-July harvest, chamomile, calendula and yarrow for tea, salve and tincture. 
where to harvest? not near streets, but doesnt this look tasty? 
beautiful plant neighbours, so powerful! But don’t harvest here of course.
use what you got 