Plant Talk Podcast
Join Robin Harford as he takes you on an audio journey exploring the past and present uses of wild plants as food and medicine. EP02: Alexanders EP01: Introduction
Articles
Wild Seeds You Can Grow in a Jar and Eat as Sprouts
Years ago, circa 1986, I used to teach ‘Biogenic Nutrition’. Don’t ask, it was a crazy diet and I was young and chasing enlightenment. Ah, the folly of youth. Back then I taught people how to ferment seed cheeses and how to sprout seeds in jars in their kitchens, along with following a raw vegetarian … Read more
40 Wild Edible Plants in the Carrot Family
This is a list of wild edible plants in the Carrot, Apiaceae, Umbelliferae family that have historically been used as food. It is for information, education and research purposes only. If you wish to experiment with these species you must do further research in order to find out how to cook and prepare the plants as … Read more
List of Edible Magnolia Flowers
According to Thomas Elpel in his fantastic book Botany in a Day (6th edition), there are 7 genera and about 220 species in the magnolia family. I have spent considerable time exploring which species have edible magnolia flowers. Below is a list of the ones that I have found in the ethnobotanical record. It is by … Read more
Everything You Need to Know About Wild Garlic
Here are the top questions I get asked about wild garlic (Allium ursinum). What are the traditional and modern uses of wild garlic? I’ve written a comprehensive article on the uses of wild garlic as food and medicine, including its history and folklore here. Can you eat wild garlic? Yes, all parts of wild garlic are … Read more
Foraging as a Mindfulness Practice to Restore Vital Connection
For many, their foraging journey starts by looking for “free food”. Yet as we continue down this amazing path, we begin to realise that we are actually being fed on many levels. Not only the physical but mental and emotional. The very act of gathering wild edible plants takes us on a deep journey into … Read more
How To Get The Gut Health Of A Hunter-Gatherer
Fermenting foods has finally come of age. Back in 2010, I interviewed the godfather of the modern fermentation revivalist movement Sandor Katz. I was speaking with him because he and my plant mentor Frank Cook had both been instrumental in bringing foraging and fermentation into the mainstream. Sadly, the interview was to cover his memories … Read more
Witnessing the Last Days of the Nomadic Moken Sea Gypsies
For the last few years I have taught on my plant courses about the Moken sea gypsies, and the extraordinary relationship they have with their environment. Little did I realise that I would ever get the chance to meet them. I had tried back in the Winter of 2015 while visiting Myanmar formerly Burma, but … Read more
Foraging As An Act Of Reverence
Reverence exists all around. The smile of a child. The kiss of the rain after a long dry spell. The smell of Land as she sighs in delight for simply existing. Reverence for self and soil. The first meeting point starts with breath. Where we go from there is up to us. With so much … Read more
Tasting Terroir – Why The Plant Is Not The Problem… You Are
Today I want to share with you a little about what I have learnt as a forager. And it goes against the grain about how we usually look at food. I have an aphorism: “Wild culture is not mono-culture”. “What the bloomin’ heck does that mean Robin?” I hear you think. Let me explain. Note: … Read more
Top 5 Foraging & Wild Food Cookbooks
I generally like to play in the kitchen. I use recipe and cookbooks simply as guides. And although I create recipes and post them on this site. I really try and encourage people to NOT slavishly follow my recipes or any recipes they find in books. Cooking is about creatively interacting with your imagination. Your … Read more