Earth Day Celebrations : The Wonder of Foraging
The act of sustainably foraging is a great way to spend time with nature and creates an extremely close connection to your local surroundings and the food you eat. In the lead up to Earth Day on Friday 22 April, we’re joining Roth Bar & Grill and Hauser & Wirth Somerset in celebrating the art of foraging and its many benefits.
Gathering wild food is of course, free and when performed properly, a totally sustainable act. To ensure the latter is the case, you must remember to only ever pick what you need, and never the whole plant. This will ensure the plant is able to reproduce and will allow fellow foragers to enjoy the same patch or area.
Foraging is not just an adventure, but it offers a culinary experience like no other. Our incredible foraged range, filled with delectable relishes, jams, chutneys and cordials, highlights the extent to which you can get creative in the kitchen with your finds.
Through gathering wild food, you’ll also get to enjoy a varied diet and reap its many nutritional benefits. Dock leaves for example, contain high levels of vitamins A & C, whilst wild garlic is said to lower blood pressure, as well as having antibacterial, antibiotic and antiseptic properties.
Not only can nature’s produce help improve your diet, but foraged ingredients can also be used to create body lotions, tinctures and teas. This is something our in-house forager, Kenny has taken full advantage of, through his creation of a delicate primrose, dandelion, ground ivy, water mint and nettle tea.
We’re extremely fortunate to have Kenny’s expertise here at the Farm Shop, and it’s important to educate yourselves before heading out into your local woodlands or neighbouring fields. You can take a look at Kenny’s top tips, and our range of foraging books are great reference points if you’re ever unsure about what or how to pick something.
We’re embracing foraging in many different ways for this year’s Earth Day celebrations. During the Durslade Easter Fair on Saturday 16th April for example, we invite you to join foraging expert, Greg Powers on a ‘Wild Walk’ to discover the edible delights in the hedgerows and fields close by (tickets are almost sold out).
In addition, on Friday 22nd April, Roth Bar & Grill will be serving a very special foraged cocktail throughout the day and in the evening, a foraged Wagyu fat candle will be available on each table for guests to enjoy. Meanwhile in the shop, Kenny will be on hand to talk you through our foraged range and you’ll get to taste a whole host of his delicious handmade pantry essentials. We hope you can celebrate all the wonders of foraging with us this Earth Day.