Come Take a Walk...
Leafy greens loaded with calcium and potassium, flowers full of antioxidants, roots rich in magnesium, and berries with as much vitamin C as oranges… If you are picturing a garden or farmer’s market full of your favourite fruits and veg, think again!
Instead, picture stepping outside your door, into your backyard or nearest green space. Now look around at all the dandelions, purslane, burdock, violet and clover growing around you, because these are the wild and weedy plants I’m talking about. Let’s take a little walk and see what else we can find.
Watch out for that plant over there, if you brush up against it…..oops, stung by stinging nettle! That’s ok, pluck the plantain leaf growing next to it, crush it up and rub it on the sting. Feel better? I thought so. But put on some gloves and harvest a bit of that nettle, and once it’s cooked or dried, it loses it sting. It’s delicious to eat and drink and it's high in iron and protein! And that plantain leaf? It’s wonderful for all kinds of bites, stings and wounds. Drink the tea if you have a cough. It’ll help with tummy troubles too.
Ready to keep walking? There are so many more plants that I’d love to introduce you to and we have only taken just a few steps so far.
Instead, picture stepping outside your door, into your backyard or nearest green space. Now look around at all the dandelions, purslane, burdock, violet and clover growing around you, because these are the wild and weedy plants I’m talking about. Let’s take a little walk and see what else we can find.
Watch out for that plant over there, if you brush up against it…..oops, stung by stinging nettle! That’s ok, pluck the plantain leaf growing next to it, crush it up and rub it on the sting. Feel better? I thought so. But put on some gloves and harvest a bit of that nettle, and once it’s cooked or dried, it loses it sting. It’s delicious to eat and drink and it's high in iron and protein! And that plantain leaf? It’s wonderful for all kinds of bites, stings and wounds. Drink the tea if you have a cough. It’ll help with tummy troubles too.
Ready to keep walking? There are so many more plants that I’d love to introduce you to and we have only taken just a few steps so far.
I offer plant walks, classes and workshops all year long. On walks, we discuss plant identification, edible, medicinal and other traditional uses of common, bioregional plants, harvesting, processing and storage practices, the ethics of wildcrafting and more!
The workshops are your opportunity to get hands on experience working with the plants. From wild, roasted root coffees, to infused vinegars and herbal salves, you’ll learn how to take the plants from the field and into the pantry or apothecary.
Check the calendar below to see what's coming up, and if you love plants and gardening in general check out the Gardening Calendar for a calendar of Ottawa gardening events.
The workshops are your opportunity to get hands on experience working with the plants. From wild, roasted root coffees, to infused vinegars and herbal salves, you’ll learn how to take the plants from the field and into the pantry or apothecary.
Check the calendar below to see what's coming up, and if you love plants and gardening in general check out the Gardening Calendar for a calendar of Ottawa gardening events.