Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(wild garlic)
A Celebration Of Wild Greens
I often write about wild foods, foraging, movement and their role in wellbeing. This search for edible wild plants in many ways embodies everything that we stand for at Earth Strength. We are about connection to the land, everyday physical activity, using our senses and engaging our natural curiosity for movement and life.
The simplicity that lies behind our approach is for me its greatest asset. There is no need to go looking for food substitutes like ‘flour’ made from insects, or ‘rice’ made from vegetables. There is no need to adopt a lifestyle such as ‘Paleo’ or any of the other fads and quick fixes on offer, any more than one needs to intellectualise or commodify movement. For us at Earth Strength it is about being physically active, being curious, the eating of great food and the fostering of community. It is the democratisation of wellbeing.
I am not here to compare or criticise different approaches. Within the core of ‘Paleo’ for example there is a lot of sense and certainly as an alternative to the Standard American Diet (SAD) it is vastly superior. However, much of the multi-billion dollar industry that has grown up around Paleo nutrition is yet more smoke and mirrors.
In reality, is there a better way to embrace ‘Paleo’ than to forage for the wild foods in the manner of the hunter gatherer!
It is springtime here in Tarifa, the perfect time of year for seeking out wild foods. Nature’s abundance is on offer everywhere. Her ancient wisdom knows exactly what our bodies need after the long winter. The lack of sunlight and a diet of dried, salted, preserved foods and heavy carb rich meals, means that our bodies are craving the spring greens with their bitter, purgative and tonic effects. This is natures detox and it is the ideal way to revitalise our bodies.
These mineral and nutrient dense wild plant foods are springing up all over the mountain. Their intense fresh greenness is indicative of their health giving properties. Once found perhaps the biggest surprise to many people is the flavour of these wildings; powerful, deep, complex and rich.
For many of us, used to the bland taste of shop bought greens, this will come as a flavourful shock. The lack of taste in the tamed and docile commercial cousins is a pointer towards all the goodness that we are missing. It is in the incredible flavour that we can sense the vitality of wild greens and they have an almost instant tonic effect on the body. These are natures supplements in their purest forms.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
(wild watercress)
But…it’s never just about one thing! The eating of these herbs will have many benefits for our bodies, but their real power comes when combined synergistically with movement, connection to nature and mindfulness.
Whilst looking for these greens I was once again reminded of the range of movement required to scale the heights. This mountain is steep and in parts nearly sheer, I find myself using my arms as much as my legs, pulling and pushing as well as jumping and squatting. This is a total body workout. It is cardio, flexibility and strength work combined.
It is also a reconnection to my aboriginal roots, it is me connecting to land, community and ecology. It is receiving the healing powers of the natural world, immersed as I am in nature, it’s about reawakening with the spring and once again moving with ease and imagination to the demands of this environment.
Most of all, it is about a deep sense of abiding in life, of completely engaging my senses and in doing so thoroughly enjoying the moments on the mountain. Earth Strength is about being alive; relaxing, reconnecting and rewilding ourselves and experiencing a deeper sense of aliveness, health and wellbeing.
We look forward to sharing these experiences with you on one of our courses.
This is where human beings practise being human.
Move the body Still the mind.
The post A Lesson From Our Hunter Gatherer Past appeared first on Earth Strength.