Nature provides everything we need. While we buy food from stores, it came from the Earth first. The challenge is, many of us feel disconnected from the source. We donât know how to grow our own food or anything about edible plants that are freely available.
This is what led me to the vibrant green patch of chickweed in my yard. It was thriving, with no help from me. Many people regard it as a nuisance, but for centuries many cultures have used it as food and medicine.
I didnât know it was chickweed, at first. I was investigating plants that were growing around me, inspired by the 2020 book âWild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine,â by Rosalee De La Foret and Emily Han. The book features detailed information, photographs and illustrations of some of the most common edible plants, along with simple recipes.