Foraging, Folk Herbalism, Edible Weeds + Inspiration for a Slow Life

~ Mallow ~ Here on the Kapiti Coast, Common Mallow (Malva sylvestris) grows abundantly along the coastline, roadsides, paths and disturbed ground. ...

A carpet of golden yellow beside the sea. This is yellow oxalis, one of those plants that can be so abundant that we barely notice it. But stop...

~ Miner's Lettuce going to seed ~ This is one of those plants that you sow once, and will have reappear by the thousands year after year, sm...

Purple Dead Nettle isn't just a common weed... it's a plant with over a thousand years of stories to tell. Long before it was pulled from gar...

~ CLEAVERS / Galium aparine ~ Right now, there’s a wild, lush flush of Cleavers in the garden, which makes it perfect timing for an incredibly nour...

~ Purple Dead Nettle Cake with Mint Glaze, Gluten & Dairy-Free ~ Late winter is one of the most abundant times of year for wild edible weed...

~ NZ Beach Spinach (Tetragonia spp.) ~ Coastal foraging trips usually yield a basketful of abundant Beach Spinach for dinner. Many people associa...

~ Wintercress (Barbarea vulgaris) ~ Wintercress is one of those wonderful edible weeds that seems to appear just when fresh garden greens are b...

"If you're harvesting kawakawa, only pick the leaves with holes." It's advice you'll hear from almost everyone. In fact, many people believe ...

~ Hakeke / Wood Ear / Pig’s Ear / Jelly Fungus ~ One of my favorite and most abundant wild mushrooms in NZ, Hakeke (Auricularia species) is won...

~ Kawakawa Flower (aka berries) Whilst we're deep in Winter my male Kawakawa are in full flower (upright catkin-like spikes which look like &am...

~ Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) ~ It already feels like spring is quietly arriving in my garden. The first Sweet Violets are popping their lit...