Welcome to the media page for Wildly Nourished !
In her new book Wildly Nourished, wild edibles expert Leaf reveals the hidden secrets of commonly found wild edible plants. She calls them wild superfoods: nutrient-dense, empowering and free. And for those who think foraging is complicated: think again.
Book Factoids
Website: www.wildplantforager.com
Book website: www.wildplantforager.com/wildly-nourished (please link to this in articles)
Title: Wildly Nourished. A family guide to wild edible greens, flowers, roots and seeds.
Format: E-book (PDF), 115 full-size pages
Author: Leaf, herbalist and wild edibles expert
Publication date: April 8, 2013
Sample chapters: Click here for the first chapters and the table of contents (no registration required)
Free copy for review
Want a chance to review Wildly Nourished? We're inviting up to 20 bloggers/journalists to review the new book on their blog/media and receive an extra copy they can give away to their readers. Please use the contact file.
Pictures you can use
Book covers:
Website: www.wildplantforager.com
Book website: www.wildplantforager.com/wildly-nourished (please link to this in articles)
Title: Wildly Nourished. A family guide to wild edible greens, flowers, roots and seeds.
Format: E-book (PDF), 115 full-size pages
Author: Leaf, herbalist and wild edibles expert
Publication date: April 8, 2013
Sample chapters: Click here for the first chapters and the table of contents (no registration required)
Free copy for review
Want a chance to review Wildly Nourished? We're inviting up to 20 bloggers/journalists to review the new book on their blog/media and receive an extra copy they can give away to their readers. Please use the contact file.
Pictures you can use
Book covers:
Illustrations from the book:
Photos of Leaf:
Who should read Wildly Nourished?
So, the answer to the question, "Who should read Wildly Nourished" is people just like you!
Book description
If you have the desire to explore new flavours, and use real, fresh, quality ingredients that are budget-friendly, if you are looking for a way to be more self-sufficient, to lower your carbon footprint, to use the weeds that you keep pulling out of your garden, Wildly Nourished is for you.
The book reveals a new way to look at our food. It's one that involves a well-kept secret: foraging and eating wild plants.
Foraging is what all of our ancestors did, an ancient skill. But a vital one. And one that is essential for the future. After reading this book, a whole new world opens: new flavours, fresh and healthy ingredients, weeds that are free superfoods, an unexpected wide range of new culinary possibilities that are yet simple and healthy.
This book will show you how to:
Wildly Nourished isn't like other foraging books, with dandelion syrup recipes that ask for huge amounts of sugar. Being the mother of a son with celiac disease, the author focuses on healthy recipes with real food ingredients that are vegan, gluten free and sugar free, yet simple and good. The ideas and recipes in this book were developed, refined, and practiced by the author to great success. Get a copy for yourself and one for a friend.
Author bio
Leaf (°1978, Lieve Galle) began her journey with wild plants more than 10 years ago as a certified Herbalist and Nature Guide. She started teaching workshops both for trained herbalists as well as for absolute beginners and has reached thousands of people since. She travelled around and studied with other herbalists, foragers, indigenous people. From the beginning, she was drawn to wild plants. Numerous weed walks and wild plant meals made it clear to her that a growing number of people were trying to find out about wild edibles, a skill so vital for our ancestors, and an important transition tool for sustainability in today's world.
She participated in the How to Survive in a City project by artist's collective Irma Firma, where urban people can behave like wild gatherers, going on weed walks and cooking with what they found between the pavement stones. The project became quite a hit in European cities like Amsterdam and Brussels and received quite some media coverage.
The author teaches folk medicine and nature philosophy at the European academy for natural health care, where she also is one of the jury members for graduating herbalists. She's on a never-ending journey with wild plants and is passionate to help people to get to know them too.
Press release
Discover the superfood properties of common wild edible plants in Wildly Nourished.
By Leaf, Founder of Wild Plant Forager
“Wild plants are superfoods” says Leaf about her new book, Wildly Nourished. A family guide to wild edible greens, flowers, roots and seeds.
The Belgian herbalist and wild edibles expert is turning the food chain on its head with a surprising concept. Commonly found weeds are exceptionally high in nutrients, even that high that they deserve the status of superfoods. And what's more: they are free, local, ultra-fresh and anyone can pick and eat them.
The author has more than 10 years of experience as a herbalist and wild edibles expert. Over the years, she was astonished at how many people told her that their grandparents knew all about foraging, but how it became a forgotten, almost extinct skill. Tens of thousands years of knowledge, gone in two generations of factory made food.
She has participated for quite some years in the How to Survive in a City project by artist's collective Irma Firma, offering a radical perspective on foraging in an urban context where people go on urban weed walks and cook with what they find between pavement stones. Much to surprise, How to Survive became a popular project, booked frequently in Brussels, Amsterdam and a variety of other cities.
Amazingly, the expert started building up her wisdom entirely from scratch. About 10 years ago she was a newly graduated herbalist who wanted to dive deeper into the much overlooked power of wild plants. At that time she was living in a one-room studio without garden, in the middle of the city. Foraging had not been part of her personal history. Today she makes a living sharing foraging skills and wild plant knowledge. She makes a bold statement that if she managed to learn it under these circumstances, anyone can.
Wild edibles expert Leaf reveals the secrets of wild edibles in the new book, WILDLY NOURISHED. A FAMILY GUIDE TO WILD EDIBLE GREENS, FLOWERS, ROOTS AND SEEDS. The book contains instructions on how and when to pick what plant parts, how to store your harvest, and more information on why wild edibles are the missing link in our diet. It offers detailed descriptions of 36 common wild edible plants and 35 easy and healthy recipes . You can instantly download the first chapters (no registration required) here.
Being a mother of young kids, she understands both the necessity and the challenges of creating healthy eating habits. 'Kids tend to be more instinctive about their eating. My kids are familiar with wild edibles and this is usually what they ask for when they are going through a growth spurt or when their bodies need a general health boost. I've had occasions where my three year old twins wake me up in the middle of the night, asking for stinging nettles or other wild greens. They love them and ask for them themselves.'
Wildly Nourished empowers readers with foraging tips and tricks that have proven to be useful. In the book, she reveals:
Wildly Nourished reveals how simple foraging can be, and how empowering it is to pick your own fresh wild edible plants.
Q&A with Leaf, author of Wildly Nourished and founder of Wild Plant Forager
- People who want to live in a more self sufficient way and lower their carbon footprint. Wild edibles are foods that are local (zero food miles), don't come in plastic wrappings, and are fresh! Whatever parts you don't eat are easily composted and biodegradable. They grow like crazy without the need of pesticides or artificial fertilizer.
- People who want to reconnect with nature. Eating the landscape will definitely change your relationship with it. Foraging is a very sensuous activity, one that will satisfy your senses on a deep level. It is in no way comparable to going to the supermarket and fill your bags with corporate-made foods. You'll get to spend more time outdoors and enjoy earth's abundance.
- People who want to increase their (and their family's) health. Wild edible plants have way more nutrients then cultivated foods (even organic ones!). In fact, they have a much higher vitamin- and mineral content and contain some phyto-nutrients that are the missing link in our daily diet.
- People with a deep love for real foods. Get excited about new ingredients, new flavours, new recipes. Some of the highest-rate restaurants work with these plants, and the book tells you exactly how you can use them too.
- People who love frugal living an want to save money. Food prices are going up, but edible weeds are freely accessible to everyone, no matter where you live or what your financial situation is. Even if you only prepare five of the recipes in the book (there are over 30 recipes!), your investment has already been paid back.
- People who want to explore new flavours. The best restaurants in the world are already on the wild edibles train. Do you want to join or stay behind?
- People who follow a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, slowfood, primal or paleo diet/lifestyle. Being the mother of a son diagnosed with gluten allergy, I know the challenges of finding the right recipes. Not only will wild edibles increase the nourishment in your diet, you'll be able to use a lot of the recipes in your daily life AND they'll taste delicious as well.
So, the answer to the question, "Who should read Wildly Nourished" is people just like you!
Book description
If you have the desire to explore new flavours, and use real, fresh, quality ingredients that are budget-friendly, if you are looking for a way to be more self-sufficient, to lower your carbon footprint, to use the weeds that you keep pulling out of your garden, Wildly Nourished is for you.
The book reveals a new way to look at our food. It's one that involves a well-kept secret: foraging and eating wild plants.
Foraging is what all of our ancestors did, an ancient skill. But a vital one. And one that is essential for the future. After reading this book, a whole new world opens: new flavours, fresh and healthy ingredients, weeds that are free superfoods, an unexpected wide range of new culinary possibilities that are yet simple and healthy.
This book will show you how to:
- Pick and store wild plant parts
- Forage in an urban environment
- Get to know 36 common wild edibles
- Create simple but delicious recipes
Wildly Nourished isn't like other foraging books, with dandelion syrup recipes that ask for huge amounts of sugar. Being the mother of a son with celiac disease, the author focuses on healthy recipes with real food ingredients that are vegan, gluten free and sugar free, yet simple and good. The ideas and recipes in this book were developed, refined, and practiced by the author to great success. Get a copy for yourself and one for a friend.
Author bio
Leaf (°1978, Lieve Galle) began her journey with wild plants more than 10 years ago as a certified Herbalist and Nature Guide. She started teaching workshops both for trained herbalists as well as for absolute beginners and has reached thousands of people since. She travelled around and studied with other herbalists, foragers, indigenous people. From the beginning, she was drawn to wild plants. Numerous weed walks and wild plant meals made it clear to her that a growing number of people were trying to find out about wild edibles, a skill so vital for our ancestors, and an important transition tool for sustainability in today's world.
She participated in the How to Survive in a City project by artist's collective Irma Firma, where urban people can behave like wild gatherers, going on weed walks and cooking with what they found between the pavement stones. The project became quite a hit in European cities like Amsterdam and Brussels and received quite some media coverage.
The author teaches folk medicine and nature philosophy at the European academy for natural health care, where she also is one of the jury members for graduating herbalists. She's on a never-ending journey with wild plants and is passionate to help people to get to know them too.
Press release
Discover the superfood properties of common wild edible plants in Wildly Nourished.
By Leaf, Founder of Wild Plant Forager
“Wild plants are superfoods” says Leaf about her new book, Wildly Nourished. A family guide to wild edible greens, flowers, roots and seeds.
The Belgian herbalist and wild edibles expert is turning the food chain on its head with a surprising concept. Commonly found weeds are exceptionally high in nutrients, even that high that they deserve the status of superfoods. And what's more: they are free, local, ultra-fresh and anyone can pick and eat them.
The author has more than 10 years of experience as a herbalist and wild edibles expert. Over the years, she was astonished at how many people told her that their grandparents knew all about foraging, but how it became a forgotten, almost extinct skill. Tens of thousands years of knowledge, gone in two generations of factory made food.
She has participated for quite some years in the How to Survive in a City project by artist's collective Irma Firma, offering a radical perspective on foraging in an urban context where people go on urban weed walks and cook with what they find between pavement stones. Much to surprise, How to Survive became a popular project, booked frequently in Brussels, Amsterdam and a variety of other cities.
Amazingly, the expert started building up her wisdom entirely from scratch. About 10 years ago she was a newly graduated herbalist who wanted to dive deeper into the much overlooked power of wild plants. At that time she was living in a one-room studio without garden, in the middle of the city. Foraging had not been part of her personal history. Today she makes a living sharing foraging skills and wild plant knowledge. She makes a bold statement that if she managed to learn it under these circumstances, anyone can.
Wild edibles expert Leaf reveals the secrets of wild edibles in the new book, WILDLY NOURISHED. A FAMILY GUIDE TO WILD EDIBLE GREENS, FLOWERS, ROOTS AND SEEDS. The book contains instructions on how and when to pick what plant parts, how to store your harvest, and more information on why wild edibles are the missing link in our diet. It offers detailed descriptions of 36 common wild edible plants and 35 easy and healthy recipes . You can instantly download the first chapters (no registration required) here.
Being a mother of young kids, she understands both the necessity and the challenges of creating healthy eating habits. 'Kids tend to be more instinctive about their eating. My kids are familiar with wild edibles and this is usually what they ask for when they are going through a growth spurt or when their bodies need a general health boost. I've had occasions where my three year old twins wake me up in the middle of the night, asking for stinging nettles or other wild greens. They love them and ask for them themselves.'
Wildly Nourished empowers readers with foraging tips and tricks that have proven to be useful. In the book, she reveals:
- What makes wild plant foods so different and valuable
- How and when to pick what plant parts and how to store your harvest
- The details on 36 common wild edibles: where to find them, what parts to use, how to prepare them, how the plant is used elsewhere in the world, folklore.
- 35 fail-proof, kid-friendly easy and healthy recipes
Wildly Nourished reveals how simple foraging can be, and how empowering it is to pick your own fresh wild edible plants.
Q&A with Leaf, author of Wildly Nourished and founder of Wild Plant Forager
"Wild edibles are especially rich in those nutrients - like omega fatty acids- that people nowadays get from expensive supplements because their food can not provide them with enough of these building blocks."
Why did you decide to write Wildly Nourished?
Because numerous people kept asking me! They were taking notes on my weed walks, but they wanted more. There was also a big need for practical recipes. And finally, I gave in. It took me more than a year to write this book, because most importantly I wanted this to be a good book, offering value and insider tips.
Also, after more than 10 years of foraging, I felt there was a need for a European book about wild edibles, one that is written in basic English that can be understood by people who are not native speakers and that includes not only the botanical and English name as well as folk names, but also the plant names in Dutch, French, German and Spanish. I believe this is what makes the book quite unique and suitable for a wide range of people.
How should readers use your book?
In the first section of the book, I dive into the benefits of foraging, when to pick, how to pick sustainably and how to store your harvest.
Next, you'll get introduced to 36 common weeds that turn out to be edible. You can read how they are used in other parts of the world, which plant parts you can use, how you can prepare them, the important nutrients they provide and some folklore. Each wild edible comes with a clear picture.
Then there's the recipe section with 35 fail-proof, kid-friendly recipes that you can use like a wild cookbook. I like my recipes simple and delicious so that is how they are. Wild herbal honeys, green juices and smoothies, soda alternatives, pro-biotic drinks, soups, salads, pestos, herbal vinegars, dips, ice cream and more.
Why is foraging useful?
Foraging is a very sustainable and no-nonsense way to look at food. It reconnects us to nature and is useful for anyone who loves to get to know new flavours, and for people who want to eat healthy food that isn't highly expensive.
How can one start foraging?
It's simpler than you think. Pick the next lawn daisy or dandelion you see and toss it into your soup or salad.
What are some of the book's key takeaways?
Simplicity is key. Foraging is surprisingly easy, empowering and fulfilling. Why? Because it's in our DNA. All of our ancestors did it before there was processed food, foods that came from other parts of the world, and storing techniques we know today (like freezing). This means you can do it too. You just need to make sure what plant you are dealing with. But it doesn't require a special talent or special tools, anyone can do it, and start today, with a common wild edible that is familiar to them.
What surprises you the most about wild edibles?
How nutrient-dense they really are. I already knew that when I started writing the book, but the more research I did, the more I was blown away. They are especially rich in those nutrients - like omega fatty acids- that people nowadays get from expensive supplements because their food can not provide them with enough of these building blocks. If you think about how much damage is done, and money is spent, to destroy weeds, that just doesn't make any sense.
What's the number one question you get asked the most?
"There are so many plants, how can I possibly get to know them all?". My answer is to start with one plant at a time; start with one that is familiar to you (common daisy, dandelion, stinging nettle,...) and follow it through the seasons. Find out how you can use the different plant parts: leaves, stems, flowers, roots, seeds. You'll be amazed at how many things you can do with just one plant. And when you're ready, just move to the next plant that appeals to you.
How would you describe yourself?
Passionate.
It's very common for me to get invited for a 60 minutes minutes plant talk, and find myself still talking after more than two hours and a half. Surprisingly, people don't mind this and just continue to listen and share their own experiences. I simply can not restrain myself when it comes to wild plants - the more people know about them the better.
What do you want people to do as a result of buying your book?
I would love to see more people discover the powerful potential of wild edible plants. They are ultra-fresh, exceptionally nutrient-dense, accessible for everyone, local (zero food miles) and free.
Rather than buying exotic and expensive superfoods, you can really use what grows in your lawn or what you are weeding out of your vegetable plot. Even if you don't have a garden, there's a lot of public space where you can harvest wild edibles, as a growing number of local governments have decided to decrease or ban the use of pesticides. Or pick in a friend's garden, an allotment or your local CSA or organic farm.
And it's about so much more than eating them; picking them yourself is a sensuous experience in a world were we have a syndrome called nature deficit disorder, and where some children think apples are made in factories. Foraging may be one of the most empowering experiences to reconnect with nature. It's an ancient skill that is vital for our future.
Because numerous people kept asking me! They were taking notes on my weed walks, but they wanted more. There was also a big need for practical recipes. And finally, I gave in. It took me more than a year to write this book, because most importantly I wanted this to be a good book, offering value and insider tips.
Also, after more than 10 years of foraging, I felt there was a need for a European book about wild edibles, one that is written in basic English that can be understood by people who are not native speakers and that includes not only the botanical and English name as well as folk names, but also the plant names in Dutch, French, German and Spanish. I believe this is what makes the book quite unique and suitable for a wide range of people.
How should readers use your book?
In the first section of the book, I dive into the benefits of foraging, when to pick, how to pick sustainably and how to store your harvest.
Next, you'll get introduced to 36 common weeds that turn out to be edible. You can read how they are used in other parts of the world, which plant parts you can use, how you can prepare them, the important nutrients they provide and some folklore. Each wild edible comes with a clear picture.
Then there's the recipe section with 35 fail-proof, kid-friendly recipes that you can use like a wild cookbook. I like my recipes simple and delicious so that is how they are. Wild herbal honeys, green juices and smoothies, soda alternatives, pro-biotic drinks, soups, salads, pestos, herbal vinegars, dips, ice cream and more.
Why is foraging useful?
Foraging is a very sustainable and no-nonsense way to look at food. It reconnects us to nature and is useful for anyone who loves to get to know new flavours, and for people who want to eat healthy food that isn't highly expensive.
How can one start foraging?
It's simpler than you think. Pick the next lawn daisy or dandelion you see and toss it into your soup or salad.
What are some of the book's key takeaways?
Simplicity is key. Foraging is surprisingly easy, empowering and fulfilling. Why? Because it's in our DNA. All of our ancestors did it before there was processed food, foods that came from other parts of the world, and storing techniques we know today (like freezing). This means you can do it too. You just need to make sure what plant you are dealing with. But it doesn't require a special talent or special tools, anyone can do it, and start today, with a common wild edible that is familiar to them.
What surprises you the most about wild edibles?
How nutrient-dense they really are. I already knew that when I started writing the book, but the more research I did, the more I was blown away. They are especially rich in those nutrients - like omega fatty acids- that people nowadays get from expensive supplements because their food can not provide them with enough of these building blocks. If you think about how much damage is done, and money is spent, to destroy weeds, that just doesn't make any sense.
What's the number one question you get asked the most?
"There are so many plants, how can I possibly get to know them all?". My answer is to start with one plant at a time; start with one that is familiar to you (common daisy, dandelion, stinging nettle,...) and follow it through the seasons. Find out how you can use the different plant parts: leaves, stems, flowers, roots, seeds. You'll be amazed at how many things you can do with just one plant. And when you're ready, just move to the next plant that appeals to you.
How would you describe yourself?
Passionate.
It's very common for me to get invited for a 60 minutes minutes plant talk, and find myself still talking after more than two hours and a half. Surprisingly, people don't mind this and just continue to listen and share their own experiences. I simply can not restrain myself when it comes to wild plants - the more people know about them the better.
What do you want people to do as a result of buying your book?
I would love to see more people discover the powerful potential of wild edible plants. They are ultra-fresh, exceptionally nutrient-dense, accessible for everyone, local (zero food miles) and free.
Rather than buying exotic and expensive superfoods, you can really use what grows in your lawn or what you are weeding out of your vegetable plot. Even if you don't have a garden, there's a lot of public space where you can harvest wild edibles, as a growing number of local governments have decided to decrease or ban the use of pesticides. Or pick in a friend's garden, an allotment or your local CSA or organic farm.
And it's about so much more than eating them; picking them yourself is a sensuous experience in a world were we have a syndrome called nature deficit disorder, and where some children think apples are made in factories. Foraging may be one of the most empowering experiences to reconnect with nature. It's an ancient skill that is vital for our future.
"Foraging may be one of the most empowering experiences to reconnect with nature. It's an ancient skill that is vital for our future."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leaf is the founder of Wild Plant Forager an online blog that helps people and families with kids to do more with the plants that grow near them, with
useful 'how to' articles, in-depth case studies, kid-friendly recipes and foraging tips and tricks. Leaf is author of the book Wildly Nourished. A family guide to wild edible greens, flowers, roots and seeds.
Leaf has more than 10 years of experience as a herbalist, nature guide, story teller, teacher, urban forager and wild edibles expert. She feeds her family with two young children wild edibles on a daily basis.
Follow Leaf on Twitter @wildplantforage
on Facebook
Visit www.wildplantforager.com
What others say
Read what others say about Wild Plant Forager.
Press contacts
Please use the contact file.
Leaf is the founder of Wild Plant Forager an online blog that helps people and families with kids to do more with the plants that grow near them, with
useful 'how to' articles, in-depth case studies, kid-friendly recipes and foraging tips and tricks. Leaf is author of the book Wildly Nourished. A family guide to wild edible greens, flowers, roots and seeds.
Leaf has more than 10 years of experience as a herbalist, nature guide, story teller, teacher, urban forager and wild edibles expert. She feeds her family with two young children wild edibles on a daily basis.
Follow Leaf on Twitter @wildplantforage
on Facebook
Visit www.wildplantforager.com
What others say
Read what others say about Wild Plant Forager.
Press contacts
Please use the contact file.