Earth Skills: Edible Plants at the 100 Acre Wood: 4-16-16

What a jam-packed day – we were busy exploring and learning every single second of our time with the Sea Stars on Saturday! It is likely true that EC outings could take place just about anywhere – and even at the same setting for each outing – and we'd never run out of things to explore and discover. We rarely get very far in terms of distance, but we travel a great deal with regard to noticing and understanding the webs of connection all around us. This skills day exemplified that; we covered very little territory in the "100 Acre Wood", but we thoroughly explored the places we did go. And that's the point: it really is about the journey, not the destination, and about noticing what's all around us rather than passing through.

Topics we dug into on Saturday included:

• We wrapped our minds around the incredible fact that almost everything in our lives comes from plants (ask your daughter to explain how her raincoat is made out of plants!) and as the rain abated we were able to begin our harvest. Nettles and licorice root were the ingredients in the fabulous forest tea we enjoyed (we also harvested ingredients for edible treats - like stinging nettle pesto and soup - that will be shared at future outings this season). We understood that nature puts its focus in different plant parts each season, putting energy into roots, shoots, and fruits. We added the healthful dandelion and licorice roots into our tea, picked the shoots of nettles, and saw the summer-ripe fruits of Oregon grape in their flower form.  We learned of the many uses for plants we see every day such as nettle, Western red cedar, Douglas fir: food, medicine, tools, shelter, clothing, toys... (each American uses the equivalent of a 100 foot fir tree in wood and paper products each year).

• Since our focus this day was how we use plants for food, we put on our "Owl Eyes" (a way of walking with awareness, using peripheral vision) and worked to spot plants that might be usable for food in this season. We paused to consider poisonous plants: we learned that edible and useful plants far outweigh poisonous ones in this ecosystem, but that it is very important to learn what isn't safe for our bodies. We'll continue to point out and discuss poisonous plants on future outings, but the girls learned to always "Be Sure You Meet Before You Eat!" and never put anything in their mouth unless one can be certain of the plant and its safety. From now on we will ask them to pass the ID challenge - to be able to absolutely, positively ID any plant to one of us before they're allowed to nibble.

Preparing out pesto snacks for the hungry Sea Stars

• We taught ways to walk carefully in the forest, leaving no trace - we'll practice Fox Walking more on future outings. We also talked about how to harvest plants in a sensitive, respectful manner, introducing the "One in Twenty Principle".

• We harvested nettle, and learned just a few of its more than 100 uses. Many girls chose to Stretch Their Edge and take the Nettle Challenge, bravely allowing the plant to touch their bare skin as a way of practicing Challenge By Choice. We made nettle and licorice root tea and tasted nettle pesto. We collected dandelions and big leaf maple blossoms which cooked up into tasty fritters to round out our feast.

• On our explorations, we met Licorice Fern, Oregon Grape, Salal, Douglas Fir, Stinging Nettle, Indian Plum, Bleeding Heart, Poison Hemlock, and more. We were also thrilled to greet newly blooming trillium, letting us know that spring is upon us.

Audrey Stretching Her Edge by taking the "Nettle Challenge"

• We tested our Owl Eyes with a game of hidden objects along the trail, scouring the forest for our lost pipe cleaners. Ask your daughter about what she learned while practicing our Motto, "Slow is Fast".

What a day filled with learning, connection, food, and fantastic collaboration between the Ospreys as they shared the work of harvesting, cooking, and celebrating our wild edibles.

Our Words of the Day? "Nettle, nettle, in the kettle!"

Want to see photos from our day? Click here!