Creating A New Relationship with Food: The Wild Food + Herb Market
by Megan Cutter H
ave you considered eating the plants in your backyard? More people are creating sustainability and community gardens; and the increas- ing interest in eating fresh local foods is inspiring many communities to look at where their food is coming from, and how it is being grown. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, consum- ers need to fill one-half their plates with fruits and vegetables. When the overall impact of transporting foods has on the environment is considered, eating local- ly-grown fruits and vegetables may even be more beneficial than eating organic. A new program, termed The Wild
Food + Herb Market, is aiming to edu- cate the community about wild foods and herbs of the Piedmont of North Carolina. Launched and supported by The Abundance Foundation, The Wild Food + Herb Market is the first wild food market in the United States. It will be open from 1-4pm one Sunday afternoon each month, from March to November, on the Carrboro Commons. Co-Founders Josh Lev, a community herbalist and founder of the Carrboro Herb Guild, and Jenny Schnaak, Development Direc- tor and Youth Program Manager for The Abundance Foundation, have been wanting to create a space for people to meet and learn about edible and medici-
nal native plants, and provide a space to buy, sell and trade wild crafted foods and medicines.
Lev comments, “Knowledge of the incredible resources that local plants of- fer, in terms of both food and medicine, serves to help people feel more connect- ed to the land and to other living things in their communities. We protect and care for what we value and feel connect- ed to. We want the Wild Food + Herb Market to be both a marketplace, and a place where people with similar interests can gather and learn from each other.” During the market, vendors will pro- vide unusual wild foods for adventurous foodies and chefs alike, while education- al organizations will be on hand to offer information on wild foods and resources to learn about wild food identification. The market will offer resources whereby people can learn more about wild plants of the Piedmont and their uses, how to identify and harvest wild foods and herbs sustainably, and also have the opportu- nity to ask experts to identify edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms. Jenny adds, “The Wild Food + Herb Market serves to leverage education around plant identification and conservation ethics. For example: A family comes to the mar- ket with their child, who sees a dande- lion. They can go home to their backyard
and create a connection, realizing many plants are food and are something to protect.”
In addition to The Wild Food + Herb
Market, The Abundance Foundation provides a variety of other programs for youth and adults. Chef Challenge, their Farm-to-School initiative, aims to improve school lunches in Chatham County and helps provide lunchroom staff members with the skills necessary to prepare cre- ative meals from fresh ingredients. Their Local Food & Renewable Energy Summer Camp has a goal of teaching youth ages 8-14 how to nourish themselves and their communities. This Summer Camp is an engaging 5-day learning experience that exposes youth to a wide range of top- ics in community resilience including sustainable agriculture, biodiesel produc- tion, cooking, medicinal herbs, foraging for wild edibles, seed saving, composting, local economy, and solar energy. Each of these initiatives helps foster the next generation of environmental stewards and food justice leaders. If you are interested in sustainability,
The Abundance Foundation Sustainability Tours are a great way to learn about new technologies taking place at the Eco- Industrial Plant (where the Abundance Foundation offices are located), and to learn about the Piedmont Biofarm and Piedmont Biofuels. Local sustainability begins with one small step, whether it is by supporting a new market or teaching our children simple ways to care for our land.
For information, visit
www.theabundancefoundation.org.
natural awakenings March 2013 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56