New Foraging Courses Now On Sale!
Our new spring Hedgerow and Seaweed foraging course are now on sale! Join Matthew Rooney as he delves into the delights of hedgerow foraging in April and May in West Lothian, while I will be paddling off the coast of East Lothian in April searching for seaweed. As we only bring 12 people with us on each course, be sure to book sooner rather than later.
In May, I’m also partnering with Werner Pfeifer, an expert teacher in primitive and Stone Age skills and an incredible source of ancestral knowledge on four new courses:
Knots and Seaweed: A Foraging and Stone Age Day Course takes place at the East Lothian shore where you will learn about how our Mesolithic ancestors interacted with coast and estuary. The course includes how you can use plant fibres to make string, ropes and nets, learning net knotting techniques and foraging for seaweed, coastal plants and molluscs.
Wood and Clay: A Stone Age Course takes place in West Lothian where you will learn about how our Mesolithic ancestors interacted with wood and clay. The course includes ancient pottery and woodcarving techniques to make simple utensils, cooking pots, lamps, bowls, and spoons.
Food and Fire: A Foraging and Stone Age Day Course takes place in West Lothian where you will learn about how our Mesolithic ancestors made fire, prepared and cooked their food. The course includes fire making techniques, pre- and mesolithic food preparation and cookery.
Flint and Stone: A Stone Age Day Course takes place in West Lothian where you will learn how our Mesolithic ancestors made flint knives, arrowheads, spears, awls, drills, burins, saws. The course includes making a flint tool to take home.
I am very excited to be guiding our Solstice Wilderness Crossing for the third year running this summer. This threshold crossing and 5-day guided rite of passage will be taking place from Wednesday 18 June to Sunday 22 June 2025 in the beautiful fells of the Lake District. For more information and to book, click the button below.
The Wildbiome™️ Project
The Wildbiome Project 1 in 2023 involved members of the Association of Foragers participating in a citizen science research study. They ate only wild food for either 3 months or 1 month. They were monitored for changes in body composition, blood tests for health markers. Their gut microbiome was also tested against a reference control of people eating normal shop-bought food. What we want to know is what would happen to our bodies if we had to go back to eating only wild food?
The Wildbiome Project 2 runs from 1st April to 30 June 2025. Keep up to date with it all by signing up to my newsletter and following me on Instagram or Facebook and if you can, please donate to the Wildbiome™️ Project so we can fund the continuing research.
Support for African Hunter-Gatherers
During my stay with the Ju|’hoansi in the Kalahari Desert, they introduced me to the craft of creating jewellery from ostrich shell. They collect the broken shells after the ostrich chicks have hatched, utilising a resource that the ostrich no longer needs. The women then chip the shells into shape, make a hole in the middle to thread them, grind them on a flat stone to smooth them off and roast them on the fire to create different colours. The women asked me to sell some of their unique pieces on their behalf so you’ll find a selection of their beautiful necklaces and bracelets on my shop page. All proceeds from the sales go directly to the makers - less postage costs, currency exchange and PayPal fees.
Another of the Ju|'hoan tribe, Daqm Kxunta looks after the village garden. This is a harsh climate, the rain is slight and the temperatures are rising, so the yields of bush foods have not been great this year. Daqm is trying to grow food crops but, as they are in such a remote location, it is hard to get hold of seeds. Consider sending the gift of a packet of fruit or vegetable seeds to:
Daqm Kxunta
Djamta!’ae Village
P.O. Box 2
Tsumkwe
NAMIBIA
They will be highly appreciated! Daqm and his wife |Xoan have one child – a little girl, aged 3 in December, who has cerebral palsy. We are also looking for a sponsor. If this is you, please get in touch.
The Wilderness Cure is out in paperback!
I am thrilled that The Wilderness Cure is now out in paperback and is available from all good bookshops! To learn more about it, click here.
Featured Posts
- The Super Powers of Stinging Nettle Seed
This article was written for the first of Reforesting Scotland’s biannual journal of 2018. Reforesting Scotland is a membership organisation encouraging free and open debate on a wide range of… Read More - The Wildbiome™️ Project Results
The Wildbiome™️ Project involved members of the Association of Foragers participating in a citizen science research study. They ate only wild food for either 3 months or 1 month. They… Read More - How to become a HerbalistIf you want to train or study to become a professional medical herbalist, there are a few routes open to you. However, first you need to think about what you… Read More