Had the coolest IDea…. Since identifying a plant accurately is sort of KEY in the wild business… I am always trying to find ways to make it easier to learn and remember. Photos are great but sometimes they are confusing unless the plant being showcased is filmed against a contrasting background. Drawing a picture is helpful, more for the exercise in observation and awareness, but my drawings don’t look anything like the real deal. I’ve tried pressing the leaves under stacks of encyclopedias but that takes a long time and the leaves are brittle to work with..
What to do?
Well, I got the idea from my obsession with sending ‘pretty’ care packages to friends and family. Whether it’s Autumn leaves, Spring greens or Summer flowers I love to decorate them with these green gifts sealing in their beauty with packing tape. Not yet sure how long they last but they sure look happy to the recipient!
In preparing for my Wild Foods Survival Workshop I kept thinking how I can best pass on my knowledge to these people to help them make it their own and I came up with Wild Bags! They are easy to make and look pretty cool. We can even have contests to see which ‘team’ can collect one of each leaf first (with two identical bags, that is)
While foraging this morning I got the idea of having bags with different ID purposes. Such as a bag with only:
- edible tree leaves
- edible root leaves
- Spring greens
- Summer edible flowers
- the possibilities are endless…. 🙂
I label each wild gift with it’s common name and it’s botanical name.
So whether they last long or not, I am having FUN. Oh and some of the flowers such as the lovely Buttercup are NOT edible, just felt compelled to put them in for ‘color’. In the future, I will ONLY put wild edibles on my wild ID bags. Promise!
Wild blessings abound! Holly
Holly, what a wonderful, and lively site you have created. This site will bind like-minded people together in a way that only YOU can do! My heartest congratulations to the best teacher I know. The world we know must be shared. PS, I love the ID Bags!!
Many Blessings will shine through this site! Linda Runyon
Holly… your new website is sooooo beautiful. You are truly blessed. I have vision for it reaching people far and wide. …………..p
Hi Mrs. Holly!
I LOVE that idea! The bags are so pretty, and so useful. Great job! 😀
Hi Victoria, I’ll be giving workshops this Fall where the participants make Wild ID bags for edible trees and a different workshop where the ID bags will feature leaves from edible roots. In the Spring we’ll do bags with early edible leaves and in the Summer edible flowers.
I resorted to this idea since I am not the artist in the family but this way I can capture God’s art permanently as an ID reference.
They would make fun gift bags too!
I hope you become a wild woman and learn to live off of the land on God’s free provisions!
Hi Aunt Holly!
Remember that foraging trip we went on with the Claffey girls? We made bags JUST like those! Sooo much fun 🙂 suuuch pretty bags 😀
I sure hope we’ll see eachother again really soon. I miss you!!! Can’t wait for camp!
hugs and kisses.
K
Kendall dear of course I remember! I’ll have to post the pictures of you girls and your Wild ID bags and Forest Fairies! Good memories.
I love you! Aunt Holly