One of my favourite ways to enjoy the healing magick of the Autumn hedgerows is to make an oxymel with foraged berries. The name oxymel comes from the Greek word ‘oxymeli’ meaning acid and honey. Oxymels are simple herbal preparations that use a mixture of raw apple cider vinegar and raw honey to extract and preserve the potent goodness from an array of berries, herbs and spices…
Continue reading “Hedgerow Oxymel”
There is a lot about this year that has been anything but ordinary, from record temperatures, severe lack of rainfall, and now the early arrival of many fruits including the beautiful berries of the Rowan tree.
The vibrant orangey-red berries always seem to call to me and for the last few years it has become a tradition to gather the ripe berries and string them into garlands that decorate our home and altar space.
Making and hanging Rowan berry garlands around the home is an ancient tradition, believed to protect the space and invite good luck. Berries are gathered and garlands made as we head towards the Autumn months, crossing the threshold to the darker half of the year. Once dried, the garlands keep for years, bringing a rich pop of colour and magick to the home.
A practice I find incredibly grounding at this time of year is to get outdoors and gently gather some beautiful fresh Spring plants for a brew.
There are so many medicinal plants growing in abundance at this time of year that are perfectly aligned to help nourish and cleanse the body after Winter. Many even make their way into our gardens if we let them!
Continue reading “A Wild Brew”
Eating seasonally is one of my favourite ways of feeling more aligned with earth’s cycles and come Spring I really start craving fresher, zingier and lighter meals with lots and lots of greens. And just as if Nature intended, our gardens and woodlands are bursting full of Spring greens, that nourish and cleanse our bodies after a heavy winter.
Continue reading “Spring Greens!”
Wild Fen was born out of love and recognition of just how many healing plants we could grow and forage in and around our home in the Fenlands of East Anglia.
Whether it be for medicinal teas, infused oils and balms or making aromatic incense blends, our life long love of nature, evolved into handcrafted creations that celebrated the beauty and magic of the nature around us.
Continue reading “Foraging Resin in the UK”
It has been an interesting foraging year for us. I have found myself feeling incredibly drawn to collecting certain plants – wild rose early on in the year, Mugwort throughout the summer and wild oats as the summer progressed. There have also been other plants that despite their abundance and potential, for one reason or another we didn’t forage many/any this year – elderflower and rosehips stand out as two.
Continue reading “The Intuitive Art of Foraging”
On these damp and cloudy days, I feel Autumn’s presence strongly. These days feel just right for concocting healing oxymels for the winter months ahead.
The name oxymel comes from the Greek word ‘oxymeli’ meaning acid and honey. It is a traditional herbal extraction, using a vinegar and honey to extract and preserve the potent goodness from an array of plants, that can then be taken as a medicine.
We hope that you have been able to find some time and space to connect with the new season of Lammas – also thought of as high Summer or the birth of Autumn.
One of the ways I like to connect to a new season is by creating a tea blend that seems to hold the energy of the season in the plants that I blend.
Continue reading “Lammas Tea Blend”
One of the very many things I love about foraging, is how there are always new plants (or new parts of a plant) to discover and enjoy. One of my favourite discoveries of last year were Nettle seeds! Despite having collected Nettles leaves often for cooking up like spinach or drying out for teas, I hadn’t thought about collecting the seeds, that are abundant on the plant at this time of year.
Continue reading “Nutritious little Nettle Seeds”
Yesterday we stumbled across the largest patch of flowering Wild Garlic we have ever seen. We have had a few harvests this year already. Most has gone into pesto which is a firm favourite, or chopped and added to soups, pasta and eggs.
Continue reading “Wild Garlic Galore”
Wild Fen 