What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Welcome to Wild Foods & Wilderness!
Hello! Thank you for finding me! My name is Melanie Sawyer,
I am a Historical Forager and Living Historian of the 18th Century with a focus on teaching people all over the country at museums, historical sites, schools, Adirondack lodges, hotels, camps, and outdoor events about foraged foods that fed people during the 1700's on the northeastern coast of the USA.
" If you can feed yourself, you can free yourself "
As well as teaching plant identification, WILD FOODS & WILDERNESS will also touch on historical accounts from journals and papers written in the 1700's. You'll be able to use this Wild Foods & Wilderness Guide to entertain your friends and family with unusual facts and also reintroduce these edible weeds and plants into your gardens and to your diets. Recipes are also included!
Some things you'll be surprised that you didn't know you could eat and some you won't know at all but will be happy to befriend.
Learning edible history with Wild Foods & Wilderrness
Knowledge is power..and if you can give a child a piece of information in a way that they will remember..and have it for the rest of their lives..that's a true accomplishment... I had a great time at The Fort no 4..we set up right at the front of the Fort in the Guard House and taught the kids and families as they came in..and I got to test them on the way out..it was SO GREAT to have them tell me all the things Id taught them through handling, tasting and laughing!
I love it!
When you look at this table, the word "feast" doesn't immediately spring to mind, I get it...BUT I guarantee it would be an incredibly fulfilling set of meats filled with proteins and marrow from wild meat and mushrooms ( of course!), carbs from grains, root crops, seeds and rice, sweetness from different saps, cambium and fruits..it's a plethora of goodness that I LOVE to teach about!
Teaching on the land at Historical Fort Klock
The AWESOME Girl Scouts
Whetther Im teaching at schools, groups such as the Girl Scouts or at Historic sites..the value of WILD FOODS is just as important! it's the stuff that gives you your carbohydrates, proteins and sugars, the building blocks of energy!