Ever since I moved to Finland, I noticed how much time people here in the Nordic countries spend in the forest. Even before that, that time we visited Scandinavia when I was 9 years old I was fascinated by this intrinsic connection Nordic people have with nature. I admired and envied it at the same time.
I learned foraging from my dad and granny. With dad we used to go to the forest to forage wild asparagus, hops, spring onion, elderflowers, chestnuts, mushrooms and the list could go on. We would go at least twice a year, in springtime and autumn. I cherish these memories not only because it was important quality time with my father, but also because he taught me to appreciate the forest and benefit from it. As for granny, everytime she made a salad in spring and summertime, she would go in our backyard to search for chicory and dandelion leaves. She kept a corner of the garden wild and used the nettle that would grow abundant in it. She taught me how wild herbs could be used in everyday meals.
How foraging connects with the slow living lifestyle?
Mainly in three ways:
- When you forage, you are not in a hurry. You are in contact with the nature and have all the benefits related to it: your pace slows down, you start to notice all the smells and sounds of the nature, your breathe more calmly and develop a feeling of gratitude. Also, you are focused because you have a mission, to forage.
- By foraging it is possible to have a smaller impact on our planet. Think about it. In autumn time, the forest next door is full of mushrooms, so why would I go to the store and buy the same product that has probably had to travel hundreds of kilometers or was made in greenhouses? And this leads to the third point.
- Foraging saves you money. You can have the very same product for free. The time you would have otherwise used at work to gain money now can be shifted into time in the nature. A turn to the better, if you ask me.
I was lucky enough to find a husband and friends that share the same foraging instinct I have and through them I have learned a great deal about Nordic foraging.
So, in this section of The Adagio Blog called “Nordic Foraging” you will find all the knowledge I have acquired in these years concerning Nordic foraging.
Nordic foraging aims to be a guide to the wild, to discover how we can benefit from nature to live more sustainably. I hope these guides will be beneficial to you Nordic residents and interesting to all of you, dear readers from all over the world.
Now is the only time of the year in Northern Finland when it is possible to collect Birch Sap, read all about it in this article!
At the same time time I encourage you to share your foraging story here in the blog in the comment sections below every post or by tagging #nordicforaging on Instagram and Facebook or #adagioforager if you want to share foraging stories from other part of the world! And of course, the best way to stay up to date with the new content published on the blog is to subscribe to The Adagio Newsletter!
