Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times

Just gazing out the window on an Autumn day can gently remind us of key lessons for survival: to bend in the wind so we don’t break; let go of things that no longer serve us so we can emerge in the spring with new growth; spend time every day joyfully gathering foods that sustain and nurture us through the seasons. Nature imparts her wisdom to us every day, as long as we’re paying attention. But it’s not always easy to slow down and reflect in our fast-paced world — in fact, it’s this very pace that has us so in need of assistance. So Mother Earth has another powerful way to pass along her survival guide for modern times: ancient wild foods.

Throughout the ages, these foods have endured the most extreme circumstances. They’ve weathered fires, freezing temperatures, parched earth, floods, and have always emerged victorious.

By the time they get to us, they are experts at thriving under pressure, and
that’s an expertise they pass along to us.
-Anthony William, Life-Changing Foods

If you’ve been focusing on only three of the Holy Four food groups—fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices—adding in wild foods can be a total game-changer for your healing. Each one has its own magic to impart: Aloe vera helps us feel at peace with our surroundings, Atlantic sea vegetables ground us, burdock supports our emotional clearing. But know that each and every one of these gems will help us adapt to the modern world with their ancient wisdom.

As a group, wild foods are the missing piece, the Holy Grail, and the secret to getting a fresh start. These powerful anti-agers are packed with adaptogens—that is, they’re crucial to helping our bodies adapt to what life throws at us. Wild foods not only retain the vitamin and mineral levels that nature intended, they also carry critical survival information in their cells. When we ingest them, the wisdom that’s allowed them to thrive out in the elements becomes a part of us.
-Anthony William, Life-Changing Foods

See how many of the wild foods—wild blueberries, raw honey, nettle leaf, coconut, red clover, rose hips, chaga—you can rotate in every day. As nature would have it, this happens to be a perfect time of year to get dandelion greens and all their wisdom into our kitchen and our bodies:

After dandelions’ spring growth has died down in the heat of the summer, the plants aren’t finished for the year—dandelions frequently reappear in fall. If you’re someone who feels incomplete or less-than if you aren’t the first on the scene, this is an important lesson to take to heart. Dandelions come back around again—and in this way teach us that we can find contentment and solace in not always being first, because there are new chances around the bend.
-Anthony William, Life-Changing Foods

Dandelion Pesto

Ingredients

• 4oz dandelion greens
• 1oz basil
• 1 tsp raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp raw honey
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until everything is finely minced and mixed together. Serve over steamed potatoes.

 

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