The joy of foraging

I’ve spent the past few days in the British countryside, being fully immersed in nature, phone on airplane mode for the most part and absorbing the season’s change to the fullest.

I’ve taken long walks amongst hedgerows of bursting blackberries (I have to say that most didn’t make it back to the house), I’ve swum in the ocean (well, I took a super quick dip as it was getting cold), picked apples, elderberries and rosehips, made fresh nettle tea, collected conkers and acorns, and started to really appreciate the joys of foraging. Every berry and herb I see excites me (I am making sure I’m only picking edible ones) and I’m looking up ways to make lots of tinctures, syrups and other things such as chutneys or sauces, so that I can preserve as much of this abundance as I can, and enjoy it for as long as possible into the winter. The last time I did this was when I was a child and I feel that excitement so much as I have been exploring and collecting. Living seasonally is such a fun, intuitive way to connect with this beautiful planet and receive the abundance that is gives to us.

Being present with the magic of each season is something quite new to me. Apart from the beautiful colours of autumn leaves I’d always feel quite depressed that summer was ending as I knew the winter was coming. Now, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the sunshine and am layered up to the max in the winter, but these days I actually look forward to the cold, dark days. Perhaps it’s because I’m so sensitive, but the winter days give me an excuse to be totally inward and not feel like I need to be out and about. I get to snuggle up with warming food and spend time reading, journaling and creating, which are practices that nourish my soul. They also feel different to me when I do them in the winter months as compared with the summer.

There’s so much to be grateful for with each season and fully immersing myself in it feels so liberating. As cyclical beings we aren’t meant to be outward and blooming all year round, we need to go inward and be more reflective too.

In recent years I’ve discovered that I love the light in the autumn, the almost golden flicker on and through the coloured leaves. I like that it feels later in the day but it might only be six o’clock – so I have longer evenings and get earlier nights. I feel the magic of this season and enjoy pulling oracle cards and connecting with rituals and traditions to honour Halloween, the Equinox and moon cycles. I love the end of summer produce available and now foraging makes it on to my list of favourite autumn practices.

What do you love most about the autumn? Please comment below and share.

Here’s a recipe for a simple and delicious apple and oat granola, which I enjoy with some plant based mylk or even on its own as a sweet snack, during this season.

In a bowl, mix together 2 large cups of oats, 1 grated apple, 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and a tiny bit of grated nutmeg. Mix together until it starts to form clumps, then place out onto a baking sheet and put in a low oven (160C) for around 20-30 minutes (checking it once and turning) until the oats are turning golden. You could also add nuts or other fruits such as blackberries. I encourage you to also play around with the quantities to suit YOUR tastes. I hope you enjoy it.

If you’d like to melt further into autumn, I invite you to join my 11-day autumn reset, which starts on Monday 30 September (this Friday is the last day to join). I’ll be sharing more recipes and practices to help you melt into this season, drawing on the wisdom of Ayurveda. We’ll look at what nourishes you and how to create more magic and love so you can fully surrender to the season.

I am offering it for this incredibly low price of £25 as I know that when we make a financial investment we are more committed to seeing something through. From the next reset I will be increasing the price as the content I will be sharing and the support I will be giving is valued at much more than this.

You can join here.