This has been a crazy week. For all of us. I don’t think I’ve ever said ‘I don’t know’ so many times in my whole life and while I’m doing everything I can to remain positive for the sake of my boys, on the inside I’m terrified about what is to become of my business. I know I’m not alone in this.
Whoever would have thought that technology, social media and our ability to manipulate resources to suit our needs would, at a time of global crisis, the closing of borders, financial collapse and the uncertainty of billions of people, be our salvation?
So, I’ve spent the last however many hours thinking. Thinking about how I can keep my family afloat, but also thinking about how I can bring what I know and offer it to the global community at a time when resources are going to become more scarce.
This morning it occurred to me that not only could we not go to the supermarket because we’re self-isolating, we may discover that supermarkets are very low on stocks or that the price of healthy food goes up so high that I can’t afford it. My instant thought was that we need to plant some fast growing veg in our tiny garden (I will, I just don’t have any seeds yet). But then I remembered something vital:
The natural world is full of free, healthy food!
RIGHT ON OUR VERY OWN DOORSTEPS!
How poetic then that the UK government made an explicit point of saying that everyone who is self-isolating (in this country that could well be longer than the 12 week timescale we’ve been given) should still take time to get fresh air and exercise in the outdoors?
You don’t need me to harp on here about why going outdoors is good for your immune system or mental health. I know you have all heard this a million times.
But now we’ve actually got a job to do: we all need to find ways to feed our families without relying so heavily on supermarkets and we need to find ways to live more frugally. Did you hear that? You need to go outside to stay healthy and you need to find a way to get more food into your home without spending any more money.
Have I mentioned that the natural world is full of healthy, free food?
So, I’ve decided to commit myself to the following enterprise: take my children out to find some locally growing food every day. Cook it into a delicious and healthy meal. Share the results with you.
You’ll notice that I’ve added a ‘donations’ button to my pages and all of my blog posts. I won’t be making any money at forest school for the foreseeable future and I hope that if you enjoy my posts on foraging you would consider donating a small amount in exchange for my tips and ideas. I’m not asking for anything huge – (unless you just happen to be a long-lost mega rich uncle of mine who has a couple of million going spare) – just 50p from my regular readers would allow me to buy groceries for me and the boys for a week.
Not that we can actually buy groceries. But you know.
Wander Wonder Grow 