Field Notes from Jess ~ Rewilding in 2021 | Week 18/52 | Spring
Apr 25, 202152 Sundays of REWILDING in 2021
Field Notes from Jess ~ Sunday 18/52 weekend in review:
Meet Ziya: Brilliant mind, dancer, artist, courageous, fun, so very thoughtful and badassary vibes off the charts. Ziya walked through my door with a backpack over the shoulder wearing hiking boots, a knife on the belt, bandanna in the hair and a readiness to discover and explore a half-day of rewilding with me through Wildkind Academy mentorship.
We started the morning off with some great conversation before heading out to the field to harvest some dandelion flowers to make our breakfast.
Menu: Dandelion fritters made with a batter of paleo flour, free-range local eggs, coconut milk and pan-fried in cast iron using coconut oil. We complimented the fritters with vanilla chia pudding topped with organic strawberries, sprouted nuts and hemp seeds.
After breakfast we grabbed a fresh target sheet, the compound bow, arrows and scope for some archery practice. Ziya was impressed with the power and speed that my BowTech Signature Series was capable of. It’s set at a 50 pound draw so I was impressed that Ziya was shooting with such strength!
It’s afternoon, time to forage wild greens for our lunch. With basket in hand we collected dandelion leaves and Miners lettuce (Also referred to as “spring beauty”) for our salad. Of course nettles were on the menu and although Ziya had previously been stung by this plant, there was a curiosity of how we might safely eat them. (Heating, blanching, drying or blending do the trick).
Menu: NESTO (nettle pesto) made with fresh nettle leaves, olive oil, garlic, salt, parm and hemp seeds spread over quesadillas. (I like the cassava flour tortillas that are paleo). We also had the most beautiful salad and enjoyed the mild bitterness of the dandelion greens with Annie’s “Goddess” dressing. With Kevita over ice and some dark chocolate truffles...this was absolute perfection.
I have learned so much from Ziya and am excited by our teens who are truly dialed-In with a new kind of awareness and understanding of the world we live in. These are fast changing times with overwhelming input and feedback. The challenges facing this generation are immense. My heart however was full, as side-by-side we immersed our senses in the bountiful gifts of spring. Back to basics. Simple. Joyous. Badass.
Thank you Ziya and thank you to Adrienne Cherry-Laura (Ziya’s mom), both who were comfortable with me sharing these cool pics for this week’s rewilding post.