Day 1 - Nettles

[Melissa]

 

Today was my first day of giving. I gave a few things today....

 

First I dropped off my friend's CSF share. CSF is like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) but with wild foods (the "F" stands for foraging.) My husband and I are foragers and we are offering this new service this year to 8 lucky people. A couple of people I know are splitting a share. This woman is going through very hard times and hasn't paid yet. She also doesn't come to my part of town to pick it up, so it's been sitting in my fridge since Thursday. On the way to my other gift I drove by her house and left it on her porch.

 

The next thing I did was to meet my friend Leah (the person the above friend is splitting the share with, who incidentally also has not paid. They are the only two who haven't.) She wanted me to point out nettles because NPR is doing an interview with her about cooking with wild food. I was feeling a bit envious because that is what I do, and she not only just got a paying gig as a columnist for a magazine (regular column, also a dream of mine), she is now going to be on NPR (her first column was about her wild food share and some amazing things she did with it.) So I met her before the interview to show her what nettles is (and dock leaves, the antidote for getting stung by nettles.)

 

While at the nettle patch I decided to harvest some nettles for my 7 year old daughter, who has been asking to make nettle pasta since the nettle came up this year. I returned home with a big bag just for making the nettle pasta with her.

 

On our way out Leah gifted me with a wonderful plate of homemade chocolate truffles. She really is an excellent cook.

 

Instead of going right to work (I gifted an acupuncture client by agreeing to come in on Sunday to treat her), I came home to drop off the car so my daughter and husband could go to our favorite brunch place (they dropped me at work first.)

 

So that was today. Tomorrow I think I will give away some of the morel mushrooms my husband and I found today (!!) Not easy to part with! But I know my two acupuncture clients (also share members!) will be happy to receive some.

 

[Marina Wildt]

Wow! You do some very interesting, but super cool stuff! Your gifts are original and beautiful, totally priceless!

[Dawn wwt]

it was a great give to go out of your way to drop that lady's food off for her, and your friend's too. i think it's really cool that you know how to identify and prepare those wild foods. i know a few but not nearly as many as you do. welcome to the 29 Gifts family! i look forward to reading more about your journey, i suspect they will be pretty educational :-)  Hugs, Dawn

[Lois55 wwt]

You are off and running with your challenge. I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts:)

[Deb~ Community Manager]

I have learned much thru this post~ Thanks. Happy foraging :o)