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Leah - Foraging & Nature Connection

@livingwild.uk

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✨ Nature connection facilitator
🍄Foraging 🌿Nature crafting 🔥Bushcraft
North Wales & Bristol

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💜Bilberry season is at its peak so now's the time to head out to a heathland, moorland or woodland near you to see if you can spot any of our native wild Blueberries!

They love to grow in nutrient poor, acidic soil and if you're on the heath/moorland you'll notice them amongst the heather and gorse in all their breathtaking colours!

Unlike the Blueberry 🫐 Bilberries are black on the inside, which will make for some wonderfully purple staining of the fingers after harvesting!

Bilberries can be used in much the same way as blueberries, I love them straight from the bush but also in smoothies, sprinkled in yoghurt, in muffins and as jam!! The list of wonderful things to be made with Bilberries is long!

High in antioxidants and nutrients, delicious, seasonal and local...what's not to love?

Please pick sustainably and remember that many other life forms rely on bilberries as a food source. ✌️💜

I'd love to know what your favourite Bilberry recipes are?🫐✨

#bilberry #summerforaging #ukforaging #wildnutrition #health #sustainableliving @wildfoodlove #llangollen taken in Llangollen by @livingwild.uk

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3 years ago

There's magic in the woodlands. Fairy's in the moss. Fungi to be hunting and robins keeping watch. ✨🍄

I love venturing deep into the mossy woodlands at this time of the year. They are full of enchantment and treasure! It's a tonic for the rest of the madness in the world.

#amanitamuscaria #enchantedwoodland #fungiforaging #flyagaric taken in Enchanted Forest by @livingwild.uk

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21 days ago

Life lately from Spring into Summer. One thing I love about being in the hills of North Wales is that our seasons are slightly behind that of the South, so I get extra time to harvest the things which may have already gone over elsewhere. The hawthorn blossom for example was harvested on the 30th of May, well after it had already disappeared in most other places!

📸
1&2 - Crazy hair, don't care. Morning garden harvest of Lemon balm, rose, elderflower, calendula and nettle tips
3 - I've been playing with natural sodas lately, this is strawberry and elderflower
4 - The leaves of rosebay willow herb fermenting to make Ivan chai
5 - Mugwort and moon 🌝✨
6 - I love where I live
7 - The last of the Lilacs. I panic made lilac sugar and syrup before it was too late!
8 - Dreamy scenes
9 - The aforementioned Hawthorn blossom
10 - Salads with wild flowers are what this time of year are for 🌸

What are your favourite things around this time of year?

Featuring my gorgeous basket from @pebs_baskets 🧺

#foraging #natureconnection #northwales #seasons #harvest taken in North Wales by @livingwild.uk

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4 months ago

Mugwort - Artemisa Vulgaris ✨

She is also an amazing herb for women's health✨ Known to help to regulate menstrual cycles, ease PMS and cramps.

If you'd like to try Mugwort, there are various ways to prepare and use it. People often enjoy it as a tea or mixed in to a smoking blend before bed. I love to infuse it into a hot chocolate ☕ You can also use this herb in your cooking - it does well with roasties!

⚠️ Caution

Never use mugwort if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as it can stimulate the uterus and cause complications.

Please always do your research before picking or consuming a new plant and make sure you're confident with your identification. 🌿

Have you ever had a lucid dream? 🔮

#mugwort #folkherbalism #foraging #magicalplants #ukplants taken in Wales by @livingwild.uk

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5 months ago

🌼💥Wild flower power💥🌼

I love eating flowers! They vary in flavour so much and they look gorgeous on the plate. Here are just five of many many edible flowers which are blooming right now.

💛Broom (Cytisus scoparius) tastes like nutty peas which is no surprise seen as they belong to the pea family! Their vibrant yellow colour looks amazing added to salads or sprinkled over dishes as a garnish. Apparently you can dry the flowers and smoke them to give you euphoria, though I haven't tried.

💚Wild G flowers are full of garlicky goodness, its surprising how pungent a dainty flower can be.

💜Lilac flowers are great for making syrups to add to cocktails or drizzles over cakes, you can make lilac lemonade with them or blitz them up with sugar to make Lila e flavoured sugar.

💜Vetch is one of my favourite wild foods, I love their symmetrical leaves and pea like flowers - they look so good when used to decorate a plate and they taste so sweet and delicious...just like pea shoots.

💚Ground ivy had a wonderful earthy, herby flavor which comes through in the flowers although more delicately than the rest of the plant. Great for sprinkling into pasta dishes.

🌸Go get yourself some wild flower power!✨✌️

#wildfoodlove #wildfood #foraging #livingwilduk #llangollen #northwalestagram #northwales taken in Llangollen by @livingwild.uk

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3 years ago

It's officially been over a year since I posted to the grid!

In the last 12 months I have had some beautiful, awe-inspiring moments which I would love to share with you now. There will be many installments so please follow along if you'd like to see! 🌱

Amongst the beautiful moments I have been processing the heavy grief of losing my Dad. I lost my mum many years ago and finding myself parent-less in a very crazy world has left me feeling like a tree who lost both its deepest roots, being blown around in a storm, trying to find a new balance and belonging in life. Hence taking time for myself away from social media and into the real world.

This time last year I had not long returned home from a 5 week trip to New Zealand, where I saw so much beauty and the natural spaces were brimming with life. It was like someone turned the volume up on the vibrancy and buzz of inter connectivity ✨

#newzeland #natureheals #timeaway #natureconnection #comeback by @livingwild.uk

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5 months ago

Brb, just hanging out in the trees. Watching the birds. Listening to the wind. Walking barefoot. Recharging. 🌿 taken in The Trees by @livingwild.uk

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a year ago

In case you needed any more reasons to get out and bask in the beauty of nature.

Feeling that sense of awe you get when you are staring at something incredibly beautiful, like an big ancient oak tree, or looking across a vast expanse, or up at a waterfall...has actually been shown to physically boost the immune system and reduce inflammation as well as promoting pro social behaviour and helping to give a sense of meaning.

Go outside and see for yourself! 🌿✨

#awe #natureconnection #gooutside #natureforhealth #travel taken in New Zealand by @livingwild.uk

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2 years ago

A Wondrous place where nature lovers, forest bathers, cold water dippers, fungi fanatics and wild food enthusiasts come together. Think foraging, nature crafting, fire cooking, sauna, cold water immersion, connection - to others, yourself and nature 💚

This is Rest & Rewild ✨🌿

Four dates throughout the year to come together and get nerdy about nature! The dates are now live on my website and you can find the l!nk in the usual place ☺️

I've designed each of these days to include a range of different elements so you can experience something different each time. I'm really excited for these sessions. They will be held in a beautiful secluded location in North Wales, running from 10am to 3pm.

Lemme know if you have any questions! Would really love to see you there 💚✨

Tag or share with a friend who you love to do this with!

Earlybird discount if you book before May...just comment YES PLEASE! for the code xx

#foraging #natureconnection #northwales #wildwomen #dayretreat #forestbathing taken in North Wales by @livingwild.uk

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2 years ago

Letting nature fill me back up again. Walking through woodlands, touching the moss, swimming the lakes and rivers, making friends with the birds. Taking my time. 🌿✨

#natureconnection #livingwild #goneexploring #foraging taken in Queenstown, New Zealand by @livingwild.uk

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2 years ago

❤️ If you go down to the woods today....

You may well be able to spot these red beauties nestled amongst the moss covered forest floor. Scarlet elf cups (Sarcoscypha austriaca) are magical little things, finding them makes me feel like I've accidentally interrupted a fairy's tea party or something.

The way they release their spores is also very enchanting. The scarlet elf cup's microscopic tubes, called asci, release spores from the upper surface of the cup.
When triggered by temperature change, thousands of asci simultaneously explode, releasing a visible cloud of thousands and thousands of spores. No doubt you've seen a video or ten of the spore release by now...I don't think it ever gets old!

My favourite way to use them is to pickle them and stuff them with delicious fillings, or scatter them over a dish for a pop of colour and flavour.

Wanna know more about pickling and stuffing elf cups?

#scarletelfcup #sarcoscyphaaustriaca #mushroomforaging
#wildfood #foraging #natureconnection taken in Enchanted Forest by @livingwild.uk

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2 years ago

🌹Mush love to all the other nature lovers and tree huggers out there this valentine's 🌹

#mushlove #foraging #valentines #naturelovers #natureconnection taken in North Wales by @livingwild.uk

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2 years ago