Given the eye-watering price of dietary supplements, it’s easy to start wondering whether you really need them. Surely there’s got to be a more natural way? It might be time to green up your life! If you’re quick, you still have time to start exploring the world of hedgerow herbs before autumn turns to winter. So, get out there and find the superfoods growing on your doorstep!
Daisies, dandelions, and nettles – plants from childhood that everyone remembers. Sometimes they were carefully picked apart, other times mixed with dirt and water into a smelly potion. The curious ones might have cautiously tasted them, while others felt the sting on bare skin after brushing against nettles. What do all these plants have in common? They’re part of the ubiquitous yet invisible green background to our lives, lining our local paths and trails, yet fading into the background beneath our feet. Or worse still, they’re merely weeds – unwelcome wild intruders into our carefully manicured flowerbeds and vegetable patches. Yet they belong to a magical circle of plants, packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and myriad other health benefits: we’re talking about wild herbs.
Superfoods are everywhere these days, flown in from who knows where: goji berries from Mongolia packed with antioxidants, chia seeds from China rich in omega-3s are a must in every muesli, and mineral-rich quinoa salads from Chile are found in every supermarket. Great for our insides, but not so great for the environment. Meanwhile, we have our own superfoods right here, sometimes even in our own gardens or in the green spaces just outside our doors! The problem? We have no clue.
Sure, no one who enjoys spending time in nature is completely clueless. “Look what I brought back!” is something you hear often from May onwards, after a morning run or MTB ride through the woods. Most of the time, it’s a few leaves of wild garlic or woodruff poking out of a jersey pocket, giving off a fragrant scent. But let’s be honest: how many of us can really tell the difference between lady’s mantle and coltsfoot, never mind their nutritional properties? Mistaking wild herbs can have deadly consequences too. That’s when we, the casual foragers, inevitably need to call in the experts. Fortunately, there are people who’ve made wild herbs their speciality and are eager to pass on their knowledge to us wilderness-ignorant city folk. Experts like wilderness educator Sandra, who is taking us on a leisurely ride through the fields, woods and meadows that wrap around the outskirts of Stuttgart, to show us all the natural treasures hiding in plain sight in our local area.
You can find the full article at our sister magazine E-MOUNTAINBIKE.
Words: Felicia Nastal Photos: Antonia Feder
