Dan, The Wild Man

The kids and I attended a class coordinated by one of the moms from Green Valley Homeschoolers. Another mom offered her yard. Yes, class was held in the yard. We were joined by Dan Farella of Return to Nature. He is a Wildcrafter, Herbalist and Musician. He came to teach us about wild edibles that could be found on a suburban front lawn.

He talked about plants like they were friends of his that he wanted to introduce us to. He dispelled alot of myths about where minerals come from (like calcium - from plants!!) and where they can be found - your front lawn!! He doesn't call it a lawn, though, Dan calls it a garden.

We learned to identify several plants such as dandelion, plantain, and wild onions. We tasted them right there on the front lawn in the garden.

The kids were very interested in all he had to say and were eager to try remedies like chewing up plantain for applying to bites or stings. They asked great questions and added all types of anecdotes to his discussion.

I am enjoying reading his website. He happened to bring a few medicinals with him and I picked up his Elderberry Cough Syrup for a particularly nasty cough I have had for 10 days. I will let you know how it goes.

We really enjoyed our time with this passionate man who helped us think differently about what we put in our bodies and how we can use what nature has given us. I don't think this is the last time we'll be learning from Dan.