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Showing posts with the label Earth’s Free Pantry

The Sea And Me

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 Keeping My Mind. I’ve been out at sea for the past 15 years now; it’s all I do. I wait for the tide to rise high enough to get the boat out of the Scottish harbour, travel five miles out into the North Sea (the most treacherous sea in the world), and then drop my anchor and grab about three hours of sleep. Of course, I check the weather beforehand, and as much as I try to be careful, the weather can change on a whim. I wish I didn’t have to sleep, but everyone knows that’s impossible. It can be even more dangerous when you’re asleep, not just because the weather can change suddenly, but also because fishing trawlers have a nasty habit of catching fire. There’s a mountain of electrical cabling mixed with a fuel tank containing 2000 litres of diesel, plus other hazards that I won’t bore you with being on board. This is a video I took not long ago, it was of a trawler on fire close to me. So yes, it is the most dangerous job in the world, just one wrong step and it's game over! Yet,...
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Potato Peelings: How “Waste” Quietly Becomes Food Again

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  Most people throw potato peelings away without a second thought. Into the bin. Into the compost. Forgotten. Yet anyone who composts knows a quiet secret: potato peelings don’t disappear - they return . Left to the soil, they often grow back into full, edible potatoes. Not by accident. By design. 🌱 The Potato’s Natural Will to Live Potatoes are not seeds, they are storage organs , packed with energy and nutrients meant to create new life. The “eyes” on a potato are growth points, waiting patiently for the right conditions. When you peel a potato and toss those skins into compost or soil, you’re often discarding: 🥔 Living tissue 🥔 Stored energy 🥔 Future plants Given moisture, warmth and darkness, potato peelings can and do regenerate, pushing roots downward and shoots upward, quietly turning scraps into sustenance. 🏺 A Food Built for Survival Potatoes became a global staple for a reason. For centuries, they fed entire populations because they are: ✔ Easy to grow ...
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Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland, UK
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Plantain: The Healing Leaf Beneath Your Feet

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 Growing quietly in lawns, footpaths and field edges, plantain ( Plantago major and Plantago lanceolata ) is one of nature’s most reliable healing foods. Often stepped on, mown down and overlooked, this humble plant has been trusted for centuries as both food and first aid . If there were ever a plant that wanted to help humans survive, it would be plantain. 🏺 An Ancient Ally of Everyday Life Plantain has been used since ancient times across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Roman soldiers reportedly carried it on long marches, while medieval healers called it the “bandage plant” . Historically, plantain was used to: 🌿 Heal wounds and bites 🌿 Soothe digestion and lungs 🌿 Reduce inflammation 🌿 Support skin repair It was never rare or exotic - it was dependable , which is why it endured. 🥬 Simple Leaves, Serious Nutrition Plantain may not look impressive, but it is quietly nutrient-rich. ✨ Vitamin A – skin & immune support ✨ Vitamin C – healing & collage...
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Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland, UK
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Seaweed & Kelp: The Ocean’s Free Mineral Treasure

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 Long before supplements existed, humans gathered nourishment from the sea. Seaweed and kelp,  humble, drifting plants of the ocean, are among the most mineral rich foods on Earth , freely offered by coastlines around the world. Ignored by many and misunderstood by others, these ocean vegetables quietly support thyroid health, metabolism, immunity and cellular balance, all while growing without soil, fertiliser or fresh water. 🐚 Ancient Food of Coastal Cultures Seaweed has sustained coastal peoples for thousands of years. In Japan, Korea, Ireland, Iceland and Indigenous coastal cultures worldwide, sea vegetables were daily food, not health trends. Historically, kelp and seaweed were used to: 🌊 Prevent nutrient deficiencies 🌊 Support energy and warmth in cold climates 🌊 Strengthen bones, blood and metabolism 🌊 Maintain thyroid and hormonal balance In many places, seaweed was dried and stored for winter - a true survival food from the sea . 🧂 A Nutritional Profil...
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Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland, UK
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Nettles: The Fierce Superfood That Builds Strength

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 Feared for their sting and cursed by gardeners, nettles ( Urtica dioica ) are one of the most powerful wild foods on the planet. Once cooked or dried, their sting disappears, revealing a deeply nourishing, mineral rich plant that has sustained humans for thousands of years. Nettles don’t ask to be liked. They ask to be respected.
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Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland, UK
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Dandelion: The Golden Healer We Were Taught to Hate

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 Bright, resilient and wildly misunderstood, the dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale ) is one of the most nutritious and medicinal plants freely available on Earth. Yet it has been labelled an enemy of lawns, sprayed with chemicals and dismissed as useless, despite feeding and healing humans for thousands of years. This golden plant is not a weed. It is a complete survival food hiding in plain sight.
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Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland, UK
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Chickweed: The Forgotten Superfood Hiding in Plain Sight

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 Once treasured by healers, foragers and households alike, chickweed ( Stellaria media ) has quietly slipped from revered nourishment to ridiculed “weed”. Pulled out, trampled underfoot and ignored, this delicate plant is in fact one of nature’s most generous free gifts,  rich in nutrients, gentle in healing, and abundant almost everywhere we live. It’s time chickweed had its moment again ✨ 🌿 A Plant Loved by History For thousands of years, chickweed was not accidental — it was intentional . Across Europe, Asia and North America, it was eaten fresh, brewed into teas, and applied to the skin. Ancient herbalists described it as cooling, soothing and restorative . In medieval times, chickweed was especially valued in early spring 🌸 one of the first green foods to appear after winter. When diets were sparse, chickweed helped replenish the body with much needed vitamins and minerals, supporting strength, skin health and resilience. Poultices made from fresh chickweed were ...
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Scotland, United Kingdom Scotland, UK
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