Dina Falconi - Foraging and Feasting

During our conversation today Dina shares her background as a forager and herbalist, and her background as a permaculture practitioner which began with a design course taught by Geoff Lawton. We also discuss the plants she chose for the book, the difference between edible and culinary plants, and the distinction about historical and modern food safety. This interview is part of the ongoing series on rewilding and foraging. I have links to the earlier episodes in the show notes. Start with this interview and work your way back through theses podcasts to learn more about wild foods, edible plants, and how we can improve the gifts we receive from them and our relationships with those plants. As usual from an interview, I walk away with from this interview with more thoughts that build and expand my repertoire as a permaculture practitioner. The first is that I am adapting the recipes from the book into a series of lessons to use in my own cooking to teach my children a variety of basic formulas so they can be prepared to cook with whatever they have on hand, whether wild, picked from the garden, or bought at market. That leads to the moment that Dina and I talking about master skills. Cooking is definitely something that everyone should learn to some degree. To that we also include foraging. To that list of I would add creating fire, tool making, building, such as carpentry or masonry, and permaculture design. That is a very basic list, but I wonder what you would add to it based on where you live and what you do. What are the basic master skills you would teach to build a permaculture community? One that truly cares for earth, the individuals, and the culture? I wonder how teaching those skills now, to interested adults and children, can influence the way we live. Will we find greater personal and community freedom by having more self-reliance? How will that change the culture we create and live in? I’d like to hear your ideas. Get in touch. Email: The Permaculture Podcast Of write if you would prefer: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast You can also leave a comment in the show notes, send a tweet to @permaculturecst, or join in the conversations on facebook. Facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast. From here, a few class announcements. Tradd Cotter contacted me about an event he’s teaching at the end of the month. If you are near Keswick, Virginia, April 24 - 26, 2015, join him along with Mark Jones and Ethan Levesque, for a course called, “Cultivating Kingdom Fungi: Mushrooms for People and Planet.” Find out more about this at: https://www.sharondalefarm.com/workshops/ Ben Weiss and Wilson Alvarez begin teaching a new course on permaculture in an urban environment as well, in Harrisburg, PA. You can find this course on Facebook by searching for Downtown Harrisburg Permaculture Course, or through the link in the show notes. Ben and Wil are also looking for scholarship sponsors for this course. Contact susq.permaculture@yahoo.com if you would like to donate. Finally, as I draw this to a close, this show depends on your ongoing support to stay on the air. Though it looks like I’ll be moving to a full time job this summer, as my life now requires that I have an income that can support a family, I’m going to do everything I can to keep the show going and continue to release new episodes and remain a resource for anyone who takes the time to email, call, or write a letter. You can help me keep going by using the paypal link on the front page of the show at thepermaculturepocast.com to make a one time, direct contribution, or by becoming a recurring member via Patreon at patreon.com/permaculturepodcast. Know that I am here with you, wherever your journey takes you. Until the next time, take care of earth, yourself, and each other. Resources: Botanical Arts Press Dina's Website Past Interviews on Foraging and Rewilding Peter Michael Bauer Violet and Steve Brill Dan De Lion Sam Thayer Arthur Haines 1 Arthur Haines 2 Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss Classes: Cultivating Kingdom Fungi with Tradd Cotter Downtown Harrisburg Permaculture Course