Whenever Leanne Townsend feels stressed out she knows exactly how to cure her worries: by heading outdoors into nature to forage for food.
“It definitely feels therapeutic,” says Leanne from Alford.
“Foraging takes you out of your head and away from your every day stresses and worries by connecting with nature and then bringing home all this beautiful gourmet produce.
“Quite often you’ll come back from a forage and you’ll come up with new solutions for your stresses or problems.”
Foraging offers so many health and wellbeing benefits
It was 20 years ago when Leanne, a senior academic researcher at the James Hutton Institute, first stumbled across the mental and physical benefits of sourcing her own food.
What started as a hobby picking mushrooms quickly grew into a healthier and more sustainable way of life for Leanne.
“When myself and my husband moved to Alford we just wanted a more natural life and to grow vegetables,” says Leanne.
“I started to forage brambles and raspberries and then I came across Chanterelle golden mushrooms.
“I kept foraging like that for a few years and I didn’t think it would go beyond that until I went out for a walk with a lady from the Czech Republic.
“She showed me so many more mushrooms that were edible and that was the turning point, that was the day I got the bug.”
Apothecary of foraged ingredients
From mushrooms and plants to pine needles and wild cocktail ingredients, Leanne’s passion for sourcing her own food is evident in her overflowing fridge and cupboards at her home.
“My husband despairs sometimes as there’s so many dried mushrooms and herbs and seeds in our cupboards,” says Leanne.
“I also make a lot of liqueurs, infused spirits, syrups and bitters as I’m really into making wild cocktails.”
With her hobby in full bloom, Leanne now shares her love of foraging through Wild Food Stories, taking people out on a one-to-one or group basis to learn more about the benefits of eating what’s on our doorsteps.
“Whenever I was out walking with family or friends, I was always foraging so before long I had people wanting me to take them out and to teach them,” says Leanne.
“I also started to post what I was doing on social media and I got a little bit of a following so it was at that point that I thought it would be a good time to start teaching other people.”
The power of nature
During Leanne’s three and a half hour foraging courses she teaches people everything from the therapeutic benefits of foraging to how it can improve your diet and immunity.
“Foraging is a feeling like nothing else,” says Leanne.
“It makes you feel more connected with nature than just being in nature.
“There’s something more profound about the good that it does for you.
“There’s obviously a safety element when it comes to foraging mushrooms too so it’s great to show people how to do it properly.”
Eating the fresh plants, mushrooms, seeds and berries has also made Leanne feel healthier than ever.
“There’s a huge array of wild ingredients on our doorsteps so there’s endless possibilities on how you can use them for food dishes,” says Leanne.
Keen to stress that she’s not by any means a herbalist, Leanne also uses foraged ingredients for relaxation and to boost her immunity during winter.
“I make a balm using plantain which is really good for sunburn,” says Leanne.
“I also make bath salts using fir needles so you can relax in the bath and inhale this lovely vapour which is really good for you in the winter.
“During the winter I also make elderberry syrup to boost my immune system.”
European project on foraging
Foraging also perfectly complements Leanne’s work as a senior researcher at the James Hutton Institute.
“I’m bringing the two things together at the moment as I’m working on a European project to look at the benefits of foraging for wellbeing and connecting with nature,” says Leanne.
A proud member of the Association of Foragers – an international network of professional foragers – Leanne has also trained up chefs and bar tenders on how to forage.
“I’ve done a few workshops specifically for bar tenders so they can learn about how to use new ingredients,” says Leanne.
“I think every restaurant and decent cocktail bar are always looking for an edge over what other people are doing and how to be innovative.”
Foraging all year round
Leanne also says that not many people realise that foraging can be done all year round.
“Foraging runs all year round as during winter there are medicinal mushrooms and edible mushrooms that largely grow on dying or dead trees and wood,” says Leanne.
“You can also forage pine needles from conifer trees to make tea which is good for respiratory health or you can also make a liqueur as the needles create a nice fruity, mandarin flavour depending on the species.”
Spring is prime foraging time though as nature bursts back into life.
“For a lot of foragers, spring is the most exciting time of the year because it really is like a treasure hunt,” says Leanne.
“Every time you go out foraging you don’t exactly know quite what you’ll find and that’s part of the excitement of it.
“All the vibrant greenery comes out and that’s just what your body needs after waking up from winter.
“You’ve got things like wild garlic and nettles.”
Loving life as a forager, Leanne now plans to share the joy even further by releasing her own book.
“The book will feature chapters on how to work with wild food in the kitchen but also how to preserve wild food for the year ahead,” says Leanne.
“It will also feature recipes for making wild cocktails and liquors.”
Wellbeing diary with Aberdeenshire forager Leanne Townsend
What are your top three tips for health and wellbeing?
1. I can’t stress enough the importance of getting on your feet and getting outside. We spend so much of our day sitting at a desk, many of us on screens for far longer than is good for us.
2. Take some time for yourself every day to do something you enjoy – even if just for 30 minutes. Whether that’s reading a good book, baking, or doing some yoga. Maybe it’s time to embrace a new hobby.
3. Eat seasonal and locally sourced food as often as possible. Whether that is food you’ve foraged or grown yourself or food that’s been produced locally, eating seasonally connects you to nature’s natural rhythms and means that the food you eat is as nutritionally dense as possible. Not to mention so much better for the planet.
How can foraging help you mentally and physically?
Foraging gets you out of the house and into natural habitats, and allows you to connect with and learn about nature, and align your own natural rhythms with the seasons. Not only does foraging get you on your feet and physically exercising, it also grounds you, allows you to momentarily leave behind your daily stresses and focus on an age old practice of sourcing food from the wild.
What foraged produce is in your fridge/cupboards at home?
I have a huge red bookshelf that acts as my wild larder, and is just bursting with so many dried mushrooms, herbs and wild spices, pickles and wild vinegars, floral sugars and infused honeys, flavoured salts, fermented wild vegetables, dried seaweeds and so much more. But it doesn’t end there – there are wild jellies, syrups and cordials in the fridge, frozen berries and mushrooms in the freezer and a load more stuff in my larder cupboard! Wild food has really taken over my life and home!
Are there any other ways you like to switch off and de-stress?
I also grow my own food at home and raise chickens for their delicious eggs. I’m fond of hillwalking with my dogs when I find the time, and love to go off camping with my husband in my little vintage pop-roof caravan.
Can you recommend any wellbeing books/podcasts?
Mo Wilde’s book “The Wilderness Cure” is a fascinating memoir charting her year of eating only wild food, and explores what it means to survive off the land, not just in physical terms but also what it brings in terms of mental and social wellbeing. I also love The Observant Walker by John Wright and I regularly listen to the Welcome to the Mushroom Hour podcast.
For more information
Leanne is hosting foraging courses on Saturday 26th August and Saturday 9th September. For more details check out her Instagram page @wildfoodstory or go to her website wildfoodstories.co.uk
Leanne will also be at The Scottish Wild Food Festival near Balfron in September and for more details check out the website scottishwildfoodfestival.co.uk
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