Simple Ways to Nourish Yourself with Nature's Magic

One morning in July, I grabbed my collecting basket and headed to the edge of the property where it is bordered by a hay field. The field is a mixture of tall grasses and lots of red clover, which makes excellent feed for large animals. As a large animal myself, I share a fondness for red clover blossom, and use it as the base for my favourite tea blend.

My Gathering Basket Afloat.

By late July, the field has already been cut once and has just begun the regrowth that follows. If you have never seen a field being hayed, it is quite the sight to see. After mowing and raking the hay, the most extraordinary contraption arrives. It looks like a big cube being pulled by a tractor. This machine picks up the hay and rolls it, depositing the finished rolls via a door that opens at the back. Officially known as a baler, we call it the hay pooping machine and find watching it in action oddly satisfying.

Thanks to R & M Farms for the video (MRHillard1 on Youtube)

There is a wide swath of field that is left untouched by the machinery along the border of our properties and a hop across the ditch allows me access. I hope you are picturing a graceful leap into tall grass instead of the flailing, ankle turning, swearing like a sailor stumble that actually happens. 

Fortunately, arriving safely on the other side allows the enchantment to begin. This section of the field is never cut and so is really a narrow meadow, where everything can grow wild and free. I was on a mission to collect the juicy clover blooms I had spotted, but I kept being distracted by little sparks of colour in my peripheral vision. A glance told me I was seeing other small flowers amongst the tall grasses. Still, I carried on collecting red clover and murmuring my thanks as I filled my basket.

Crown Vetch and Queen Anne's Lace: The royalty of all meadows. Purple Loosestrife: A visitor from Europe

Eventually the other flowers won the battle for my attention and I began to really take in what was around me. As soon as I shifted my attention, I discovered a whole new world of delights. I felt a bit like Alice, as though I had jumped down a rabbit hole. All sorts of vegetation suddenly came into sharp focus. I saw lovely undulating leaf shapes, tiny blooms hiding under larger leafed plants and some hitching a ride skyward by winding around the strong straight stocks of the grass. 

While falling completely under the spell of this verdant miniature world, I had the presence of mind to slide the iPhone out of the back pocket of my shorts so I could document what I was seeing. Wanting both hands free so I could hold the camera still enough to capture clear images, I placed my basket on top of the tall grasses around me and said “would you hold that for me please?”.  You might not be surprised to hear that the basket only sank down a couple of inches before finding a perfectly balanced resting spot. Leaving my basket floating on the grass, I began photographing all the flowers hidden in the meadow. 

You have to search for the tiniest flowers, but they are like little surprise gifts.  

Some I could name, like Queen Anne’s Lace and Crown Vetch, the royalty of all meadows. But there were many I had never seen before or had dismissed on previous visits. The best thing about having a camera to hand is that you can capture the tiniest details. I would never have seen that the perfectly formed white flowers who were the size of the tip of my baby finger, had wee pink stamen. Nor could I have truly appreciated the variegated color of the teeniest purple blooms. I think my favourite find was something that looked like someone had shrunken an orchid, it’s luminous yellow blooms looking like weird alien beings ready to take flight. 

When I finally lifted my head I was shocked to discover that I had moved well beyond the spot where my basket waited for me. This little hidden world was so enthralling and enjoyable that I had not been aware of covering any ground at all. On my way back to the basket, it occurred to me that I had encouraged people to seek out roadside ditches when foraging for red clover in my journal entry “Going Wild for Tea (How to Craft Your Own). 

Wild and Free, we are waiting for you to join us.

I’m sure those ditches each have their own hidden world of blossoms just waiting to be discovered. If they are left untouched by man’s hand, nature will allow all sorts to take root, forming small meadows for all to enjoy. I left the meadow thanking the flowers and making a promise to share their beauty with the world. I hope one day soon you will stop by the side of the road where wild still exists and allow nature to whisper sweet nothings to you.