by Kathy Van Peteghem
As a child growing up in the country and before the internet and smartphones, I was blessed with two hardworking, talented parents who taught me life skills not usually taught by most school textbooks. Living on a modest income with one family vehicle meant limited access to the social activities of city life. That meant learning to be creative and imaginative for manifesting activities that drew my interest in my backyard. Being curious, I absorbed my natural surroundings and noted the cycles of the seasons (being a Michigan-born native). I was fortunate to come from a long ancestral lineage whose careers were created from a direct relationship with Mother Earth, like farming. I learned to garden at an early age and appreciate all the goodness that comes from planting, tending to, and harvesting that one seed. It is a miracle that one seed can mature and offer offspring to feed a family. My grandparents were tuned into planting by the moon cycles. I learned to plant my above crops when the moon was waxing (new to full) and my root veggies when the full moon was waning (past full moon). Harvest was also considered during the waning part because less fluid was moving through the plant, and this would result in a longer shelf life in storage.
In addition, I was drawn to the wisdom of the medicine that trees, herbs, and wild plants offered. Often called “weeds,” I embraced the garden, nearby ditches, fields, and lawn that grew those wild weeds and nutrient-dense foods like wild asparagus and morel mushrooms. My family picked dandelion leaves from our garden and lawn to make salads, and the blooms were used to make dandelion wine and salves. No spraying to kill the plant was ever considered as it offered so many wonderful benefits and food for the bees and butterflies.
As a young teenager, I fondly remember one perfect sunny, warm June day. I was on my hands and knees and sifting my hand among the green blades of grass, looking for clusters of “micro red dots.” Once found, each one would be reverently picked and placed into my bowl. It was the first week to pick ripe wild strawberries, and they were spread in clusters all over my family’s front lawn. They were always a welcome treat to eat with ice cream or on their own if you could pick enough of them. As the little bowl filled and making my last round, I headed closer to our front ditch to retrieve the remaining cluster. At that time, a neighbor’s car stopped and rolled down their window. They asked what I was doing because they had seen me on my hands and knees a few days earlier and couldn’t figure it out, so they vowed that the next time they saw me, they would stop the car and just ask!
I laughed…then explained how I was foraging for wild strawberries and continued sharing that they are the best thing to eat on top of your ice cream. I also explained that you must be patient and gentle and invest in the lawn-picking time to get just half a cup, but it is worth it. Being outside in nature was also healing…hearing the robins sing, seeing bees buzz among new blooms, breathing in the fresh air, and walking barefoot on a soft green lawn were all peaceful and grounding. They thanked me for explaining.
The next day, they found me, picking near the same spot, and stopped their car. Rolling down their passenger window, they excitedly shared the news that they, too, found wild strawberries growing on their front lawn and decided to pick some to taste them on their ice cream. They agreed they were absolutely the best thing to eat and planned to make it an event each year.
Even though we can distance ourselves from nature and each other at times, we are all connected as one humanity. Everything has a beginning (birth) and ending (harvest). There are cycles of abundance and cycles of scarcity. Each one is necessary for rebalancing or eliminating what no longer serves us or Mother Earth. Thus, choosing to be in the flow, mindful, present, and conscious in each season of life and living each season of life to its fullest is the process of harvesting life’s wisdom.
Kathy Van Peteghem
Kathy Van Peteghem enjoys the creative side that embraces the body, mind, and spirit. She is a writer, photographer, musician, artist, gardener-herbalist, and nature lover who releases a stressful day with tap dancing and Gi-gong. She loves living life from the heart and hopes to inspire others to do the same. ktvan@comcast.net
