We Are Not Afraid

Music. Sustainability. Consciousness. We Are Not Afraid is a blog that salutes human bravery in all its forms. Written by musician and human growth enthusiast Davina Brady (Davina and the Messengers).

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

The Body and Soul Experience – A festival for then and now

Awh, the Irish music and arts festival. What can one say, other than, we are privileged to have them. A collective of go-getters, doers and secret fairies, Body and Soul is one that will tempt your soul, open up your chakras, and make you want to fulfill your dreams. As I grow with age and wisdom, I crave different things from a festival. Where I am at now is the smooth running of festivals: step up Body and Soul. It is a beautiful memoir of human existence. Every nuck, every cranny, provokes your thoughts, welcomes you in, and offers you eternity (well, for the weekend anyway!).

As a music put-togetherer (i.e. writer), live performer and general maker, I have seen the festival from most of its angles. Such gatherings have been at the heart of my summers now for around 15 of my 31 years. From working on production teams, building with crew, playing many a stage, sneaking over (or under) the odd fence and once or twice paying for a full weekend pass, I have had the opportunity to truly get to know the festival. As I grow and as the festival scene here grows, I look forward to seeing the field turned into carnival and the mind turn wise every year. This year was/is no different.

We arrived on Friday evening. The car trip down was only an hour from home so we flew down the N3 with the festival glee blinding to other drivers. The usual “spot the festivalites” (cars loaded with people and stuff) was played. With little traffic, we were in the camp site feeling the light by about 5pm. The car was the choice of bed. A Suzuki Wagon Type R, the squarest car a man ever did see!! I had the job of folding in all the seats to make our make shift 4 by 4 foot double bed. A touch of colour, a few cushions and a trusty light and we were home for the weekend. The performer campsite being our new address.

On entry, we had a small wander. Everything was running flawlessly so we were taking our time and joining in on the chilled environment that we couldn’t but encompass. The Sanctuary. Compost toilets. Wow! The space was tucked away so peacefully. Healers, dealers, and wheelers all lined up. Joking!! It was an array of beautiful tents, art work, a giant cuddly concrete sculpture, and a lovely forest area for a sneaky wee over the weekend ( a sustainable wee at that!!). A multi-coloured  circular sand granule live picture rested in the centre of this nurturing space. Every granule had its own mind. Its energy is still with me. Installation-wise, this felt pure and natural to me and I think this is part of the beauty of Body and Soul Each piece/space has its own peace and this will be different for everyone.  The Sanctuary was a safe haven for the next 3 days, with well and being at the core of its structure.

On the road again, we headed towards The Food Board (unknowingly). We were blessed on entry with the smells. A magic sandwich was sought, bought and very much appreciated. The space itself was just like a regular weekend food market, cooler obviously, but what got me was how it felt like it was always there and not just constructed for the purpose of the festival.

As we took ourselves away we mingled through the forest and floated through the colours above us. The tress and birds sang with each step. Trinkets. Wooden hexagons. Paper mache octopuses. An invigorating stringed installation hanging high in the wild. The glass balls. The forest dance floor. We stumbled across Reckless in Love by evening and revisited it at night. The light shows were out of this world. When I think of it today, writing this, they were some of the coolest I have seen at an Irish festival. The projector screens star-studded statute of life, shone so bright over our dreamy moving heads. The stage, made from more beautiful wood, stood still. Able for the banging beats, it created a state of stable amongst the mayhem.

Wood. The wood. I love the wood (NOT TO BE TAKEN WOODINGLY!!!!!). The main stage was other worldly and this is no exaggeration. As a performer and an acoustics addict, to play upon such a monument of nature would be enlightening. Anyone I seen playing it over the weekend looked totally happy and joyous. One thing I do think about at festivals, is how much of this stuff stays and how much is simply ripped down. I was informed that this master of craftsmanship, by Christie Collard and friends, will remain on the Body and Soul home site. Thankfully!

The walled garden was a tremendous find. Funnily enough, it has the sense of a walled enclosed garden, but without the closed and the walls. It was entered by a normal enough size door at one side and this was the mystical wonderland feeling of it. OOOAAHHH, what is through here? Stages, food, water features and the softest grass I have felt through my finger tips. We sat at one point and all I could think about was how soft it was. I wanted to lie flat on it, let my skin feel it, my head rest on it (and I was pretty sober and straight headed). It was perfect. Looked after.

The whole weekend was perfect. It seemed to fly by. My partner in crime and love was performing in The Bulmers Tent and the Library of Progress. Quite a few friends and fellow artists had slots here, too, so we popped in and out when we passed. One guy that stood out was Mango Dazler, a hip-hop/grime artist. He and his beats man rocked the tent, literally. They were so well synced that it was hard not to join in and be present with them. Fearless, they were.

We met people at every corner. People we saw regularly, people we don’t see enough, and people we will always remember. It was a community feeling for everyone I think, not just us.

What was really special about the weekend was I went with no expectation, no calendar, no times I had to be places. I (we) just wandered. If we ended up at something, we listened, took part, and moved on again. If I was tired, I went to bed. I had no need. It was simplistic. It was enough.

On the Sunday, we departed around 3pm. After 15 years of festivals you build up a book of tricks. This year the trick was to sleep rough for 2 nights and head to a spa for the third. A deep soak in a hydro pool. A sauna and a steam. An Epson salt foot bath. A good feed. A 6x 8 foot bed. A balcony. Cows outside. Swallows mingling. The best company. It was one great weekend.

Gentle. Warm. Creative. Motivated. In-love.

A Body and Soul Experience – for the then and now.

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

TIPS TO SUCCESSFUL CROWD FUNDING

17 Useful Tips to Crowd Funding for Creative Projects

1.       Choose the platform which is right for your brand/product.

There are many platforms to choose from so make sure it fits what you are campaigning for.

Ø  Gofundme.com is the biggest of these sites. The perks are you keep all donations and there is no time limitation. It is for personal campaigns and has a worldwide audience.

Ø  Kickstarter.com is for creative endeavours only. It keeps 5% of the total at the end of the campaign.

Ø  FundIt is an Irish initiative for all types of projects. The majority do seem to be creative projects however. They keep 8% of the total collected.

When my band and I carried out a crowd funding campaign, we went for our national platform FundIt. There were a number of reasons for this. Firstly, we could contact them by phone and meet with them face to face if we needed to. Secondly, the platform was known by our peers and some of them had used it themselves for their own projects, as well as, donating to other projects.

2.       Be realistic with your target amount.

If you have a good following try and gage the amount they can give. If they are mostly students for instance, it is likely that they will only be able to donate small amounts. No minimum for pledges is a good way to solve this.

As a band we thought €1000 to start with but when we looked at our fan base we had a variety of people following us. One of our members is just out of college so we knew it would be harder for him to get people to make high donations. Another member had connections to a number of communities which we knew would have more surplus cash. In the end we aimed for €1500 and managed to reach over €1700. 

3.       Do not underestimate your family in this campaign.

Your family are the ones who have listened to you for years and supported your actions. Remember doing sponsored walks? Who was it that filled up your sponsorship card?

My own mother canvassed people she worked with, my aunts and uncles, local people from the village I am from and she shared the link to her social media page endlessly. I would say she got over a third of the final amount fundraised. It was the same with other members. Family were key in this campaign.

4.       Start reaching out to people a few weeks before you launch the campaign.

A simple email or a social media post will do but make sure people know this is about to happen. You do not want to overdo it though as people may get irritated if you are overly pushy at the beginning.

5.       Work with and correspond to the crowd funding platform you chose.

One would think that once you open your account the campaign is live. This is not always the case. The initial process is adding your description, your pledge amounts and your links. Once you have these written up, the platform contacts you with any information that would help you make your profile more investible. They literally proof read everything and if they feel that you need to change something they contact you. I would advise everyone to keep the communication line open as they do this every day and if they do not know how to have a successful campaign, we are all in trouble!! Once your chosen platform is happy with how you present your information, they will ask you if you are happy. When both parties feel it is ready to go, the campaign is set to go live. This process can take as long as you want it to take. If you do not correspond efficiently and listen to what they have to say, your campaign will be delayed.

It took me a few days to catch on to this when I set out on behalf of the band to publish our campaign. Once I got use to how it worked and I worked with them, the campaign was live and moving in a great direction.

6.       Make your description professional, precise and personal all at once.

Remember that funders are usually individuals like you or me. As people we get moved by people so add a sense of you to this campaign.

Ø  Start with who you are and what you have done to date.

Ø  Next; add what the campaign is for. Talk a little about the project and what will be achieved when the project is complete

Ø  Talk about what you have done to date to fund your other projects similar to this one.

Ø  State the amount you are looking for and let people know where the money will go if you reach your target. E.g. Studio time €1000 ; Marketing €300.

Ø  Add a little about your challenges to date and why you have not been able to get the money yourself. Keep this light.

Ø  Thank people for reading your description. Even thank people in advance for donating.

7.       Create pledges that meet the needs of your fan base.

If your project is for a new EP, the people funding will obviously be in to music. So, give them music. Give them tickets to your next gig. Give them access to smaller more personal gigs.

8.       Use social media in the most powerful ways.

Social media is what you will use as your market tool. Here you will advertise the link to the campaign. Use all mediums to engage with the audience. It is important to remember that people all learn differently. For some of us a picture really does paint a thousand words. For others, a written synopsis works better. When engaging with people on a whole, give them all mediums. From written posts, to photographs, to videos, use all the free tools you have.  

9.       Your engagement shows your commitment.

People will share, like and comment. Follow up on every post and engage with those people who have taken time out of there life to help you.

10.   Word of mouth in the literal form is crucial.

Some people are simply not computer or internet savvy. Others do not trust using their debit/credit card details online. In most campaigns, a proportion of people will hand you hard cash to put towards the campaign. Talk to people, let them know they can give you cash (I would keep this to family and close friends however as it could get messy).

As a band we found a few people gave us cash and it was an important element to the end of the campaign especially. Aunts or uncles, even friends, who had not got around to making a donation gave us cash nearing the end of the campaign and in many ways these contributions helped us get over the finish line.

11.   Open a donators account on behalf of cash donations.

Having an account for cash donations is a must. One person should look after it and log all the donations on a Facebook message or something similar.

We just set up different accounts for cash investments but it would be advised to have just one so there is no confusion.

12.   Share the process with people

People fund people at the end of the day. Share the process with them. If it is an EP you are fundraising for take photos of you practicing or writing a song. Send out posts with lyrics to your new songs. Take a live video of you performing a snip it of one of the new tracks on the EP. Even in case of cash donations, if the donator is happy to take a selfie with you while they give you the cash, this can be a nice way to add a personal element to the campaign. Also if it is possible, thank people as they donate to your campaign. You will not always have access to people’s details but if you do and you are friends with them on social media, personally thank them.

Half way through our campaign I made a quick video thanking people who had funded us to date. I simply wrote names on a chalk board, filmed it and used one of our songs for the backing track.

13.   Do what you can to fund money as a group.                                                                                                        

If it is a band you are in, go busking, get paid gigs, rent out your equipment. All contributions can push your campaign.

14.   Do not make the mistake that far too many people make.

Once your campaign begins, get all members to put a little bit of their own personal money aside each week. If for instance you do not meet your target, I would advise that you use your own money to top it up. I know people who have aimed for €1000 but only €800 had been donated. Some platforms say you need to reach your target to get the cash. If you are out €200, you lose that €800, so add personal money. Campaigns take a lot of energy and if people have expected to fund something and then they don’t have to, it will be very hard to get them to fund you again.

15.   Use a count-down system on close.

A count down to the finish line is a great idea. It gives people time to gather there pennies together if they do want to fund you. Simple ideas work best. Paint 10 days left on your back, carve it in sand, or fly 10 balloons. (The picture below was for the final day. I found a stone shaped like the number 1 - it worked perfect)

16.   On close, thank everyone.

On close, engage with people the same way you have throughout the campaign. Sharing your appreciation is really important. Let people know what it means to you to have got your target. Tell them what their contribution means to you.

17.   Remember you now have a mailing list.

The people who have funded you want to know what you are doing. Use the campaign as a way to build a mailing list. This gives you access to people at a great level. Engage. Engage. Engage.

I hope this was helpful. Let us know how you get on at [email protected].

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

#fundit #family #friends #2017 #dreams #record #music #partnership #art #

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

TIPS TO SUCCESSFUL CROWD FUNDING

17 Useful Tips to Crowd Funding for Creative Projects

1.       Choose the platform which is right for your brand/product.

There are many platforms to choose from so make sure it fits what you are campaigning for.

Ø  Gofundme.com is the biggest of these sites. The perks are you keep all donations and there is no time limitation. It is for personal campaigns and has a worldwide audience.

Ø  Kickstarter.com is for creative endeavours only. It keeps 5% of the total at the end of the campaign.

Ø  FundIt is an Irish initiative for all types of projects. The majority do seem to be creative projects however. They keep 8% of the total collected.

When my band and I carried out a crowd funding campaign, we went for our national platform FundIt. There were a number of reasons for this. Firstly, we could contact them by phone and meet with them face to face if we needed to. Secondly, the platform was known by our peers and some of them had used it themselves for their own projects, as well as, donating to other projects.

2.       Be realistic with your target amount.

If you have a good following try and gage the amount they can give. If they are mostly students for instance, it is likely that they will only be able to donate small amounts. No minimum for pledges is a good way to solve this.

As a band we thought €1000 to start with but when we looked at our fan base we had a variety of people following us. One of our members is just out of college so we knew it would be harder for him to get people to make high donations. Another member had connections to a number of communities which we knew would have more surplus cash. In the end we aimed for €1500 and managed to reach over €1700. 

3.       Do not underestimate your family in this campaign.

Your family are the ones who have listened to you for years and supported your actions. Remember doing sponsored walks? Who was it that filled up your sponsorship card?

My own mother canvassed people she worked with, my aunts and uncles, local people from the village I am from and she shared the link to her social media page endlessly. I would say she got over a third of the final amount fundraised. It was the same with other members. Family were key in this campaign.

4.       Start reaching out to people a few weeks before you launch the campaign.

A simple email or a social media post will do but make sure people know this is about to happen. You do not want to overdo it though as people may get irritated if you are overly pushy at the beginning.

5.       Work with and correspond to the crowd funding platform you chose.

One would think that once you open your account the campaign is live. This is not always the case. The initial process is adding your description, your pledge amounts and your links. Once you have these written up, the platform contacts you with any information that would help you make your profile more investible. They literally proof read everything and if they feel that you need to change something they contact you. I would advise everyone to keep the communication line open as they do this every day and if they do not know how to have a successful campaign, we are all in trouble!! Once your chosen platform is happy with how you present your information, they will ask you if you are happy. When both parties feel it is ready to go, the campaign is set to go live. This process can take as long as you want it to take. If you do not correspond efficiently and listen to what they have to say, your campaign will be delayed.

It took me a few days to catch on to this when I set out on behalf of the band to publish our campaign. Once I got use to how it worked and I worked with them, the campaign was live and moving in a great direction.

6.       Make your description professional, precise and personal all at once.

Remember that funders are usually individuals like you or me. As people we get moved by people so add a sense of you to this campaign.

Ø  Start with who you are and what you have done to date.

Ø  Next; add what the campaign is for. Talk a little about the project and what will be achieved when the project is complete

Ø  Talk about what you have done to date to fund your other projects similar to this one.

Ø  State the amount you are looking for and let people know where the money will go if you reach your target. E.g. Studio time €1000 ; Marketing €300.

Ø  Add a little about your challenges to date and why you have not been able to get the money yourself. Keep this light.

Ø  Thank people for reading your description. Even thank people in advance for donating.

7.       Create pledges that meet the needs of your fan base.

If your project is for a new EP, the people funding will obviously be in to music. So, give them music. Give them tickets to your next gig. Give them access to smaller more personal gigs.

8.       Use social media in the most powerful ways.

Social media is what you will use as your market tool. Here you will advertise the link to the campaign. Use all mediums to engage with the audience. It is important to remember that people all learn differently. For some of us a picture really does paint a thousand words. For others, a written synopsis works better. When engaging with people on a whole, give them all mediums. From written posts, to photographs, to videos, use all the free tools you have.  

9.       Your engagement shows your commitment.

People will share, like and comment. Follow up on every post and engage with those people who have taken time out of there life to help you.

10.   Word of mouth in the literal form is crucial.

Some people are simply not computer or internet savvy. Others do not trust using their debit/credit card details online. In most campaigns, a proportion of people will hand you hard cash to put towards the campaign. Talk to people, let them know they can give you cash (I would keep this to family and close friends however as it could get messy).

As a band we found a few people gave us cash and it was an important element to the end of the campaign especially. Aunts or uncles, even friends, who had not got around to making a donation gave us cash nearing the end of the campaign and in many ways these contributions helped us get over the finish line.

11.   Open a donators account on behalf of cash donations.

Having an account for cash donations is a must. One person should look after it and log all the donations on a Facebook message or something similar.

We just set up different accounts for cash investments but it would be advised to have just one so there is no confusion.

12.   Share the process with people

People fund people at the end of the day. Share the process with them. If it is an EP you are fundraising for take photos of you practicing or writing a song. Send out posts with lyrics to your new songs. Take a live video of you performing a snip it of one of the new tracks on the EP. Even in case of cash donations, if the donator is happy to take a selfie with you while they give you the cash, this can be a nice way to add a personal element to the campaign. Also if it is possible, thank people as they donate to your campaign. You will not always have access to people’s details but if you do and you are friends with them on social media, personally thank them.

Half way through our campaign I made a quick video thanking people who had funded us to date. I simply wrote names on a chalk board, filmed it and used one of our songs for the backing track.

13.   Do what you can to fund money as a group.                                                                                                        

If it is a band you are in, go busking, get paid gigs, rent out your equipment. All contributions can push your campaign.

14.   Do not make the mistake that far too many people make.

Once your campaign begins, get all members to put a little bit of their own personal money aside each week. If for instance you do not meet your target, I would advise that you use your own money to top it up. I know people who have aimed for €1000 but only €800 had been donated. Some platforms say you need to reach your target to get the cash. If you are out €200, you lose that €800, so add personal money. Campaigns take a lot of energy and if people have expected to fund something and then they don’t have to, it will be very hard to get them to fund you again.

15.   Use a count-down system on close.

A count down to the finish line is a great idea. It gives people time to gather there pennies together if they do want to fund you. Simple ideas work best. Paint 10 days left on your back, carve it in sand, or fly 10 balloons. (The picture below was for the final day. I found a stone shaped like the number 1 - it worked perfect)

16.   On close, thank everyone.

On close, engage with people the same way you have throughout the campaign. Sharing your appreciation is really important. Let people know what it means to you to have got your target. Tell them what their contribution means to you.

17.   Remember you now have a mailing list.

The people who have funded you want to know what you are doing. Use the campaign as a way to build a mailing list. This gives you access to people at a great level. Engage. Engage. Engage.

 I hope this was helpful. Let us know how you get on at [email protected].

[juniperwildwalk]

The Etiquette of Herb-Gathering

As a practicing Witch and small-scale herbalist, I often find that when I’m out and about I’m also absentmindedly on the lookout for any new, interesting or useful herb species that might help me in my practice. I even carry a small clean jam jar and a sharp penknife in my handbag at all times for if I spot a herb I just can’t resist and need to take a cutting of it for my collection back home. However, while I’m avidly seeking out roadside feverfew or happily snipping cuttings of a rare cultivar of lavender or sage, I’m always acutely aware of why I call the etiquette of herb-gathering.

These are a few simple rules by which I suggest all foraging Witches, alchemists and herbalists should abide that dictate the correct course of action for those who seek to collect herbs from places other than their own gardens. They are mostly fairly common-sense, but a few are ones that might be overlooked, but which can actually be of profound importance!

I will list the rules below, but bear in mind that it’s not like this is some onerous obligation that must be fulfilled, and nor is it some sort of “Witchcraft commandment” or infallible and unchanging list of sacred laws. These are a few things that I created for my own usage, and nobody else is under any obligation to use them. If you choose to do so, I’ll be thrilled; if you find a way to improve them, please do reblog this post with your corrections! 

The Etiquette of Herb-Gathering

Remember that all plants are living things, and if you harvest them too severely, they will die. This seems obvious, but you’d be shocked how many people forget! This is especially important when what you’re harvesting is the plant’s leaves - always remember that leaves are how plants make their food, so leave enough of them to enable the plant to keep growing strongly.

Never forget that you may not be the only one foraging. Make sure that, when you harvest a wild growth of a herb, there may be others in the area who would also like to harvest that plant. Take only a little from a lot of patches, rather than using only two or three patches, but taking almost all of what is available at each one. This will not only ensure that other foragers can use that patch too, but will mean that when the patch regrows, you’ll know where to go back to in order to find it again instead of needing to hunt down a new patch each time.

When foraging on another’s land, ask their permission first! This seems so straightforward, but sadly people forget that plants growing in other people’s gardens (yes, even their front lawn) are that person’s private property! Taking cuttings or fruits from plants on that property without the owner’s permission is legally theft, and can be punished just like shoplifting or stealing a bike from a railing. It also means that the owner will know that their plant is looking smaller because it’s been harvested, rather than them thinking it’s died or been eaten by some wild herbivore.

Always cut stems at a diagonal angle. Never snip a stem so that it forms a circular, blunted end, because this can allow rainwater to build up on the surface of the cut. This rainwater can trap fungal spores, and cause the plant to get a serious fungal infection that may damage or even kill that whole patch. Instead, cut the stems at a roughly 45° angle, so that water beads up and rolls off more easily. 

When collecting flowers, remember that other people like to look at wildflowers. Never take ALL the flowers from any wild plant, both because it prevents that plant from reproducing as it naturally wants to do, and because it means others who walk past the plant don’t get to see it’s beautiful blooms! If you own the plant, that’s another matter - you may WANT to snip off all flowers to prevent it from bolting, like with parsley. However, with wildflowers, always leave at least half the flowers on the plant so that it can continue to reproduce as nature intended.

Never pick a plant you can’t identify with total certainty. Yet another seemingly-obvious one that is nevertheless often ignored. This is often quoted for fungi, because some fungi can be quite poisonous, but if anything it’s even worse for plants. The medicinally fabulous plant known as yarrow, Achillea millefolia, is a very useful plant and a common component of herbal medicines. However, it looks almost identical to spotted water-hemlock, a species of plant so deadly that one bite can kill you in 20 minutes. Make completely certain that all plants you collect are positively identified, and that you flag all plants with commonly-confused poisonous cousins for further identification later if you’re not 100% sure.

Never harvest flowers from plants around beehives. Bees are one of the most important families in the natural world, being responsible for the pollination of tens of thousands of species of flowering plants all over the world and on every forested continent. Whilst most species of bees are solitary, and don’t form the large hives we assume are common to all bees, those that DO form vast colonies need similarly vast numbers of flowers to support themselves. When you come across a beehive, especially a boxed hive that’s clearly domesticated by humans, try to avoid harvesting any flowers from within 500 metres (about a third of a mile) around the hive(s). The hive needs all the nectar and pollen it can get, and due to the rising threat of colony collapse disorder the life of every single hive is a precious thing that must be preserved at all costs. It might be inconvenient for you, but it’s worth it.

***************

These are just a few of the major rules that I personally suggest all foragers and herb-gatherers take to heart. Remember that you’re not the only Witch who needs their supplies! Thank you for reading :)

– Juniper

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

It really is so important that we forage what we need rather than to much and we end of wasting it. I sometimes bring a scales on the adventure so I am not over picking.

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

FRESH WILDER THAN WILD GARLIC PESTO

The main purpose of this article is to GET US ALL foraging.

We have an abundance of food around us, wild garlic being one of them. Making a pesto out of it is one simple thing we can do. This article will tell you how.

Wild garlic grows everywhere around our beautiful isle every year around March/April and even into May. It comes in 2 species. One we find in woodland areas, the other on the side of roads or in your garden. You can smell it a mile away. Sweet and subtle in taste, Irish wild garlic differs from our main stream super market garlic in that it is less over powering and hot to taste.

To make pesto from it, we must first find a good destination. I am a city dweller so I simply walked  Dublin’s Phoenix Park. A 7 square mile park of manmade flower beds, free running reindeer and miles of greenery, with more tree species than one could remember. If you are like me and live in city and chose a city location, a top tip is to only pick the garlic which is off the track and away from any potential dog pee (or human pee). This does involve going deeper into the jungle so bring appropriate shoes and wear long sleeves to avoid the nettles petal!!

THE LEAF!!!

What to look for:

The first thing to look out for is the lovely white flower, usually in bunches. If you see a small bunch, walk a little further and I guarantee there will be more that you can imagine. Once you spot the flower, the part you want is the leaf (the smaller the better really as it means they are young and more potent). The flower can be used to add more taste to a salad, and better still, to a salad drizzled in this lovely wild garlic pesto. It can also be added to a roasted vegetable sandwich or anything really. Pick the plant from the bottom and if you wish, bring a garden tool and take the bulb as well. The bulb can be used as you would any other garlic.

I went a bit over the top on my first pick this year. This has been my third year foraging but this year; I took more than I needed (not a good habit to get in to). To make a good batch of wild garlic pesto to eat over the next 2 weeks, you will need:

Tools: Blender, spoon, scales, small freezer bag, wooden spoon, glass jar.

Ingredients:

50g wild garlic leaf

25g pine and cashew nuts (unsalted) – add more if you love nuts but add a little more oil too

200ml organic olive oil

40g parmigiano-reggiano     (Always store in the fridge – lasts around 2 weeks)

Wilt the leaf a little just like you would with spinach but remove from the heat much sooner. Chop the cheese in smaller bits or buy the grated option. Put the nuts in a small bag and roll with a roller until they are the desired size. Add the cooled leaf to a food processor and blend. Add the cheese and olive oil. If you want the nuts to stay a little chunky stir them in once the rest is well blended.  If you would rather smaller pieces of nuts blend all the ingredients together.  

Dinner solved – wild garlic pesto pasta (just add 2 table spoons of pesto to 250mls of cream and you have a beautiful pasta dish for you and whoever is lucky enough to share dinner with you. Let me know how you get on.

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

FRESH WILDER THAN WILD GARLIC PESTO

The main purpose of this article is to GET US ALL foraging.

We have an abundance of food around us, wild garlic being one of them. Making a pesto out of it is one simple thing we can do. This article will tell you how.

Wild garlic grows everywhere around our beautiful isle every year around March/April and even into May. It comes in 2 species. One we find in woodland areas, the other on the side of roads or in your garden. You can smell it a mile away. Sweet and subtle in taste, Irish wild garlic differs from our main stream super market garlic in that it is less over powering and hot to taste.

To make pesto from it, we must first find a good destination. I am a city dweller so I simply walked  Dublin’s Phoenix Park. A 7 square mile park of manmade flower beds, free running reindeer and miles of greenery, with more tree species than one could remember. If you are like me and live in city and chose a city location, a top tip is to only pick the garlic which is off the track and away from any potential dog pee (or human pee). This does involve going deeper into the jungle so bring appropriate shoes and wear long sleeves to avoid the nettles petal!!

THE LEAF!!!

What to look for:

The first thing to look out for is the lovely white flower, usually in bunches. If you see a small bunch, walk a little further and I guarantee there will be more that you can imagine. Once you spot the flower, the part you want is the leaf (the smaller the better really as it means they are young and more potent). The flower can be used to add more taste to a salad, and better still, to a salad drizzled in this lovely wild garlic pesto. It can also be added to a roasted vegetable sandwich or anything really. Pick the plant from the bottom and if you wish, bring a garden tool and take the bulb as well. The bulb can be used as you would any other garlic.

I went a bit over the top on my first pick this year. This has been my third year foraging but this year; I took more than I needed (not a good habit to get in to). To make a good batch of wild garlic pesto to eat over the next 2 weeks, you will need:

Tools: Blender, spoon, scales, small freezer bag, wooden spoon, glass jar.

Ingredients:

50g wild garlic leaf

25g pine and cashew nuts (unsalted) – add more if you love nuts but add a little more oil too

200ml organic olive oil

40g parmigiano-reggiano     (Always store in the fridge – lasts around 2 weeks)

Wilt the leaf a little just like you would with spinach but remove from the heat much sooner. Chop the cheese in smaller bits or buy the grated option. Put the nuts in a small bag and roll with a roller until they are the desired size. Add the cooled leaf to a food processor and blend. Add the cheese and olive oil. If you want the nuts to stay a little chunky stir them in once the rest is well blended.  If you would rather smaller pieces of nuts blend all the ingredients together.  

Dinner solved – wild garlic pesto pasta (just add 2 table spoons of pesto to 250mls of cream and you have a beautiful pasta dish for you and whoever is lucky enough to share dinner with you. Let me know how you get on.

[ithelpstodream]

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

✌and 💕

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

Propagate, don't segregate. Grow then relate. I'm not an immigrant, I'm like you a template. People, sleep hawl. Wake up don't crawl Land small, man tall. Imagine life, One for all.

Track : One Atom Written by: Davina Brady

[thekeysofalicia]

This…

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

So nicely put. Thank you @thekeysofalicia

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

[wearenotafraid-blog1]

Bravorites

In heart we are all bravorites, all capable of so much, some even too much. Come join this wild journey of hope while shouting at the top of our voices, “WE ARE NOT AFRAID”. 

[wearenotafraid-blog1]