Gathering Days

Gathering days are days when one can only eat things that one has gathered. The concept first came to me at my school in Laos, where I noticed many of my students were becoming increasingly accustomed to the market-bought veggies and meat constantly available. I realized how our school was inadvertently unhinging students from a living connection with the land, despite teaching the importance of this connection in class. Upon returning to Canada, I became aware of how much less I knew about the wild beings that live here compared to those that surround me and my hut in Laos. I could only identify a handful of wild edibles and didn’t really have an understanding of when and where they grow. I’ve decided to institute “gathering days” here in Canada. I will start by doing them once every lunar-month, two days before each full moon. This practice will connect me with the lifeforms around me, with their changes throughout the seasons, and with the presence of the moon (which immediately becomes unnoticed upon entering a city). Down by the lake, I’ve noticed a great deal of chicory, touch-me-nots, and wild carrots, which will serve me well with the crabapples and mullein tisane next Sunday. I will have to begin making preparations for the winter too.