Foraging Festival

Discovering and foraging edible wild plants in Nova Gorica region.

With all our senses, we will enter the spring world of edible wild plants that grow on the Banjšice Plateau. We will search for, observe and collect the plants, and immerse ourselves in their scents, tastes, textures, and colours, thus getting to know them in their fullness. We will return "back to nature, to the wild, untamed source of nutrition that gives us inner strength" (D. Cortese). Since they grow without human influence, wild plants are much higher in quality compared to cultivated ones, and therefore invaluable for humans today. At the end of the walk, we will prepare a meal from the freshly gathered plants.

WORKSHOP CONTENT:

• acquiring new knowledge and skills, which are a step towards self-sufficiency,
• passing on cultural and natural heritage,
• learning about edible wild plants that can be used in cooking,
• introduction to the medicinal properties of edible wild plants,
• establishing contact with oneself, with one's senses in a calm environment,
• exploring unusual, new flavors of nature,
• understanding the ethics of foraging,
• a break from everyday life in good company with good food,
• edible wild plants as a "rescue plant" in today's times,
• joint preparation of wild snacks with local and homegrown ingredients.

GATHERING PLACE: In front of the Grgarske Ravne Herb Centre (Zeliščni center Grgarske Ravne) at 9:00.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: Special footwear is not necessary except in case of rain, when we recommend bringing an umbrella or poncho. Baskets for foraging are also welcome, as well as small knives if desired.

ABOUT THE MENTOR: A walk gathering edible wild plants on the Banjšice Plateau is led by Vita Matjac, a master's degree holder in sociology, a passionate forager, certified herbalist, farmer, and versatile artist. For many years, she has been studying the use of edible wild plants in everyday diets and exploring the breadth of their use and storage. Through practice, she investigates the revitalized process of 'domestication' of wild plants as part of a vast and complex modern eco-movement or a renewed discovery of the hidden treasures of nature that surrounds us. She believes that understanding the grandeur of the plant world is a lifelong mission that can be rediscovered in various ways each time, as wild food surprises us at every step with its versatility, flavors, and healing properties it offers.

MANDATORY REGISTRATION at https://festivalnabiralnistva.si/izdelek/delavnice/.

CONTRIBUTION: 30€ per person.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: info@festivalnabiralnistva.si.