Crunchy Christian Podcast

Crunchy Christian Podcast


Food Shortage? Not If You Eat Wild!

February 12, 2021

Join Julie today as she talks with herbalist and naturalist, Karen Stephenson of Edible Wild Food about how to combat food shortage and gain better nutrition through edible wild foods. As we know, God gave us far more than just 25 plant species to eat. The planet is bursting with edible wild foods that are available for free. Listen to this interview to learn more about how you can take advantage of God’s abundance and secure your family against food shortages and nutrient depletion.  Karen is also one of the featured speakers at the upcoming Family Wellness Conference.
So, Karen, tell us a bit about how you became interested in wild edibles.
It goes back to my teenage years.  I grew up in a neighborhood in which there were maybe just a handful of Italian families. And it was common to see the Italian women collecting dandelions. When I asked my parents about that, they said, “Well, that's just what the Italians do.” And my mom, she was like a typical British cook, you could say. And so, our meals growing up were not very exciting when it came to exploring new flavors and spices. So, when I moved out, that's what I started to do. I started to get a little bit more adventurous in the kitchen.

Then, maybe after about a year or two, I was thinking about those Italian women and I started incorporating the dandelions. Then I thought, This is incredible! There has to be more. And I started examining all these different plants. And then it was just one plant led to another. But, I went into a holding pattern when I became a mother with three little kids, all close in age. But then one day, I was looking at the goldenrod one autumn. It was late, late August and I was looking at this sea of yellow thinking, OK, that's the next one. You've got to be good for something. There wouldn't be as many if there were no purpose. There has to be a purpose. Well, that opened the floodgates and I went from one plant to another again. That’s how it all started.
And how did you just segue that into teaching others about the wild edibles?
In 2009, I started coming across certain articles on the Internet. These articles talked about a food shortage in the future and that grocery store food prices would be through the roof. They talked a bit about food sustainability and it got me thinking about Scripture, too. I really struggled with it because no matter what you have or don’t have, with a little knowledge, you can have the most nutrient-dense meal to serve your family every day—for free. So, my husband helped me set up a website and then I spent an entire year doing photography research. Then, I realized that I needed some credentials since, you know, that’s the first question people often ask. And that’s what led me to become an herbalist and a naturalist.
So, tell us a bit about how edible wild food can protect you from food shortage and why people should eat wild foods.
Bottom line, there is no secret the soils are nutrient depleted. And this is not a new revelation. People have been warning us about this for some time and this is coming from the USDA's website.

So bottom line is, if our vegetables are grown in nutrient depleted soils and we're eating these nutrient depleted vegetables, we are now nutrient depleted.

Hear more about this by listening to the podcast! Karen also talks about simple ways to get started with wild foods, even if you live in an urban area.

Karen talks in greater detail about this topic at the Family Wellness Conference. Find her at her website, Edible Wild Food, and enjoy her extensive collection of recipes and articles.