Marin eats wild plants: ‘I’m glad we’re not dependent on the supermarket’ | Stories behind the news

“I wanted to know more about sustainability and came across a book about wild picking. I have not let this go. For half a year I did research and read about eating wild plants. I’ve set up a platform to give courses on wild harvesting, because you can’t just eat all the plants. I also organize wild-picking walks. I show people in a city park, garden or forest what they can pick and what it is good for. I prefer to pick plants that are unpopular, such as Japanese knotweed and nettles. I call this sustainable picking, because I make good use of the plants that otherwise end up in a green container.”

How would you describe your lifestyle?

“We don’t live primitively, but we live differently. Together with my in-laws we have a house with a large piece of land that is about six hectares in size. Four hectares of this is used as a vegetable garden and food forest. A food forest is an edible forest where you can find food such as nuts, fruits and wild plants everywhere, without having to sow and weed every year. About three months a year we have to buy vegetables in the store, the rest of the year we eat from our own garden. We grow asparagus and tomatoes here, for example. It differs per season what grows. We have chickens that we use for the eggs and meat. We also use sheep for meat. I use the plants that I pick in nature for tea, as herbs or use them in dishes such as a quiche. We get products such as cheese and milk from an organic farmer in the area. And things that are not for sale at the farmer, such as coconut oil, chips and wine, we get from the organic supermarket. So we are not completely self-sufficient. We have solar panels, but the house is also connected to electricity and we have water from the tap.”

Why do you grow a lot yourself?

“I think self-reliance is very important. We are not completely dependent on shops such as ‘normal’ households. Now that everything is becoming more expensive in the supermarket, this affects many households and I am glad that it does not affect us as much. I’m not dogmatic, I sometimes feel like chips or fries. I don’t get this at a snack bar or supermarket, but I make it myself. Delicious, fries with homemade mayonnaise and ketchup.”

Do you also exercise?

“I move a lot, but I don’t force myself to run for an hour. I work in the vegetable garden which is sometimes very hard work. If I worked there one afternoon, I have muscle soreness the next day. I also walk a lot in the yard and during the wild-picking walks.”

Are you at your target weight?

“I haven’t stepped on the scale in half a year. I used to do a lot of dieting and weighing, because I never thought I was good enough. Because I eat organic, it no longer matters to me, because I know that what I eat is healthy. My pregnancy has contributed to the appreciation I have for my body. I am very proud of my body, that it has brought a baby into the world healthy and well.”

What is your golden tip for a healthy life?

“You don’t have to live like we do to live healthy. If you know how something grows or where your piece of meat comes from, you also know what you put in your body. For example, go to an organic farmer to buy your vegetables locally. By making your food less anonymous, you quickly make more conscious choices. If you want to start picking wild, I recommend the plant ground elder, also known as gardener’s grief. It often grows in backyards. It is very tasty and tastes like carrot and parsley. It is known as Roman spinach, because the Romans brought it to the Netherlands to eat. You can use it in many different dishes such as casseroles, omelets, smoothies and salad.”

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