It has all begun with being lucky enough and getting into The Wild Wonders forging course for businesses, sponsored by Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER and tutored by Mark Williams known for his successful foraging business Galloway Wild Foods.
The course had 12 participants who had a businesses based on wild plants or were looking to expand around it. The whole purpose of gathering us was reconnect with Scottish wild larder, support businesses based on it and share awareness of how to use different kind of wild products which are growing in our surrounding.
The idea of reconnecting with the nature , wild foods and make it available to everyone had created Wild Wonders course and it had launched first Scottish Wild Food Festival which took place in September.
Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER are working closely with other partners in Latvia, Lithuania and Finland. Those countries has a long lasting connection with the nature and its wild resources. One of the aims of Scotland course was to learn from those countries and we were invited to Finland to experience their wild larder and take part and learn from Wild Food Festival in Ilomantsi, North Karelia.
The tip to Finland was just fascinating, meeting with passionate folks from rural North Karelia was just inspiring. Mostly we were surrounded by forest with patches of lakes. The views were just stunning…