Getting to Know You <3...
Hello there, nice to “meet” you!
Thank you so much for stopping by my humble #everydayforage food blog! There are so many food blogs out there, so why start another one?…
Lemme tell ya-over the last six years I have lived through immense lifestyle transitions; traveling the world with food allergies (gluten and dairy) is not always easy and eating closely to the land can be challenging when the most convenient place to eat food is at the grocery store or eating out. I’ve been back in the US for a year now, and honestly, my palate and taste buds have expanded past what conventional groceries stores can provide. I’m grateful and understand the privilege I am in to be able to hop into my car or public transport and be at a fully loaded grocery store with 5-10min. I love eating annuals, and tropical plants :), but my body is craving more nutrient dense foods…in the wild of the Midwest. And that’s what I’m here to share with you and hopefully inspire you to get outside and say hello to our diverse plant family that is screaming (well, plant screaming aka flowers and fruits?:) at us to use them, eat them, love them, and learn more about them. I believe that now, more than ever it is vital for us to not only eat locally but to learn more about everyday plants that we may pass by on our way to work or have landscapers pull out as “weeds.” I deeply believe that the universe provides, we just need to learn how to listen. So join me on this food journey and get more “wild” onto your plate!
“There will be plenty of opportunities to connect with me in person on foraged walks, biking trips, secret pop up foraged dinners, and speaking engagements…if you’re in Chicago, you’re in luck!”
PSS..BUT DON’T WORRY, I TRAVEL A LOT, IF YOU’D LIKE ME TO JOIN YOU, SEND ME A MESSAGE!
This has been a dream of mine for nearly two years now, so I feel excited and grateful to get the ball rolling and share my love of the outdoors and nature’s bounty with you through foraged food for everyday cooking and lifestyle!
To give you a little background of who I am and what to expect from this site, I’ll ramble on… My name is Nina Lawrin, I’m a visual artist by trade and after years of oil painting discovered that my love for expression in oil paintings got me very… and I mean very…sick. I had severe pains in my hands all day long for 3 years and they were so stiff in the mornings that I wasn’t able to hold my morning tea! I was in my early 20’s so thought there was something seriously wrong with me that my body was shutting down. Not to mention the countless times I got sick, was on antibiotics, I was also overweight with missing periods and used birth control as a “mask band-aid” to “solve” my missing moon times.
It took four years, but I discovered through my own research and working for a company called; “Non-Toxic Print,” where I speculated that I had a sensitivity to turpentine (and the numerous other chemicals I exposed my body to through printmaking). When that realization struck me, it struck hard, and resonated with every cell in my body. I immediately cleaned out my studio, redesigned my artistic work to discover (and often times learn from traditional knowledge) non-toxic materials in the form of site specific natural dyes and cellulose fiber. (If you’re interested: ninalawrin.com). I got off birth control and started to educate myself on food. I found out in 2012 that I am allergic to gluten and dairy products too… And ya know, life’s interesting in this way–something really scary and uncomfortable happens and I feel like holy sh*t the world is caving in on me, but I’ve found that when I listen to my body, I’m capable of recreating my reality-and hint, hint-so are you! My life completely changed, and while I still continue to strive to learn and be more engaged both to my inner self and mother nature, I’m living a life much more engaged to the earth and to myself, and I’m hear to share this goodness with you, even during times of uncomfortable growth.
So, fast forward six years later, I’m here today writing you with NO pains in my hands, 45lbs lighter-aka healthier, happy healthy regular periods every month (thanks to some serious determination to love myself to get healthier not “skinnier” as well as an AMAZING program called Woman Code-but we will get to that in more details another day), and a whole lot wiser on growing food, foraging in the Midwest, and eating for my hormones.
If you’re interested in my more “formal” credentials-check out my CV__HERE__
My passing down this knowledge that I have accumulated over the years means the world to me and would not have been possible without the numerous relationships I have developed and traditional wisdom passed down by generous individuals and institutions who have dedicated their lives and career to social justice and food sovereignty. I’m so grateful you are here with me on this journey to reconnect to nature. And just so you know-I quote and credit every source I use-I’ll be the first to admit that I do not know it all, but asking the universe for some help and guidance has offered me some pretty unique experiences and I think that if someone puts in the work and inspires; share and share some more so that more can benefit, but give credit where credit is due. With that being said, if you’d like to use one of my recipes or my content, share and share some more, but please credit loveren collections. We’re all in this together, lets get to know each other more authentically and develop our own unique twists on life!
Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude…
I will also do my absolute best provide scientific names and accurate content to the historical usages and customs. With that being said, please, if you happen to notice an error or would like to add content, suggestions, constructive criticism, or contributions, all are warmly welcomed.
So, what’s in it for you? How about talking about food… A LOT…and better yet, wild food in nature…?!?! This blog is dedicated to talk about ladies health with highlighted foraged foods, with recipes to be able to 1. Grow your own, 2. Pick your own, 3. Buy your own and Implement Wild foods into your everyday life to help bring biodiversity back into your diet and reconnect with Mother Nature. All recipes are GLUTEN FREE and while most are VEGAN/VEGETARIAN, I am not attached to any one type of lifestyle or “diet.” Eat responsibly and what your body needs There will be tips and tricks as I go about traveling on budget while prioritizing balanced hormones through: car, plane, and BIKE travel! There will also be plenty of times to connect with me in person on foraged walks, biking trips, secret pop up foraged dinners, and speaking engagements.
So, who’s with me?! Alrighty then…lets get on those hiking boots, I’ll meet ya outside!
Let’s get out into the wild and #forageeveryday!
Looking forward to our journey together,
May all people (and some extra love to women) have health, strength, and be in touch with their wild
<3
Nina
