Wisconsin Life

[birds chirping] - M. Afi Lake: This echinacea is in full bloom.

This flower doesn't have a scent, but it's very lovely to look at.

- As a naturalist and a forager, M. Afi Lake sees a food source everywhere she looks.

- Bee balm is very popular in teas, such as Earl Grey tea.

It grows wild over in that field over there.

My philosophy about wild food is it's abundant.

It's also largely forgotten because mostly people consider it just weeds.

- Afi noticed and admired plants from an early age.

- They're just beautiful.

It was just a natural curiosity.

So here is dandelion that's starting to bloom.

Actually, each one of these yellow parts that you see is an individual flower.

I like the variation in textures and colors.

And then that transfers over into actually eating it.

- Tour the outdoors with Afi... - [laughs] I almost overlooked this plant right here.

- And she can find a smorgasbord of things to eat.

- The reason I can eat these things freely is because none of this is sprayed with pesticides, so I can just come over and pick one...

It's so beautiful.

And eat it.

This is viola or Johnny-jump-ups they're also called.

It's often put in salads, used for decorating cakes and other things like that.

Has a very mild, slightly sweet flavor.

I was gonna say, I can eat 'em all day.

And over here, this lavender-colored one is chicory.

People often take chicory and dandelion root and roast them and grind it up, and use it as a coffee substitute.

- The health benefits to foraging are endless.

- Calendula is used for skin issues.

A lot of the medicines that are prescribed today are taken from these natural sources.

Thistle is an example.

Thistle is everywhere, and it's a "dreaded" weed.

I recently learned that it can be used as a painkiller.

I feel like my part is to keep learning about what's available, not only as food, but importantly, medicine.

- Her holistic and natural approach is sometimes misunderstood.

- Oh, here's one right here.

I've gotten the "You're strange."

But there's always one or two who are willing to try, so I think those are, like, my soulmates.

- Having discovered so many of nature's secrets, Afi serves up this antidote about nature and healing.

- We're just totally overlooking the wealth of the planet.

We have many, many woes and worries these days, and I just feel like if you just took a walk to spend time in nature and just enjoy the wonder of it-- and I hear the bees singing over here.

[bees humming] I love that sound, to hear the bees hummin' like that.

- In nature, Afi unearths a sense of majesty and peace.

- I've come out in the morning and taken some of the plants.

Ooh, this is just an example of wildflowers that are growing here on the farm.

I forage because I enjoy it.

And I think this is all of my bouquet.

It's definitely my happy place, yeah.

[serene music]