A Wilder Life

A Wilder Life: The Wild Practice; Part 2

This is the second episode of a 2 part series about wild food and foraging, in which I continue interviewing expert foragers Emily Fawcett and Charlie Loram about the wonders of wild food and foraging. In this episode we explore ideas about integrating wild food harvesting into small scale farming and food production practices.. We look at wild food preparation and preservation too, and I sample some wild food cuisine. We also ask if it is possible to live off an entirely wild food diet, something that Emily and Charlie have been practically researching themselves recently through their participation in The Wild Biome project.

A Wilder Life: The Wild Practice; Part 1

This is the first episode of a 2 part series about wild food and foraging, in which I interview foraging experts Emily Fawcett and Charlie Loram. In this episode, we find out about the “Wild Practice Programme that Charlie and Emily run. We look at what plants and wild food can teach us about relationship, and the concept of ‘reciprocity’, and we discuss how foraging can bring us into a deeper understanding and a deeper sense of belonging to our local environments. We also explore some intriguing facts and ideas about the social and political history of bilberries and acorns as a food source, whilst asking what we can learn from this for the future….

Soundscape: A Rewilding Medley

A soundscape from Rewilding Coombeshead in Devon: White Storks, Turtle Doves (and Goldfinches) and Marsh Frogs..These sounds would once have been common in the UK, are now extremely rare….but hopefully these are sounds that will become commonplace once again due to the epic species reintroduction work of people like Derek Gow and his team at Coombeshead Rewilding; where they breed Beavers, Wild Cats, White Storks, Watervoles, Harvest Mice, Glow Worms, Mole Crickets, Adders, Black Grouse, Turtle Doves and Red Backed Shrike for species reintroduction projects around the UK

Howling Wolves and Random Vikings

In this episode, I explore the beech forests of Southern Sweden, and I go in search of the sound of howling wolves, which prompts me to take a little dive into the controversial and often divisive topic of wolf culling and wolf conservation in Sweden and Europe. Like many of my wilder life podcast episodes, this one is part travelogue story, with field recordings from my adventures, and also part topical investigation and discussion. If you find yourself wondering what my sources are for the information I present here, you can find links to them on the show’s website, at www.awilderlife.uk/links.

Soundscape: Turtle Doves at Rewilding Coombeshead

The delicate and delightful churring of Turtle Doves at Rewilding Coombeshead, in Devon, June 1st 2024.... recorded on 1st June of 2024. With just over 2,000 breeding pairs in the UK, a decline of 99% since the 1960's - Rewilding Coombeshead's Turtle Dove breeding and release programme is a vital step in conserving our biodiversity. Read less