Mark "Merriwether" Vorderbruggen, Ph.D., joins us to talk about the many and varied benefits of foraging.
1. It saves you money.
2. It adds nutrients to your diet.
3. It adds variety to your diet.
4. It lowers your water bill, fertilizer costs, and landscaping costs.
5. It gets you outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine (Vitamin D!).
6. It makes you move, increasing your mobility, agility, and strength.
7. It "connects" you to your food.
8. It "connects" you to nature.
9. It helps you connect with neighbors and friends.
10. And lots more!! Listen to the interview!

We talk about specific plants in our Cypress Creek area, and learn what and why Mark has in his backyard permaculture garden. Interesting stuff. Fun discussion.

About Mark: Mark "Merriwether" Vorderbruggen, Ph.D. has been a forager all his life. Both his parents were children of the Great Depression and their families foraged to get through those terrible times. Thankfully, this knowledge passed on to Merriwether. Knowing how to harvest nature's free food fed him through the poverty years of childhood and on through getting a master's degree in medicinal chemistry and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry. For the last eighteen years he's worked as a research chemist in the oil industry using his knowledge of natural products to develop environmentally friendly replacements for traditional oil field chemicals. More recently these skills have been turned to household chemical products, making your home safer. However, his evenings and weekends are spent guiding people back to nature's bounty, not only teaching them which plants are edible and/or medicinal but also proselytizing how foraging heals the body, mind, and soul...and prepares them for the zombie apocalypse! Since 2008 his website www.foragingtexas.com has been one of the top wild edible plant sites on the internet.

His Website (again): https://www.foragingtexas.com

His book Foraging (includes plant IDs, pictures, mimics, nutrient or medicinal info -- and 30+ recipes!: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1615648895/

His Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Vorderbruggen/e/B0193IH9YE%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

His Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ForagingTexas/


Contact Michael:
1. ccerppodcast@aol.com
2. http://www.goldams.com
3. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-gold-2883921/
4. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/

Join us at CCERP on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152144714995033/

Show Notes:
1. A bit about Michael's infamous Cherry Laurel Tea
a. https://www.facebook.com/michael.gold.397/posts/10153897618387256
b. https://www.facebook.com/gold.academy/posts/891241321006200

2. Diet and health
a. Dr. Terry Wahls’ TED talk “Minding Your Mitochondria:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc
b. Dr. Nicole Apelion on healing MS: https://www.nicoleapelian.com/natural-wellness/?fbclid=IwAR1gTy5tpKlcRl-Okx7hF03fUAGKqbEgjq--xsqDiWMfxh2TE-Z6qD56znQ

3. Benefits of walking/running outdoors on natural surfaces
a. https://www.charlottewattshealth.com/exercise/benefits-walking-uneven-ground/
b. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/hiking-body-mind
c. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/the-benefits-of-exercising-outdoors/
d. https://time.com/4820394/hiking-walking-mind-body-workout/

4. Lots of video Michael took at one of Merriwhether's foraging classes (Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park, 5 November 2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW5E6zvfmK8&list=PLlyWPZGxqu6sTdlltrfHzSvRVNS5XbGq-

5. Some foraging videos Michael has made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2GhHeJrgY&list=PLlyWPZGxqu6ss-8Qv-5jKP7kl5OlkEYbH

6. Permaculture (video)
a. Permaculture Principles (9 min 42 sec): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mwRAf3z9ag
b. Purple Pear Biodynamic Farm (6 min 19 sec): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8i_2VRNwrg
c. Small 1-acre Permaculture Farm (12 min 52 sec): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSNc13cmknE
d. Thriving 23-Year-Old Permaculture Food Forest : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GJFL0MD9fc

7. Permaculture (readings)
a. https://permacultureprinciples.com/
b. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture
c. https://permaculturenews.org/what-is-permaculture/

8. What weeds tell you about minerals in soil
a. https://www.kellogggarden.com/soil/what-your-weeds-tell-you-about-your-garden-soil/
b. https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening/gardening-advice/weeds-indicator-plants
c. https://permaculturenews.org/2017/04/14/using-weeds-read-soil-basic-concepts-get-started/
d. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/weeds_are_an_indicator_of_a_soils_health

Picture and bio courtesy Mark Vorderbruggen.