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A love letter to nature

It Blooms in Lana and Surroundings

Plants have their own presence and personality, each interaction with them grounds me in the moment – it’s impossible not to be mindful when you are out collecting fruits or flowers, looking for mushrooms or hunting herbs. You are truly present, focused on the here and now, the shapes of the leaves, the careful way in which each foot step you take is considered, so as not to trample anything or anyone underneath… Searching for a glimmer of silver on the underside of an unfurled tendril, a particular shade of green amongst hundreds; a smooth and tear shaped leaf, or five petals as golden as the sun. Crushing leaves and flowers between thumb and index finger, releasing scents and juices, colours so unexpected.
Entering the forest, I encountered a familiar ally: the stinging nettle, Urtica dioica. Known for its culinary uses, nettles are packed with nutrients, boasting iron levels comparable to spinach and kale, along with zinc, magnesium, and high protein content. Though often overlooked in summer when the leaves turn tough, the plant remains versatile—its tall stems can be stripped, dried, and twisted into cordage. Nettles also feature in folklore, such as Hans Christian Andersen’s The Wild Swans, where a princess painfully knits nettle shirts to save her brothers, transformed into swans by an evil stepmother. Today, a beautiful film The Nettle Dress by Dylan Howitt follows a textile artist who spends seven years making a dress by hand from the foraged fibres of stinging nettles. This time of year, I collect the seeds to use fresh and green to roll handmade chocolate truffles in, or to dry for use in muesli, breads, cakes and cookies. The seeds are said to be antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and a stimulant.

Eat your weeds
Summer’s offerings are still abundant at altitude, although commonly labelled as weeds, these plants are useful in the kitchen and medicine cabinet. Pineapple weed (Matricaria discoidea), is a low-growing plant resembling chamomile without petals, which releases a pineapple scent when crushed. Often unnoticed, it thrives along pathways, its aroma sometimes detected before it's seen. Its flower heads and leaves are versatile—raw in salads, cooked with fruit, made into syrups or teas, or infused in milk for desserts like
panna cotta, ideally served with strawberries – preferably wild ones. Next, I encounter common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), a surprisingly versatile and nutritious member of the
carrot family. At every stage, it offers something: spring’s sweet young shoots can be steamed like Greek horta, while the florets, dipped in batter, make perfect tempura. The green seeds,
with a cardamom-like flavor, shine in cookies or Swedish kardemummabullar, while dried seeds add depth to pickling mixes and spice rubs. Once so popular in Russia, hogweed’s old name, borschevnic, reveals its origins as the key ingredient in borscht—originally a soup made from lactofermented hogweed.

Dream deep
Named after the goddess Artemis, mugwort – Artemesia vulgaris was a plant sacred to the Druids who used the plant in their Nine Sacred Herbs, incorporating it in healing charms and many other spiritual practices. It was integral to the ancient Greek understanding of lunar cycles, fertility, divination, and protection and the Romans similarly revered mugwort, with soldiers and travelers often placing it into their shoes for safety and to ward off exhaustion. Many indigenous cultures consider mugwort to be a sacred herb that enhances dream experiences and facilitates communication with the spirit world and ancestors. In some indigenous traditions, mugwort is used as a smudging herb to prepare for dreaming or to improve dream
recall, I often make an infusion of the plant to aid digestion after dinner, with the hope of having my own Midsummer’s dream.

Sunlit remedy
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is said to ward off fevers, attract love, and protect against fire and evil spirits. Its golden, five-petaled flower has enchanted for thousands of years. The leaves release a red oil when rubbed, which, when steeped in carrier oil, makes a healing remedy for muscle aches, burns, and cuts. On my walk, I came across a meadow carpeted in gold, there’s a legend says that if you step on a St. John’s Wort plant, you will be stolen away by a faerie horse. I still haven’t. But maybe you will.

Guardians of Green Wisdom
A journey around the territory of Lana will greet you not only with a profusion of plants but also of custodians of local herb lore and ancient knowledgAt Roachhof in Völlan/Foiana, lives Thea Holzner Frei, a certified herbal expert with FNL training (FNL stands for Freunde naturgemäßer Lebensweise – Friends of a Natural Lifestyle). During a guided tour through her home, herb garden and the chestnut grove, visitors can learn about a number of cultivated plants and medicinal herbs, as well as their uses in both cooking and traditional folk medicine. In the subsequent workshop, participants have the opportunity to create their own products, such as spreads, tinctures, salves or herbal salts. The experience finishes with a tasting, featuring a herbal-flower drink, homemade bread and spreads. One of Thea’s favorite herbs is lemon balm, which thrives in many gardens but is rarely found in the wild. It can be used
for herbal teas or tinctures, blended with other herbs for refreshing summer drinks, and added to salads or desserts.
At Wieserhof in Pawigl/Pavicolo, Hildegard Winkler tends a garden of many herbs, where a sensory path winds to the forest's edge, inviting visitors to see, smell, and feel nature’s bounty. Among her favourites is sage. The aromatic herb comes in both cultivated and wild varieties, and both are used for combating tiredness and exhaustion and for sore throats when gargled as a tea because sage contains many tannins. Hildegard also advocates using sage incense for clearing negative energies.
During the Lana in Bloom festival Anni Pircher invites you to embark on an enchanting herbal discovery tour, complemented by the culinary talents of chef Christian Pircher, who crafts exquisite dishes featuring fresh herbs and flowers, turning each meal into a delightful celebration of nature's bounty.

Safe and sustainable foraging
In some Native languages the term for plants translates to those who take care of us. We have to also take care of these plant allies too. Here are some tips on sustainable foraging.
1. Take only what you need. Collect small quantities and leave plenty behind for animals and other foragers.
2. Eat your weeds. Harvesting abundant or invasive plants is a win-win for nature crafting and environmental conservation.
3. Respect rules and permissions. Avoid collecting from national parks or private property without consent.
4. Be aware of where you collect. Urban foraging has become popular, but it comes with its own set of considerations. Avoid areas with intensive farming or that exposed to
other pollutants including popular dog walking areas.

All plants mentioned in this article are abundant and heavily researched but please consult a physician before using plants as medicine and pay special attention to using plants when pregnant.