Students at The Jefferson School learn about wild edibles

Janet Phillips, co-founder of My Nature Learning Center in Princess Anne, Md., spoke to students at The Jefferson School Oct. 4 about the importance of wild edibles and raw foods in people’s diets.

With a focus on nutrition and the environment, Phillips taught TJS third- through eighth-grade students about the many benefits of plants they can find in their own backyards.

“Ms. Janet showed us different plants we can eat that we found here on campus,” said fourth-grader Layla English. “We ate clover and chewed on pine and ate onion grass. It was really fun!”

Phillips, a wild edible expert and a proponent of healthy lifestyle choices, led students on a walk around the school’s 43-acre campus to identify edible plants and herbs, and also brought some of her own raw foods from her garden for students to try. She discussed the enormous value – both nutritionally and medicinally – of different native plants found in the Delmarva region.

“Janet believes if more of us took advantage of local wild plant sources, we could make a big dent in the carbon emissions, water and air pollution, and soil degradation which comes with industrial animal production,” said Bill Nelson, environmental education coordinator at TJS. “She also believes a diet rich in wild edibles and raw foods could help with health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer.”

Phillips is always eager to speak with young people of all ages, and her visit to TJS was an opportunity for both teachers and students to learn about nutritious, readily available, healthy foods that are literally underfoot.