Can you imagine sitting down to chat with a plant, asking it to share its innate wisdom with you, and then taking the nourishing messages of its flavors into your body as food and medicine? Well, guess what, whether you know it or not we all do this to some degree everyday.

Tune in for an enriching conversation with renowned Range Scientist, Dr. Fred Provenza and myself, your Land Food Life Podcast host Kara Kroeger. In this conversation Fred beautifully weaves his journey, from uncovering the remarkable functions of plants as food for livestock to appreciating their profound role in our social constructs, health, and spirituality. Together, we explore the powerful lessons that can be learned by recognizing the threads that weave all beings - humans, plants, insects, animals, land, and water - together and how anchoring ourselves with nature can regenerate our frazzled nervous systems and ecosystems.

Fred also shares about a time period when life pulled the rug out from under his feet, which opened the door to an ineffable feeling of oneness with the universe. Drawing inspiration from Fred and I's personal experiences, we explore the transcendental peace that can emerge from facing life-altering situations, like a health crisis. Through our personal anecdotes, we offer a unique perspective on cultivating an eco-centric vs. an ego-centric lifestyle through tethering ourselves to nature as a means of deepening our relationship with self and all that surrounds us.

Books Referenced:

Nourishment by Fred Provenza
The Art of Sheepherding by Fred Provenza
Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
The Power of Now by Echart Tolle
The Soul of the Indian by Charles Eastman
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell