Earth Day Connection Ritual And Wild Bounty Deviled Eggs
Happy Earth Day! What a wonderful time it is to reflect in gratitude for everything the Earth provides for us and re-assess our reciprocity to the wild spaces we love too. Whether you live in the middle of the city or on the top of a mountain, it’s important to have some kind of relationship with your environment. I’ve designed a three-part ritual to allow you to express gratitude and get in touch with the Earth once again. There’s also a bonus recipe for Earth Day Deviled Eggs in shades of blue and green featuring lots of little foraged treats!
3-Part Earth Day Ritual
You’ll need:
Large pad of paper
Pen
Charcoal or sidewalk chalk
Gloves
Garbage bag
Directions:
In the morning as soon as you are ready to get a start on the day, walk to a pleasant natural area with your paper and pen. Sit down amongst the plants and close your eyes for a few moments, keeping your back straight and tall. Focus on your breathing, taking deep belly breaths and exhaling slowly. Pay attention to your senses. What do you smell? What can you hear? Is there a breeze? Once you feel grounded, open your eyes again.
Look in detail at all of the magnificent little patterns and textures that surround you. Without looking at your paper, draw what you see. You can move your hand around your paper but refrain from looking at it. Resist the urge to peek. Keep drawing until you feel you have captured your favorite areas of the place you are sitting.
Remember that what you draw is not important, the process of paying close attention to the details of nature is the point of the exercise. That said, drawings done in this way often become really interesting artwork! This drawing is for you. Keep it as a reminder of the peaceful time you spend in nature. Now is a great time to also do a little foraging and make the recipe below!
Once the shadows start to lengthen in the late afternoon, head out on a walk with charcoal or sidewalk chalk. When you find an area of sidewalk that has shadows of plants projected on it, stop and settle in. (Bring along some eggs to snack on while you do this if you’d like!)
Trace the outlines of the shadows on the sidewalk. It’s wonderful to get lost in this process, engaged in exploring shapes and forms. Notice how the patterns of the plants are stretched and distorted. Once you’ve finished your section or feel done, leave behind those plant tracings. These drawings are for your community. They’ll bring smiles to the faces of walkers and subtly remind them of the beauty of nature.
On your third and final outing, bring along the gloves and garbage bag. Head to an area that you know may be unclean, and devote some time to picking up all the trash from a specific area.
Once you have finished, gather some of the natural things that are on the ground - fallen lichen, sticks, fallen leaves, etc.
Dive back into that focused state of being completely present and arrange your findings in an artful way. I tend to gravitate towards mandalas, but there are endless options for expressing your own creativity. These designs are for Mother Nature. After you are finished with your design, make sure you thank the earth for the bounty you enjoy. (You can express these sentiments in a variety of ways, through prayer, or song, or simply just holding that gratitude in your chest.)
Earth’s Bounty Deviled Eggs:
These beautiful eggs are a wonderful way to display the bounties of the season! It’s wonderful to be able to go on a walk and find all sorts of wild edibles to pile on top, accompanied by some treats from the fridge or pantry, too. Powdered nettle gives the filling a fantastic flavor and green color, while red cabbage performs some magic on the egg whites to tint them a beautiful sky blue. These are the colors of being out in nature, nibbling on trees and feeling at peace with the world. Though this recipe is designed to celebrate Earth Day, it would also be wonderful at other spring celebrations like Easter or Ostara! (Plus it’s a delicious way to use up hard-boiled Easter eggs too!)
Ingredients:
12 hard-boiled eggs
2 c. red cabbage, chopped
A little baking soda
½ tsp salt
⅓ c. mayo
4 Tbs. pickle juice
2 tsp. Yellow mustard
¼ tsp. Paprika
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbs. powdered nettle
Wildcrafted toppings (see below)
Directions:
Put the red cabbage in a large pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes, then cool to room temperature. Strain, reserving the colored water. Assess the color. If you’d like it to be more blue, add a pinch of baking soda and stir, then wait a couple of minutes. When you are happy with the shade of blue, add the salt and stir to dissolve.
Peel and cut the hard-boiled eggs in half. Remove the yolks and set aside. Place the whites into the blue liquid and bring it to a simmer, then shut off the heat. Let them sit in the liquid until they are a nice shade of sky blue. This may take several hours or even overnight. When they’re finished, give them a rinse and let dry on some paper towels.
To make the filling, combine the yolks with the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy. Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe it into the tinted egg whites. Pile on the toppings! I was inspired by my friend Glenn to raid both my fridge and my favorite trail for some delicious and textural toppings. You can forage your own edible treats, or just dig into your pantry or fridge for some fun and inspired toppings.
Toppings I used:
Maple tree blossoms
Wild violets
Wild currant blossoms
Lemon balm
Wild mallow
Primrose petals
Okra pickles
Sweet relish
Herbal salts
Sprinkle of powdered dried leeks
What can you find in your environment (or fridge) to make your eggs extra special?
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