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Hi! I'm Anne-Marie the Forager Chick at Bella Vista Farm

Foraging wild food is my passion! To be able to find food and medicine almost every day is an old skill that has been forgotten by many. It is my job to ignite that spark in YOU to get out there and forage too. I teach homesteaders and preppers how to identify wild plants and mushrooms to use for food and medicine.

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Happy March!

Happy almost Springtime my friend! Hey Reader , What are you doing this month? Are you preparing your garden beds, starting seeds, hatching baby chicks? Whatever it is, I bet you are pretty busy! We all seem to long for spring to come and then before you know it, spring is here and we are scrambling to get everything we want done. One of these days...I will actually start in January with my garden plan! I am only thinking about it now - ha! But the garden will have to wait again because MOREL...

Nourish & Thrive this Year! Hey Reader , At every new beginning of each year, folks say - I want to eat healthier, I want to lose 10 pounds, I need to get stronger, I need to get out into nature..... So what are you doing to make it happen? Reply and let me know. I have teamed up with a nutrition planning service to create some wonderful recipe bundles and meal plans! At first, I will be offering healthy, normal food meal plans...and then I navigate the nutritional facts, I will be...

Nourish & Thrive this Year! Hey Reader , At every new beginning of each year, folks say - I want to eat healthier, I want to lose 10 pounds, I need to get stronger, I need to get out into nature..... So what are you doing to make it happen? Reply and let me know. I have teamed up with a nutrition planning service to create some wonderful recipe bundles and meal plans! At first, I will be offering healthy, normal food meal plans...and then I navigate the nutritional facts, I will be...

What Inspires You Each Year? Hey Reader , January is the time for dreaming up new things to do, new goals, ambitions and inspirations. It is a clean slate to try something you have been yearning to do or even to get rid of something you don't want to do anymore. I look at my list of accomplishments from last year and they don't have to be big by any means!! It could be how many total days I hiked or I finally was able to do ____ or something as simple as I got a PR at the gym on a deadlift....

What's Happening this fall... Hey Reader , Hope you are enjoying October so far, I know I am! Just today, I went for a much needed hike alone with my pup! It is such a beautiful time of the year to go for a walk in the woods, crunching on leaves and acorns and just enjoying the temperatures. Acorn season is HERE!! I want to share a few upcoming events plus remind everyone about the Forager's Academy. It is only $27/month and your first week is completely free. Tomorrow is our LIVE class...

Hey Reader, Hope you are doing well these days! How about getting away from social media and the TV for a bit and join our fun next weekend? In case you don't know, Georgia Wild Foods is NEXT week! I cannot believe it is finally here after over a year of planning this event with my friend, Michelle Withrow. Holy Moly it is really gonna happen!! Just a preview of what we are doing - Friday arrival, a couple classes, dinner, a Wild Foods and Wild Spirits contest. All attendees vote! Saturday -...

Hey Reader, How have you been? I hope the last couple months have been treating you well. I know you will agree with me that we ALL could have done without last month's temperatures of 100+ with humidity of like a million!! :) Super happy to see the rain is back and mushrooms are fruiting again. Between yesterday and today, I was able to harvest chanterelles and shiitakes plus a surprise forage of oyster mushrooms. There were so many on just one downed tree that I will go back out in 2 days...

Would You Like to Make A Living From Your Foraging Activities? Hey Reader , Over the last couple years, I have created a class just for the Professional Forager or someone wanting to become a professional or just learn more about foraging and make value added products. The 2 weekends that I taught this class were well received by all of the students! Is this of interest to you? Just think, you can do something that you love by foraging the wild abundant invasives, make products from them and...

Just a Quick Reminder! Hey Reader , UPCOMING EVENTS Value-Add Yourself Book Signing Event NEXT Sunday, March 2nd from 2-4pm At the Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts in downtown Monroe. I would love it if you could stop by, say hello, pick up a book from me and enjoy some refreshments. I will be doing a short talk at 2:30 pm. OR you could always order from the link below. I love to help folks find their thing, follow their passions or even just start something new. Value-Add Yourself is all of...

Upcoming Happenings!

What's Going On? Hey Reader , January has come and going in a flash. Along with it several weather changes but of course it does when you live in the South! Snow, Sleet, Ice, Sunbathing Days, Rain, you name it and we have had it. Personally, I am happy about some freezing days because it usually ensures a fabulous morel mushroom season. Morels need so many chill hours before fruiting which is why north of Macon gets the bulk of mushrooms. Of course it is nothing like the fruitings in Ohio and...