Midsummer Foraging

With long, light-filled days and warmth held in the land, midsummer is a time of abundance and quiet power. Around the summer solstice, the turning point of the year, when the sun stands at its highest, many wild plants are traditionally believed to be at their peak, rich in both vitality and medicine.

On this midsummer walk, we will move slowly through the landscape, learning to recognise and respectfully forage seasonal culinary and medicinal plants. Particular attention will be given to plants long associated with midsummer, including yarrow, mugwort, and St John’s Wort, each carrying a history of use, folklore, and healing.

In Celtic tradition, midsummer marked a moment of balance and blessing, when the energy of the sun was honoured and the land was believed to be especially alive. St John’s Wort, with its bright yellow flowers, has long been gathered at this time and associated with protection, warmth, and renewal.

We will finish the walk by making a St John’s Wort infused oil to take home. This oil, made only with fresh flowers and traditionally prepared around the solstice, is known for its topical properties, supporting wound healing, soothing skin irritations, and easing aches, pains, and nerve discomfort.

This is an invitation to mark the height of summer with presence and care: to walk, to learn, to gather, and to honour the plants at the moment when their medicine, and the sun, is at its strongest.