Meet Dina Falconi: Board Member of Wild Earth and Visionary Herbalist

Published May 3rd, 2017
By Wild Earth, Staff & Board of Directors
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Dina joined Wild Earth’s Board of Directors in the fall of 2011 and over the past 5+ years she has watched the organization grow. She has seen why Wild Earth’s work is so important, bringing the benefits of nature connection to an ever-growing group of children. Dina is especially proud of Wild Earth’s commitment to accept all who wish to attend, even those who don’t have the means to afford the program.

In addition to her role on Wild Earth’s Board, Dina teaches at Wild Earth offering her Herbal Intensive with Dina Falconi, where participants explore local flora, learning about their edible and medicinal uses while crafting botanical recipes and relationships along the way.

To some, the natural world represents an endless possibility for learning experiences. The environment is host to an enormous array of vegetation that can be used for medicinal purposes, or even as new and surprising ingredients for a familiar recipe.

Dina Falconi has spent many of her years learning and teaching the value of herbal remedies and healthy eating. Foraging for food, and making amazing meals from what she finds in nature is an important part of her lifestyle. Although it may be more difficult than running to the supermarket, Dina urges others to try this method of consumption.

Dina’s superb familiarity with the natural environment combined with her deep focus on health, nutrition and the culinary arts has allowed her to share this critical knowledge with others. She has written two books: Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair: Natural and Healthy Personal Care for Everybody and Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook, which both follow her consistent message of using nature and our surrounding environment to live cleaner, greener, healthier lives.

Outside of Wild Earth, Dina is a chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and an organizer of Slow Food-Hudson Valley. Dina has a website called Botanical Arts Press, a ForagingFeasting Facebook page, and a ForagingandFeasting Instagram with over twenty-five thousand followers.

Dina loves to see people connect with the natural world. She believes that well-being and happiness grows from experiences like what happens at Wild Earth. If Dina could spend the rest her life walking quietly through nature, meeting a new plant every day, she would be elated.

Violet leaves are full of vitamin C … head outside with a basket and celebrate spring with a Wild Green Goddess recipe courtesy of Wild Earth Board of Directors member, Dina Falconi.

Wild Green Goddess in The Spring Master Recipe

From Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi and illustrated by Wendy Hollender (Botanical Arts Press, 2013).

Makes 2¼ cups (18 oz)

•       1 cup (1½ oz by weight) violet leaf, coarsely chopped
•       1 cup (1½ oz by weight) garlic mustard leaf, coarsely chopped
•       2 tablespoon wild bergamot leaf, coarsely chopped
•       4 tablespoon sweet cicely leaf, coarsely chopped
•       3 field garlic bulbs, or 1 clove of garlic, chopped
•       4 oz olive oil (preferably cold-pressed, organic and unrefined)
•       2 tablespoons lemon juice
•       10 oz mayonnaise (see Dina’s recipe for mayo here)
•       Sea salt and pepper to taste

Purée greens, garlic bulbs, lemon juice, and olive oil in food processor. Place mayonnaise in a bowl and mix in purée. Salt and pepper to taste.