75% of UK children spend less time outdoors than prison inmates ¹, and a fifth think cheese comes from plants ². Inspired by a collective family practice of foraging in the French countryside, Only Take What You Need questions the imbalance between formal and informal environmental education in the face of the climate crisis.

Made from a single hide of sheepskin leather, mushrooms, and common items found in the home, the act of foraging is presented as an essential means by which individuals and communities can exercise ecological stewardship. A centuries-old, intergenerational practice of resilience and adaptability ³, foraging relies on word-of-mouth knowledge of unique ecologies passed down through generations.

However, in the current age of nature deficit disorder, this knowledge is being lost. But how can we learn about something we have no prior relationship with? Can it be said that ‘informal’ ecological understanding is any less valuable than that gained through conventional education? It is essential then, that we get muddy. Smell flowers. Pick mushrooms. Become reacquainted with our landscape and environmental heritage.

1. Carrington, Damian. Three-quarters of UK Children Spend Less Time Outdoors Than Prison Inmates - Survey. Wildlife | The Guardian, May 11, 2013
2. Burns, Judith.‘Cheese Is From Plants’ - Study Reveals Child Food Confusion. BBC News, June 3, 2013.
3. Conran, Caroline. La Ceuillette: Foraging for Edible Wild Plants in Southern France, in: Hosking, Richard. Wild Food: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, 2004. Oxford Symposium, 2006