About

Hello, I'm Felicity Joy. While I wear many labels like Mama, Forager, Slow/Folk Herbalist, Gardener, Natural Dyer, and the crazy plant lady with a caravan full of herbs and potions, it's my beliefs that truly define me.

I believe in the right and access to healthy, local food and medicine for everyone. Nature's medicine should not be confined behind closed doors, laws, or imported from across the globe. Abundant nutritious edible weeds, medicinal herbs, and wild foods surround us, often dismissed as mere 'weeds.' Through mindful gathering and sustainable practices, we can protect nature's ecosystems, nourish ourselves, and thrive.

My belief extends to growing, sourcing, or foraging for fresh, local, organic, and seasonal food from our own land. I am passionate about cultivating my fruit, vegetables, medicinal plants, and edible weeds, foraging for thriving wild plants, and supporting local growers and small businesses.

The endless variations and flavors of seasonally available plants, along with their incredible nutritional and medicinal properties, excite me. Each time I grow or forage for edible plants, I deepen my connection to the land, becoming more aware of my surroundings and the health of the soil.

So much common knowledge about edible plants & medicine has been lost in the last few generations, as millions of people migrate across continents, and into cities away from the land, their indigenous cultures & knowledge sharing practices.
 
Homegrown Botanica is all about sharing my knowledge and passion about edible & medicinal plants with others. I hope to encourage & inspire others to live a Slow Life and become more connected to the land.
 
I practice Slow/Folk Herbalism, craft Botanical Skincare, Ecoprint & Naturally dye upcycled clothing, and offer Foraging Workshops & Foraging Guides to empower others.
 
I live on the Kapiti Coast (NZ) with my 2 daughters, on 1/3 acre packed to the brim with fruit trees, veges, berries, medicinal plants, wildflowers, edible weeds, natives + a beautiful old Ginkgo tree.

I love to forage everyday, eat weeds, ferment food, experiment with wild brewing, eco print & sew my own clothes with natural dyes from my garden, craft with natural fibres, swim in the ocean, walk barefoot in the forest, dance to good tunes, have yarns around the firepit with friends, & explore with my kids.....among many other things.....I love handmade, local, organic and I detest plastic.

 
Every summer I travel around NZ in my van, discovering & foraging wild plants that grow in different parts of our beautiful country. In my 'spare' time, you'll find me in my garden, digging with my bare hands, growing from seed I've collected season after season, feeding the soil with comfrey & seaweed tea, and hand gathering my medicinal herbs.

Thanks for supporting me to live & breathe my dreams!

Follow @ homegrownbotanica and contact me via  Felicity@homegrownbotanica.co.nz