Sunny Savage | Inviting the Wild Inside

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ALOHA, I’M SUNNY SAVAGE

Internationally recognized wild food forager. I’ve taught thousands of people about wild foods, have traveled to every continent, and enjoy distilling my observations of the natural world into storied solutions.

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Discover six edible invasive species in Hawaii with the Savage Kitchen App. Find wild foods near you, with mapping and recipes for tropical and subtropical locations around the globe. Wild adventures await!

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SUNNY’S WILD WORLD

Blog of all things wild.

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Citizen Science for All Ages

Spring Greens of Appalachia

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@SUNNYSAVAGEOFFICIAL

pōpolo coming in strong! . . . #loveyourwild #pop

pōpolo coming in strong!
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#loveyourwild #popolo #solanumamericanum #americannightshade #glossynightshade #wildfruit #wildfood #wildfoolove #foraging #eatlocal #maui #hawaii #hawaiianislands

In just 2 hours from now I’m hosting a networkin

In just 2 hours from now I’m hosting a networking session at the IUCN Youth Summit, and nearly everyone will have a Wild Amaranth growing (or seeds in the soil) nearby. Global plant connections powering people connections - I so hope you’ll join us!

In awe that we have youth registered for this session from Lebanon, Canada, India, Peru, Mexico, Cameroon, Portugal, Switzerland, Ireland, Morocco, Chile, Bangladesh, Kenya, Brazil, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States. Register at iucnyouthsummit.org and then download the Whova app...look for “Networking Session with Sunny Savage”.
🌿✌🏽🌿 see you there!

#loveyourwild #foraging #invasivespecies #eattheinvasives #IUCNcongress #iYOUTHcn #iucngys #climateaction #climatechangesolutions #wildfood #conservation #inconversation #biodiversity #lossofbiodiversity #global #changemakers #action #sunnysavage #hawaii #maui #hawaiianislands

Want to hear me, along with an incredible lineup o

Want to hear me, along with an incredible lineup of others, thoughts on rewilding? We’ll be in conversation tomorrow on Humanity Rising, hope you’ll join in with q&a to follow!

👇🏽link to event in comments below👇🏽

Maasai Community Chief Sankale ole Ntutu @backtonaturefoundation

Huw Wyn is Director of Wilderlands & Into the Wild - reconnecting people to the wild

James Murray-White is founder of Extinction Rebellion Rewilding (XR RW) with a current Save the Oaks campaign

Jay Griffiths has written 6 books, dedicated to nature’s remaining wild places.

Rachel Corby is a rewilding coach and plant whisperer @mugwortdreamer

and host Stardust Magick, transformational artist at Wild Kat Salon @stardustmagickartist

#loveyourwild #rewilding #backtonature #conversation #community #foraging #wildhumans #sunnysavage #humanityrising #globalperspectives

Can’t believe it’s been 6 years since my book

Can’t believe it’s been 6 years since my book was published! What do you think, write another one? There are so many other wild foods found throughout Hawai`i nei.

#loveyourwild #books #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #book #nature #wildedibles #foraging #sunnysavage #wildfood #hawaii #hawaiianislands

Early spring greens bursting forth in Appalachia,

Early spring greens bursting forth in Appalachia, telling stories of the season.

#1 ramps - a mystery to me why field garlic isn’t all the craze when they taste similar and aren’t threatened like our ramps 🤷‍♀️
#2 - garlic mustard
#3 - dandelion
#4 - mallow
#5 - spiny sow thistle
#6 - dead nettle
#7 - sweet cicely
#8 - chickweed

In addition to these I found cleavers, mullein, yarrow, white pine needles, scotch pine needles, hairy bittercress, and field garlic that were either eaten or made into tea.

#loveyourwild #springgreens #wildgreens #foraging #locavore #eatlocal #appalachia #ramps #wildleeks #garlicmustard #tea #wildtea #wildedibles

The look of one very happy forager in Appalachia!

The look of one very happy forager in Appalachia! I’m in West Virginia, dropping my oldest son off to live and apprentice with a blacksmith through the fall. Early spring highs and lows have us finding all kinds of delectable wild greens (like this field garlic), the tail end of maple sugar season, and staying on a farm where I’ve cooked nearly all of our meals from 💯% local foods in the hollar. Yeehaw!

#loveyourwild #appalachia #spring #earlyspring #fieldgarlic #alliumvineale #wildgreens #westvirginia #wildfoodlove #foraging

I am thrilled to announce that I will be hosting a

I am thrilled to announce that I will be hosting a session on “Shifting Narratives in Conservation” at the upcoming #IUCNyouthsummit April 8th from 7-8am HST. Although it is a youth-focused event, all are encouraged to join. Would love to be in conversation with you on this global platform.

Register at iucnyouthsummit.org

#loveyourwild #invasivespecies #eattheinvasives #conversation #invasivespeciesmanagement #IUCNcongress #youth #sunnysavage #savagekitchenapp #global #climatechangesolutions

We ask permissions from our ancestors and the ance

We ask permissions from our ancestors and the ancestors of the land, but what about asking permissions from future generations? I consider my son Zeb here in photo (and Saelyn too 😉 - asking permissions of their future children and others who will live on this beautiful planet.

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” - Wendell Berry, 1971

mahalo @cadencia for the beautiful 📸
#futuregenerations #prayer #askingpermission

My invasives pupu platter spread! Feasting on the

My invasives pupu platter spread! Feasting on the abundance species = invasive species with a probiotic Java plum mac nut spread, kāhili onion jam, spiny amaranth ranch dip, java plum tapenade, spanish needles pesto, some of my pickled burdock, dried spiced pineapple, local smoked trout, and ya my French/Norwegian side loves cheese. Who’s ready to try? All recipes in the Savage Kitchen mobile app, designed as your companion to identifying, locating and preparing our most common invasive species.

#loveyourwild #eattheinvasives #invasivespecies #savagekitchen #hisam #hisam2021 #nisaw #climatechangesolutions #invasivespeciesawarenessweek #foraging #eattheweeds #javaplum #blackplum #syzygiumcumini #spinyamaranth #amaranthusspinosus #spanishneedles #bidenspilosa #kahiliginger #hedychiumgardnerianum #ranchrub #ranchdip #dippingsauce #sunnysavage #maui #hawaii #eatlocal #aipono #eatwhatget #hawaiianislands

Interested in increasing sperm motility? Spiny Ama

Interested in increasing sperm motility? Spiny Amaranth is an invasive species, which hugely impacts the agricultural industry. It is classified as a superweed because it has evolved to become resistant to glyphosate/RoundUp.

I know overpopulation is on everyone’s radar, but within 6 generations all those people will be gone and we are already suffering from major infertility issues. If our species is to evolve in the aftermath of the toxic soup we have created, eating spiny amaranth could become a very real practice of life in the future. If you hope to have kids, become an early adopter and eat the invasives...they are the survivors and transfer the know-how of survival into you.

#loveyourwild #eattheinvasives #invasivespecies #survival #infertility #spinyamaranth #amaranthusspinosus #climatechangesolutions #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #onewildfoodeveryday #eatlocal #savagekitchenapp #hisam #hisam2021 #nisaw #maui #hawaii #hawaiianislands

Did you know the berries of Koster’s Curse (Clid

Did you know the berries of Koster’s Curse (Clidemia hirta), once fully ripened to purple/blue, are edible? This plant is on the hit list of conservation groups, so harvest berries to prevent further seed dispersal of this invasive, then pull it out if you’re ready to replant with an appropriate native (see PlantPono.org for ideas).

It’s both National Invasive Species Awareness Week and the final week of Hawai’i Invasive Species Awareness Month. The Hawaiian Legislature determined invasive species are the #1 threat to the health, economy, environment, and lifeways of people n Hawai’i.

#loveyourwild #eattheinvasives #kosterscurse #clidemiahirta #NISAW #HISAM #HISAM2021 #eattheweeds #savagekitchenapp #abundancespecies #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #onewildfoodeveryday #eatlocal #localfood #sunnysavage #maui #hawaii #hawaiianislands

Foraging has become trendy, it’s tapping into th

Foraging has become trendy, it’s tapping into the collective unconscious desire for people to connect with their wildness, the wildness of the land, the wild of now.

Not everyone had a grandma or grandpa holding their hand and teaching them which plants to eat in the wild, let alone a society that nourishes our wild sides, which is why I built the Savage Kitchen app. edible invasive species are our abundance species and are our learning tools upon reentry to respectful living with the land, to learn about how much you need and can actually process, a practice in returning to our beautiful wild selves. We have certainly eaten species to their extinction before...how powerful if we used our collective mojo to do so in a conscious way that helps us and the planet.

#loveyourwild #eattheinvasives #HISAM2021 #NISAW #savagekitchenapp #invasivespecies #abundancespecies #sunnysavage #maui #hawaii #hawaiianislands

I’m happy because this jar of kāhili dried flow

I’m happy because this jar of kāhili dried flowers are in my hands (and cupboard), where they offer me a unique and nutritious addition to my diet, beauty and self-care practices. I’m happy because each flower I harvest means this invasive species won’t produce seeds and spread further into what remains of our native ecosystems, I’m happy because I feel like I’m doing something that’s good for me and good for the earth, and you know what...it’s not that hard!

Looking for recipes on how to use this plant? Check out Savage Kitchen mobile app, which focuses on locating/identifying/preparing invasive species.

#loveyourwild #eattheinvasives #invasivespecies #HISAM2021 #HISAM #NISAW #kahiliginger #himalayanginger #hedychiumgardnerianum #wildfood #foraging #climatechangesolutions #longlivethenatives #solutionary #evolution #revolution #earthbasedsolutions #getoutside #savagekitchenapp #onewildfoodeveryday #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #maui #hawaii #hawaiianislands

I love talking solutions, like eating a big bowl f

I love talking solutions, like eating a big bowl full of these strawberry guavas to prevent further seed dispersal of this invasive species. But what sits at the root of why we have invasives, why are they here and what are they telling us? Complex sensemaking leads us to historical trauma of the land and it’s people, a loss of ACCESS, a change in management, unchecked human movement and “development”, climate change, biodiversity loss. It’s complex, there’s more to consider, but this is where the root healing begins.

#loveyourwild #HISAM #hisam2021 #invasivespecies #strawberryguava #psidiumcattleianum, #waiawi #wildfruit #eattheinvasives #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #onewildfoodeveryday #hawaii #maui #hawaiianislands

Haole koa leaves. Feathers taking flight. #loveyo

Haole koa leaves. Feathers taking flight.

#loveyourwild #haolekoa #leucaenaleucocephala #savagekitchenapp #foraging #wildfood #whiteleadtree #leucaena #art #modern #botanicalillustration #sunnysavage #modernart #flight #hawaii #invasivespecies #invasivespeciesawarenessmonth

White pompom flowers and thornless stems/branches/

White pompom flowers and thornless stems/branches/trunk help differentiate haole koa from other legume trees. Mike Ade of the Maui Invasive Species Committee commented in his presentation for #InvasiveSpeciesAwarenessMonth last week that seeds could stay viable for up to 60 years, wow! To reduce this invasive seed bank we could be eating the seeds and snapping off entire flower heads like this when we see them. If we want to restore our low- and mid-elevation biodiversity we will need to more fully come into relationship with this plant.

This could look like commercial haole koa tempeh production, commercial haole koa seed miso production, and other ways of utilizing this high protein, high beta-carotene (vitamin A) food source. In 4 generations we could radically reduce the seed bank, in another 2 generations removal of trunks for firewood/oyster mushroom farms/fertilizer, and the 7th generation a final monitoring of any regrowth and final cleanup. #7generations #imagine

#loveyourwild #invasivespecies #HISAM #HISAM2021 #onewildfoodeveryday #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #savagekitchenapp #haolekoa #koahaole #leucaena #leucaenaleucocephala #whiteleadtree #leadtree #tantan #ipilipil #guaje #jumbiebeans #vegan #eattheweeds #maui #hawaii #eatlocal #aipono #alohaaina #future #climatechangesolutions #hawaiianislands

I might be small, but I am mighty. Oxalis, wood so

I might be small, but I am mighty. Oxalis, wood sorrel, and sour grass are just a few names by which I am known. My heart-shaped leaflets help differentiate me from clover, and I am awaiting your love and affection in your flower pots, deep forests, yards, urban cityscapes...quite worldly if I do say so myself, spreading my heart magic on every continent except Antarctica (as soon as the snow melts there I’m sure to be there too). Children are always the first to find me, an have the delightful ability to know that my leaves, flowers, seed pods, and underground tubers are all edible.

💚 Happy Valentine’s 💚

#loveyourwild #oxalis #woodsorrel #sourgrass #heart #love #valentines #happyvalentinesday #nature #foraging #wildfood #wildgreens #onewildfoodeveryday #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #maui #hawaii #hawaiianislands

Strawberry guava popsicles, it’s a thing! Did yo

Strawberry guava popsicles, it’s a thing! Did you know strawberry guavas are rich in phenolic compounds? Being so high in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti microbial activity that they could be marketed as a “functional food” commercially.

#loveyourwild #eattheinvasives #HISAM #HISAM2021 #invasivespecies #onewildfoodeveryday #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #savagekitchenapp #sunnysavage #foraging #NISAW #wildfruits #strawberryguava #psidiumcattleianum #maui #hawaii #eatlocal #hawaiianislands

🌿💎wild bling💎🌿 adorned in 3 of our mos

🌿💎wild bling💎🌿
adorned in 3 of our most ecologically devastating invasive edible plant species - kāhili ginger twisted leaf lei, haole koa green seed choker, strawberry guava leaf buttons -
I felt like 👑Queen of the Invasives 👑 wearing these. We can apply our creativity when dealing with the challenges that invasive species make us face.

Lei @hawaiiflorafauna
📸 @cadencia
set + style @wingnutwoman

#loveyourwild #invasivespecies #eattheinvasives #adornment #HISAM #HISAM2021 #NISAW #adornment #lei #climatechangesolutions #evidenceofhope #creative #wildfoodplantsofhawaii #sunnysavage #foraging #maui #hawaii #hawaiianislands

It’s Hawai`i Invasive Species Awareness Month. A

It’s Hawai`i Invasive Species Awareness Month. As you know, I love eating edible invasive species because as my friend Vince Dodge generously taught me so many years ago...”eat what get”. For those of you not in Hawai`i, this means eat what you have around you, and stems from indigenous knowledge found around the globe. The “resources” in most abundance are the ones you use. It’s why I also call invasive species “abundance species”. When we’re ready to return to the land, the land will provide —> eat what get.

#loveyourwild #invasivespecies #abundancespecies #HISAM2021 #HISAM #savagekitchenapp #NISAW #eattheinvasives #eattheweeds #sunnysavage #onewildfoodeveryday #foraging #maui #aipono #eatlocal #hawaii #hawaiianislands #eatwhatget