A Tribute to Linda Runyon: My Inspiration

I only met her once, but Linda Runyon opened up a whole new world for me, one that was hidden in plain sight!  Back in 1990, a friend invited me to a “wild foods brunch” held at the Landmark Restaurant in Mesa Arizona.  Everything that was served was considered a wild food, yet it was presented like a gourmet meal.  It was all surprisingly delicious too!  I was most blown away (pun intended) by the Tumbleweed pancakes with Prickly Pear syrup!  Who would have thought to eat Tumbleweed in the first place?  Linda Runyon of course.

Linda spoke that day and told the story of how her and her husband quit their professional careers and moved their family to the wilderness of the Adirondacks in 1972.  Over time, she not only learned to identify and eat the plants that naturally grew there, she also learned how to serve meals that would satisfy and sustain her family. 

"Look Down & Eat Up! 

You're walking on your food."  

In 1986, Linda moved to Glendale Arizona to take care of her parents. With the help of her friend Willie Whitefeather, she learned which desert plants and weeds were edible. In time, she developed a wild foods plant walk at the Glendale Library and taught others whenever and wherever she could. 

Linda, along with her son Eric, documented as much as they could so her wild food wisdom could be passed down after she entered into retirement.  Her books and teaching tools are available on her website https://ofthefield.com/
You can imagine how sad I felt when I heard that Linda had passed away, March 12, 2017 at the age of 79.  Thank you Linda for helping to revive this valuable knowledge for our health, survival, sustainability and less dependence on a system that has altered our food and charges us for an inferior product.    

Linda's passion for people speaks loudly with my favorite quote from her, 

"Weeds are in every country of the world, so it's beyond me why there is world hunger.  An entire civilization is walking on their food."

I hope you will visit Linda’s website and learn more about her life and wild foods.  I will endeavor to keep her knowledge alive by teaching wild food classes around the valley.  Be sure to check the calendar on this blog to see my upcoming classes.