Episode Overview

Most people walk past nettles, dandelions and docks and see nothing but weeds.

Herbalist, forager and soil advocate Claire Thompson sees nutrition, medicine and allies that can help us thrive.

In this episode, we explore how wild plants, living soil and a different approach to home and education can change our health, our farms and our sense of belonging.

About Claire

Claire is based in Malin Head, County Donegal, where she works to rebuild relationships between people, plants and living soil through wild food, herbal medicine and hands-on community projects.

She co-directs KPM Soils with her husband Kevin, focusing on soil restoration, regenerative farming, composting and a four-year European Innovation Partnership project on biologically inoculated slurry to cut nutrient runoff and rebuild soil life.

What We Talk About

• Why there is “no such thing as a weed”
• How neat-and-tidy culture and patriarchy erased plant knowledge carried through the maternal line
• Why wild plants often have far higher nutrient density than supermarket food
• How Claire and Kevin test soils under the microscope
• Growing biology in compost “mother piles”
• Helping farmers shift from sustaining broken systems to regenerating land, habitat and nutrient-dense food

Wider Conversation

The conversation also touches on conflict and hope in the face of planetary boundaries, what overshoot day really means, and how raising and home-educating their daughters inside this work has shaped their family’s idea of success.

Why This Episode Matters

If you care about health, food, parenting, or simply feel the pull to reconnect with the living landscape around you, this episode offers practical ideas and a very different way of seeing the “weeds” at your feet.