When Doreen Williams James’s fridge is running low on food, her first stop is not necessarily the grocery store. She takes a walk through nature.

The 47-year-old grew up feasting on edible wild plants and herbs and, now more than ever, uses them to spruce up her cooking.

She has learnt to make everything from meatloaf infused with dandelion petals to a pesto spread with seeds from the nasturtium plant.

The mother of two will host a free class on how to gather and prepare natural plants, in the East End this Sunday at 10am.

Q: Why did you decide to offer this free tour?

I’ve been into the world of herbs and plants for some time now and just noticed more and more people throughout the Island were in a situation where they couldn’t afford groceries and were struggling.

I do cooking classes that I charge for, but I decided to offer something for free because I believe that with my knowledge I can help people identify certain plants on the Island.

With the classes, I show people how to prepare the plants and create proper meals for themselves and their family to eat.

There are plenty of plants out there for free, so if I can help and inspire people in my way, I’m happy. That was the main reason why I posted [my tour] on to the Free Food Bermuda Facebook page this week.

I’m just hoping some people will turn up and take an interest in this. It’s not only healthy for you, but it’s more affordable as well.

Q: Why did you start eating wild plants and herbs?

There were two main reasons. Coming up as a child, my parents, but mainly my father [Hillary Williams], influenced me a lot with that.

We would go out often when certain plants were in season and pick a lot of what we call scurvy grass and wild spinach. You can find it along the beaches and they are very high in iron and vitamins and very delicious as well, depending on how you prepare it.

So he would take us as children to go and collect these plants and then prepare various dishes for us.

I never asked him why he did it, but we were probably struggling and in a situation back then where we couldn’t afford food at times.

There were four children as well as my parents to feed and we weren’t rich. We were basically a poor family growing up, but that way of eating stuck with me into adulthood.

I also became more conscious of the value of healthy eating through my profession as a funeral director at Alpha Memorial Chapel. In this field I noticed some people were dying due to their lifestyle and how they ate.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are so rampant on the Island and people can eventually die from those. I see it all the time. That’s why I started to try even more to focus on my health and made a conscious decision to take better care of my body.

I also recently lost my mom, who had Alzheimer’s, and I read more on how natural remedies could prevent it. It was really an eye-opener.

Food can heal your body, so that’s where my choice came from to get deeper in the plants throughout the Island. There are so many plants out there that you can eat or use for medicinal purposes.

Q: What are some of the plants you use?

In addition to the wild spinach and scurvy grass there is a plant called the ice plant. It’s also known as Hottentot-fig or sea fig.

The leaves can be used for an antiseptic and you can gurgle with it to help your sore throat. It’s also good for infections and is a natural diuretic. If you have a toothache you just take a piece of the leaf and put it in the area and it helps with the pain.

I have prepared various dishes with this plant and you can also use it externally on your skin if you have a rash, sunburn or eczema.

I use dandelion for lots of different recipes. I make a jam with the flowers and also made a meat loaf, which was unbelievably delicious.

I used the yellow part of the plant and got rid of the green parts, which tend to be bitter, and mixed it in with breadcrumbs and eggs and seasonings and it was very easy and simple.

With the nasturtium plant I use it to make a soup or use the leaves to make chips by baking them in the oven.

We have done ice cream and cookies with the flowers. You can also make a pesto spread with the seeds.

Q: There are some plants out there that are probably not safe to eat. How do you go about discerning which are the good and bad plants?

I do a lot of research on the internet and have a lot of books that were given to me.

So in addition to reading I also will go out and find more information to make sure the plants I’m using are edible.

I also network with various groups on the internet that deal with edible plants so I get the correct names for things and compare it to what we know it as in Bermuda. Sometimes we call it by a different name.

I do a lot of research before I introduce it to people.

Q: How do most people find about your classes and workshops?

Most times I just post on Facebook about what I’m doing. I have also gone to a number of churches and done presentations there. If people want me to attend an organisation or rest home and host a class they can call or e-mail me.

I can set up arrangements to do classes and have even done some cooking classes in people’s homes.

Q: What do you want people to get out of this free session on Sunday?

I want them to take on a better lifestyle of eating so they can have a better quality of life.

I tell people, “knowledge is power”, and if you have the knowledge you can do so much more with it.

Learning about plants that are not only useful medicinally, but the many wonderful edible plants on the Island can be really helpful.

Also, many people are facing hard economic times, so I’m hoping those who are struggling can take this opportunity to learn what they can go out and pick and that it would allow them to help themselves and their family and others.

I am hoping people will feel encouraged by it and take on the opportunity and take advantage of it. These classes are things I normally charge for, but through the month of May I’m offering them free for those who are struggling.

They just need to get in touch with me so I know what kind of numbers I am dealing with on the weekend.

• Contact Ms Williams James by e-mail: wildherbsnplantsofbda@gmail.com. Or check out her Facebook page: Wild Herbs and Plants in Bermuda.