The self-sufficient man who lost himself

It’s an idyllic concept. A garden full of plants that offer everything you need, from food to medicine to toiletries. A life in harmony with nature. Many people dream of this. There’s a steadily rising trend towards growing your own plants, vegetables and fruit in Europe. Three out of four people now garden, as shown by a study commissioned by Galaxus:

Joscha Boner went one step further. In 2020, the environmental engineer from Graubünden decided to drop out of his stressful everyday life. The then-26-year-old rented a farm in Aargau with his partner Désirée Kuhn and lived self-sufficiently for three years. But the experiment failed. Instead of being fulfilled, Joscha’s dream ended in burnout. He now knows why. And how to do things differently.

Growing too fast with shallow roots

I’m in a residential area in Niedergösgen, Solothurn. This is where Joscha and Désirée live today – in a flat without a garden. A forest and a meadow are very close by, which is where Joscha and I are heading. Leaves crunch under our feet as we approach the edge of the forest. This is where Joscha collects what nature has to offer every day.

He runs his hand over the leaves of a stinging nettle – from bottom to top so that it doesn’t sting. As he rubs them, seeds drop into his hands. «They’re full of antioxidants,» he says. «They fight germs and give you a boost.» «Great, I could use some of that,» I say, sniffling, and bite into the spicy seeds.

A year ago, Joscha’s own health was poor. Three years of self-sufficiency had driven him to complete exhaustion. «We wanted too much and went from 0 to 100 too quickly,» says Joscha, pensively looking up at an imposing oak tree.

The land they rented was on a steep slope. The couple farmed the three hectares all by themselves. They taught themselves everything about cultivation systems and processing the plants. They also sold part of their harvest at markets. But the costs – especially the rent – weren’t manageable without their previous employee income. As Joscha says:

That’s exactly what Joscha did. He and Désirée worked from morning to night, while continuing their gardening training and struggling with building regulations. And then, suddenly, it all stopped working. He’d reached rock bottom. The 30-year-old fought his way back from burnout for over a year. He admits he’s relieved to now have a break from his own garden. Instead, he makes even more use of the nature on his doorstep.

The forest, Joscha’s new garden

Joscha steps into the forest. He’s discovered something on a hidden tree stump: wood ears. The brown, slightly slimy mushrooms have an anticoagulant effect, strengthen the immune system and help with cardiovascular diseases. Right next to them, there’s a small plant with delicate leaves: variegated yellow archangel. «It relieves digestive problems. See, we can fill an entire medicine cabinet,» says Joscha, laughing.

As a self-sufficient farmer, he’s gained a lot of knowledge over the years. Now, he passes this knowledge on to others. Under the name Erdwandler (earth transformer) (website in German), he runs wild herb, permaculture and other nature courses. But why the name? Joscha explains:

Joscha’s trying it with me today. The 30-year-old crouches down and pulls at a bushy plant with all his strength. With a jolt, it comes loose. Joscha holds out long, thin roots to me. «Clove root. You can make a tincture out of it for toothache,» says Joscha, panting.

«Pretty exhausting, isn’t it?!» I reply. Joscha nods. It’s something people tend to underestimate. «When foraging, you can get lucky and find so much that you can’t harvest it all. Or you can come away empty-handed. Self-sufficiency from the garden is more predictable, but no less exhausting,» he says, looking at his almost empty wicker basket.

So, we need to keep going. Joscha bends down into the grass again and tears off a few long leaves. I’ve seen the plant many times on the side of the road. «This is ribwort plantain. Crushing the leaves and mixing them with saliva helps with insect bites,» Joscha reveals, demonstrating it. I also have an itchy spot on my forearm. When I dab some saliva on it and crush the ribwort plantain, I feel the itching disappear in the cool air.

On the trail of hen of the woods

A loud rumbling makes me flinch. My stomach has started to growl from all this natural medicine. Joscha knows where we have to go now. I follow him deeper into the forest. Leaves rustle around our feet, ivy climbs around the curved trees above our heads. Joscha once used the latter to make detergent as a self-sufficient farmer.

But his gaze is directed at something else. He’s spotted something orange in the undergrowth. His brown eyes begin to sparkle. «Would you like some chicken?» he asks. My mouth starts to water. Wait, what kind of chicken?

Well, none at all. Hen of the woods is a type of mushroom, so called because it tastes like chicken when it’s cooked. Joscha takes a piece of it and puts it in his wicker basket. It’s looking a bit fuller now, but do we have enough for lunch? «No, I obviously don’t live off of what I collect any more. I shop in grocery stores too. I now understand that I can live in harmony with nature without being completely dependent on it,» says Joscha.

My stomach growls again at the thought of food. I have to be a bit more patient. Still, there’ll be an aperitif soon. On the way back, Joscha picks me a few cornelian cherries. And then we even come across black walnuts. Joscha found them hidden between fallen leaves and branches.

I’m amazed by his powers of observation and eye for detail. The 30-year-old says this is something he owes to his autism and ADHD. When he’s out in nature, he notices the finest details and patterns. In his job as an environmental engineer, this sensitivity was a burden. But as a course leader, it’s a blessing.

Joscha has found his place. His nature courses are popular and his income is finally enough to live on. He’s happy to live not only in harmony with nature – as he once did as a self-sufficient farmer – but also in harmony with himself. He now even has a flat with the prospect of a small garden. When he cracks open the black walnut, a heart shape looks back at him. Almost as if it wanted to tell him something.

Want to know how you can fill your medicine cabinet, make detergent and refine your meals on future walks in nature? Joscha and I will explain everything in an upcoming series. So, follow me to stay in the loop.