Knowledge of nature came from my grandmother and parents. They taught us how to use manure and later artificial fertilizer, how each plant needed a handful. Grandmother treated ailments naturally – she would put a plantain leaf on a wound to heal it, and she would warm a thick ‘kroka’ (houseleek) leaf and place it on the ear. We knew to gather thistle for the pigs and nettles for food. Flax and hemp were taken to soak in the Drava river. My sister wove ‘cekere’ (woven bags), which helped the household. We were taught to use everything, to throw nothing away. I especially remember how grandmother would pray the rosary in the garden while we watched the cows – work and spirituality were connected. That knowledge may seem modest today, but it fed and healed us for generations.