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Weeds: A non-agricultural food crop
Andrea Frank
I have spent hours upon hours trying to write an introduction to
this area of our almanac; pounding out angry tirades about the
exportation of pesticides banned in the U.S. for use on crops we in
turn import; the new dustbowl in the farmlands of eastern
Washington; Seed bank conglomerates that "own" most of our food;
bovine hormones; the lack of health standards in the fishing
industry, the poultry industry, the beef industry, radiated
strawberries; genetically engineered tomatoes; and so on. As a child,
I just didn't like certain foods. Eggs made me gag and vomit, and hey,
they're full of cholesterol anyway. When my favorite steer came to
dinner in the form of steaks, I quite eating meat, and what d'ya know
- beef is bad for your heart, bad for the environment, bad for your
karma, and bad for the cows. But it just isn't that simple anymore.
My queasy stomach alone won't save me from being a living toxic
waste dump, nor from the hell fires for the politically-UNcorrect.
Besides, I'm still hungry, in spite of all this contemplation. Other
than oreos, what is left to eat? (Yes, I know about the Nabisco
boycott).
Well there are some very noble food projects under way such as
permaculture communities and farm cooperatives. If you are
involved with such an alternative and would like to share your
philosophy or your address, please write to us- we'd love to pass it
on. For now, I'd like everyone to step outside their front door and ask
yourself, "WHAT IS HERE TO EAT?"
Outside my front door I find dandelions, ferns, blackberries,
bamboo (escaped from my neighbor's yard), violets, and more. I'm
fortunate to have a yard full of weeds. Some of you may be more
fortunate than I. Some of you living in New York high-rises may find
nothing but concrete outside your dwellings- a sad reality indeed!
But even there, I'd bet you could find a few good dandelions in a
crack in the walkway or in Central Park to make a meal of salad or
soup from. So, get in touch with nature, rid your lawn of those
invading dandelions and plantains without pesticides, stretch your
food dollars, boycott corporate food industries- EAT WEEDS!
Alas, even weeds and other native plants require some caution:
(1) PLEASE don't eat anything that you are not absolutely certain is
edible. I personally will decline from giving any information about
wild mushrooms since I know very little about them. Anyone with
that knowledge is welcome to contribute to this section.
(2) Some natural areas, parks, forest preserves, river banks, or
vacant lots may be polluted or sprayed with pesticides. So know the
area from which you collect plants for food.
(3) A plant may be plentiful in my home state but on the endangered
list in yours. Never pick a plant or parts of plants from protected
areas. Also, unless you are purposefully intending to eradicate a
species from your own garden or in an organized restoration project,
never destroy an entire species population in a given area. Take only
what you can use, some leaves from this plant, some more from that
one, and only what the population can replenish. If you need roots but
can only find one or two plants, leave them alone. Check back next
year or later in the season. After all you just might like what you've
found and want more.