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| Weeds & Greens |
Anyone who has planned a community event knows that people
will show up if there’s food. Better
yet, throngs will appear if the food is free. Until recently I assumed this was a cardinal
social rule…but I've discovered an exception.
Imagine a garden growing in a neighborhood. It doesn't have to be planted, fertilized,
watered, or cultivated. Sadly, it grows
and decays each season without much more than a passing glance or aggravated
huff from the humans that share its habitat.
Why? Because this garden is
hidden in plain sight. It is the crabapples
that litter the sidewalks, the dandelions that riddle the yard, the burdock burrs
that tangle Fido’s fur, and the green haze that carpets the forest floor. Somewhere between the passage of time and the
progress of society, the wild plants around us have been demoted from
life-giving nourishment & health to pretty ornamentals at best and noxious
weeds at worst. I've always appreciated
this garden, but now I’m beginning to study it.
Like a preschooler looking at the jumble of letters that fills an
encyclopedia, I’m facing the overwhelming excitement that is the plant world in
my own proverbial back yard. Plant by
plant, part by part, one culinary and medicinal use at a time, I’m learning to
utilize the wild garden around me. I
don’t have to be an expert, I just have to begin. I’m writing to share that you can, too!
