On 29 Mar 2005 08:21:02 -0800, wrote:

I was excited when I saw Katra's reply last night, and thought it was
perfect. Then I woke up and saw China's words and now feel bummed out
over the idea.

I'm not sure if what you're saying has any merit. I don't know if there
really are "many edible indigenous species", and if there are I don't
know how I'm supposed to discover them.

It's sounds to me like you haven't really through this through. There
are books and web sites galore on the subject. Here are the first two
I googled.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...880603-5864648
http://therucksack.tripod.com/edibleplants.htm

There are some trees, and
various wild plants here and there, but mostly I see road, concrete,
and houses surrounded by manicured lawns.

So, where were you going to plant the seeds you get? You can't plant
them on someone else's property or even on public land. If you try and
utilize commercial road easements, you run the risk of having all
kinds of chemicals contaminate what you're planning on eating; and
that's if the local highway department doesn't mow everything down.


Besides, what is so wrong with change?

Yeah, what's wrong with acres and acres of kudzu! It's edible, after
all, and can be made into paper or medicines.


It seems like you want to make
me feel guilty over spreading "weeds", but I myself am a weed by your
definition. Should I go back to Europe and tell the native americans to
try and make things how they were? It is impossible. We are passed the
point of no return, so why should we tip-toe around doing the same with
plants?

Well, your melodrama aside, because indiscriminate introduction of
non-native plants can damage the environment. Pernicious non-natives
can replace native plant species that native animal species depend on
for food. Once again, a quick google can give you some good
information.

http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/seagrant/...tml#theproblem
http://www.invasiveplants.net/impsal.htm

Now, I don't think most of the plants that you're thinking of are
likely to be an environmental hazard, but since you were pretty
vague about what you wanted, I thought it was worth mentioning.


I don't know what to think about these ideas raised. I did a quick
search to try and see what indigenous plants are edible, but didn't see
anything. The problem is that all of these teachings seem to be lost,
or remain only in a few diehards and academic circles. Everyone goes to
the grocery store, and spends all of their time on non-edible gardening
in order to create an image that makes their neighbors envious. It
seems like if the stores were gone, there wouldn't be enough native
plants for me to survive.

Actually, there's been a pretty strong movement in the home gardening
sphere to use more native plants and flowers. There are nurseries that
offer only native plants, and organizations that support their use.

http://www.nanps.org/index.shtml is a good place to start.

Edible landscaping is another trend that has grown in popularity.
Google on "Edible Landscaping" and look at all the hits.


But I guess I have some things to think about before proceeding. I just
dream of a land where I can be out for a walk, miles from home, and be
able to pick fresh foods right off the vine.

You come on my land uninvited and steal pecans, blueberries,
blackberries, peppers, tomatoes, or whatever else I have, and
you're gonna be in for a world of hurting.

Pilfering and trespassing are against the law, and well they should
be! I know pilfering can be a real problem for farmers whose fields
are next to roads. People help themselves to corn, watermelons,
tomatoes, apples, or oranges, among others. A farmer's profit margin
can be very slim, and the pilfering can really hurt them.

Faster than the fastest
fast food, and infinitely more fulfilling. Imagine if there were fruit
and nut trees in every yard, in every strip of land, even amongst the
city landscape.

So, if the city plants ornamental kale and cabbages, everyone
should be able to stop pick some on their way home? How long do you
think the kale would last? The university here uses rosemary and
ornamental peppers as part of its landscaping, should everyone who
passes by be able to pick some? What about the people who get there
too late to get any peppers, what about them?


I have grown tired of the commercialization of every nuance of life and
want to break free... becoming self-sustained by the land around me,
and I want the same experience to be available to everyone else so that
they can remember what has been forgotten.

How much land do you think it takes to sustain one person for a year?

And what about the other wildlife? Do we kill all the squirrels so we
can all go for a walk and pick up pecans? Do we poison the birds so
that there are plenty of berries in the woods for us?

I have a friend who has three huge sour cherries in his yard. Every
spring it's a race to see who gets the cherries, him or the birds. Oh,
he complains loudly, but I think he secretly enjoys the birds. At
least, he adamantly refuses whenever it is suggested that he put nets
on the bushes.

If you have ideas for how I should go about doing that with native
plants, I am listening. Otherwise I don't see why I shouldn't cover my
area with melon weeds, squash weeds, pepper weeds, etc. Anything would
be better than sterile, lifeless lawns that can't be eaten.

I really don't think you have a grasp of what it takes to grow melons,
squash, or peppers. Most won't survive without some assistance. Sure,
zucchinis will pop up all around the compost pile, but what happens if
there are a couple of weeks of really dry weather? I have a pepper
that reseeds itself every year, and is spread by the birds, but I
really can't see anyone picking and eating a handful of those hot
little suckers! You haven't been very specific about what part of
the Northeast you live in, either, but it might be too cold for most
veggies to reseed from year to year.

What zone are you in?



Penelope