When people view themselves as separate from the ecosystem there are
two things that can happen. Either they become overly dominant,
completely disrupting any balance in the ecosystem out of fear that
nature is out to destroy them... or they become overly submissive,
tip-toeing around everything out of fear that they are going to destroy
nature. Both sides are an exhibition of an insane viewpoint.

Humans are as much a part of the ecosystem as anything else. Our
actions are not good nor bad. The only time the natural balance gets a
bit out of whack is when we mistakenly view ourselves as separate, and
overly compensate in one direction. It is equally harmful to the
ecosystem when you constrict your movements.

Imagine if the birds travelling to the islands carrying seeds stopped
and said, "Oh no! We brought non-indigenous seeds with us. Hurry,
everyone destroy those plants so they don't spread!" Such thinking
would've created a twisted environment where humans never could've
grown.

As long as you don't suffer from the prevailing mindset that has led to
such irrational behavior, then your selfishness cannot harm the
environment and actually helps it. It is a tug of war between every
participant, and if you stop tugging, it actually hurts the balance as
much as if you cheat.

In the case of edible plants... if I had a favorite food that I
wouldn't want to live without, and I had a favorite place to live where
that food wasn't native, but was still able to grow and thrive, then
not only is there nothing wrong with planting it there, but it helps
the entire ecosystem, even if in the short term it appears to harm it.

That being said, you won me over with this, "Most of these plants are
pretty domesticated and won't compete with wild varieties." I realize
that this is the gardening newsgroup, but I dislike domestication. My
thinking was that if I planted any plant in a wild setting, it would
eventually become wild. I didn't know that some are too domesticated to
reseed and survive on their own.

I will take the advice given in the thread and will buy many field
guides and books to try and learn what was once common knowledge. Then
as spring and summer approach I will try and apply the knowledge by
foraging the local land. Assuming I don't poison myself, I'll then have
a better idea of what is out there and what it would take to help
spread the edible plants so that there is more available to eat.

I'm already excited because I know I've seen acorns, and I believe
dandelions as well. I can't wait to gather them from their wild
habitats and prepare them as the natives of this country once did.

Thanks for the interesting thread.