Last summer, I was listening to the Power Hour (a Missouri-based radio talk show) when someone called in and made the claim that people in Kansas City were starving. Later that day, we jumped in the car and went...somewhere (heck, it was 9 months ago!), and we drove past acres and acres of food that no one owned. Okay, we aren't exactly in the heart of down-town. In fact, people are confused as to whether our little town is even considered to be part of the Kansas City area or not. The point is...I saw food free for the grabbing.
One of the things that Ms. Cordi Howell (Cordite Country...you can listen to her archives and read her show-notes here: http://corditecountry.com/ ) inspired me to do last year was to look at the "weeds" in my own neighborhood.
First and foremost is something that actually drives me a bit batty...my neighbor's Maple Tree. Every frackin year the seeds parachute off the tree and helicopter down into our garden....usually right AFTER we've cleaned and tilled everything up. As a kid, you probably played with these seeds....pick them off the ground, throw them in the air, and watch the whirligig's helicopter back down to the ground. These seeds are edible! A caution, though...if they are not picked green, they are more likely to be bitter. That bitterness is caused by tannin (yes, that same stuff that tans leather). It can be relieved by soaking them in water. You can essentially use them the same way you use any other nut (including pine nut).
The second is the oak tree. There are a LOT of oak trees in our neighborhood and my mother's. Every fall, you fairly much have to mind your head...those acorns dropping out of the tree might as well be acting like a war zone. Native Americans use to eat acorns, and turned them into flour. (You might be able to find a Native American recipe or two on the internet). Like the maple tree seeds, acorns may be a bit bitter if not picked green, so soak them in water to remove the tannin.
Third is another "pest". Dandelions. Best if picked when they are still small. Every part of the dandelion is edible, although the flower might be akin to eating cotton if it is too mature. (When I told my now-ten-year-old that dandelions were edible, he went outside and started to graze. Goofy monkey.)
Mulberry. These trees are growing frickin EVERYWHERE here. Right now, the two mulberries in our vicinity have little green fruits starting on them. It is a small to medium size tree (depending upon its age). The fruit looks like a small raspberry, and tastes somewhere between a raspberry and a blackberry. Its thick stem prevents it from being a commercially-preferred fruit. However, we pick the berries every year and either eat them raw or turn them into jelly.
Barnyard grass. I first noticed this growing up among our corn last year. Then I realized it was growing everywhere. It confounded me at first...the stalk looked like a skinny corn stalk, but it had a seed fountain at the top much like wheat. It took me forever to figure out what it was. Barnyard grass is a primitive millit...not commercially preferred even as a millet, but still edible.
Sorghum. Less than an eighth of a mile away, we a park with a stream running through it (the stream is also used as storm drainage). And every year, the stream bank is literally COVERED in deep crimson of sorghum. The city mows the park, but they can't get the mowers down into the stream itself. If they didn't mow the park, I predict the park would be a wild sorghum field by now. Sorghum is a grain popularly grown in Africa. Throw some in a dry pan over heat, and it will pop up like pop-corn (one of the ways it is cooked and eaten in Africa).
Wild carrot. This stuff also literally grows everywhere. This was the very plant that I saw during the time of the radio show. Every empty lot was covered in them....acre after acre after acre of beautiful white flowers. The leaves resemble that of carrots. It has a very lacey cluster of white flowers on a long stalk, with one tiny red or purple flower in the center (it almost looks like a little ant sitting in the center of the cluster). If it does not have this little flower in the center, it may be something else that isn't quite as good for you, so look for that little 'ant'. It smells and tastes a lot like carrot. Its root isn't nearly as big as its cultivated cousin, but the entire plant does have a taste that resembles carrot.
These are just a few of the things I found. Take a look around your place...research literally every tree and every weed you see. You might just find twenty or thirty things that could prevent you from starving to death.
One of the things that Ms. Cordi Howell (Cordite Country...you can listen to her archives and read her show-notes here: http://corditecountry.com/ ) inspired me to do last year was to look at the "weeds" in my own neighborhood.
First and foremost is something that actually drives me a bit batty...my neighbor's Maple Tree. Every frackin year the seeds parachute off the tree and helicopter down into our garden....usually right AFTER we've cleaned and tilled everything up. As a kid, you probably played with these seeds....pick them off the ground, throw them in the air, and watch the whirligig's helicopter back down to the ground. These seeds are edible! A caution, though...if they are not picked green, they are more likely to be bitter. That bitterness is caused by tannin (yes, that same stuff that tans leather). It can be relieved by soaking them in water. You can essentially use them the same way you use any other nut (including pine nut).
The second is the oak tree. There are a LOT of oak trees in our neighborhood and my mother's. Every fall, you fairly much have to mind your head...those acorns dropping out of the tree might as well be acting like a war zone. Native Americans use to eat acorns, and turned them into flour. (You might be able to find a Native American recipe or two on the internet). Like the maple tree seeds, acorns may be a bit bitter if not picked green, so soak them in water to remove the tannin.
Third is another "pest". Dandelions. Best if picked when they are still small. Every part of the dandelion is edible, although the flower might be akin to eating cotton if it is too mature. (When I told my now-ten-year-old that dandelions were edible, he went outside and started to graze. Goofy monkey.)
Mulberry. These trees are growing frickin EVERYWHERE here. Right now, the two mulberries in our vicinity have little green fruits starting on them. It is a small to medium size tree (depending upon its age). The fruit looks like a small raspberry, and tastes somewhere between a raspberry and a blackberry. Its thick stem prevents it from being a commercially-preferred fruit. However, we pick the berries every year and either eat them raw or turn them into jelly.
Barnyard grass. I first noticed this growing up among our corn last year. Then I realized it was growing everywhere. It confounded me at first...the stalk looked like a skinny corn stalk, but it had a seed fountain at the top much like wheat. It took me forever to figure out what it was. Barnyard grass is a primitive millit...not commercially preferred even as a millet, but still edible.
Sorghum. Less than an eighth of a mile away, we a park with a stream running through it (the stream is also used as storm drainage). And every year, the stream bank is literally COVERED in deep crimson of sorghum. The city mows the park, but they can't get the mowers down into the stream itself. If they didn't mow the park, I predict the park would be a wild sorghum field by now. Sorghum is a grain popularly grown in Africa. Throw some in a dry pan over heat, and it will pop up like pop-corn (one of the ways it is cooked and eaten in Africa).
Wild carrot. This stuff also literally grows everywhere. This was the very plant that I saw during the time of the radio show. Every empty lot was covered in them....acre after acre after acre of beautiful white flowers. The leaves resemble that of carrots. It has a very lacey cluster of white flowers on a long stalk, with one tiny red or purple flower in the center (it almost looks like a little ant sitting in the center of the cluster). If it does not have this little flower in the center, it may be something else that isn't quite as good for you, so look for that little 'ant'. It smells and tastes a lot like carrot. Its root isn't nearly as big as its cultivated cousin, but the entire plant does have a taste that resembles carrot.
These are just a few of the things I found. Take a look around your place...research literally every tree and every weed you see. You might just find twenty or thirty things that could prevent you from starving to death.
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