Farmless Farming

It's amazing as humans how adept we are at blotting out anything that does't immediately pertain to us categorized under, "someone else's problem" ( ref: Douglas Adams. )

When was the last time, being engaged in something totally unrelated, you suddenly noticed the feeling of the socks on your feet? Or more to the point, cruising down a wooded country road and noticed half disguised under kudzu, a cluster of wild berry bushes? The last time you cringed while mowing, noticing too late a dandylion in your path?

I have often said if the average american knew what they were crushing under their feet, they would tread softer...

Whether you wish to supplement your diet with not only nutritious, but vitamin rich foods; become more self sufficient; learn to forage in times of disaster; farm in a landless situation; or supplement your income naturally.

You can do no better.

A note on the common held notion of uncleanliness.
The mind set that anything not closely managed by some government agency, bought in some store, irradiated or grown on purpose is unclean and unfit to eat; this I submit is false. Anything gathered in the wild is just as safe or more so than what we buy in the store, get from the farmers market, or pick from a personal garden. Provided you rinse it off and use some basic common sense.
( Please note: When picking beside the road, be sure to gather some distance from the road and / or on a hill that slants down towards it instead of slanting away from it. This is to minimize the risk of chemicals leaking towards the plants. )

It's already good practice to do that anyway as most commercial produce is drowned in pesticides. When working at a grocery store some years back, I noticed most of the boxes' produce came in was labeled, "Wash before use, contains petroleum products." Though somehow that information always failed to get to the customers.

Just as a young skinny girl never looked better beside an older woman, the same applies to roadside berries when compared to the reality of the food we all (underline) pay to eat. And that's without delving in any deeper than skin level to the even harsher realities of chemical preservatives, genetically modified organisms, vitamin deficiency, or the fact that everything you buy is days if not weeks old before it even reaches your counter!

Fun Fact: Did you know that farm fresh eggs like ours are almost impossible to peel?

We have to let ours sit for at least 2 weeks before we even attempt to boil them up. Remember that the next time you make up a mess of deviled eggs.

In loo of all this, I can't help but laugh when someone cringes at the mention of us cooking up a batch of dandylions. I have zero fear of eating anything picked from unconventional places by the road, out of the woods, or from the yard.
( Please Note, I have studied and gained enough knowledge to understand what is not poisonous. Please do the same. )

A word on discomfort:

Let's face it, even to seasoned gatherers such as ourselves, it is and may always be a little awkward to stand on the side of the road holding a couple of shopping bags to hunt for edibles. No matter how self confident you are, there is always a small part of your mind that wonders what passing motorists are thinking. I'm a proud man, and it took a mental adjustment to be seen scrounging for black berries whilst buried knee deep in kudzu on the side of the road, but by the end of it, you will be happily waving back as you clutch your haul from a profitable venture.

A word to the unwilling:

If your disinclined to give any of this a go, there is probably little I can say to persuade you.
I would try to encourage you just to try it.

The next time you see a wild berry bush, whether it's blackberries, raspberries, wineberries, or bulberries, walk over and just try one. You don't have to be planning to pick a bag full, but I'll wager you will wish you had brought one!

We have big plans for what we've grown and gathered this year!

Happy Picking!

• 'The Digger'