URBAN SURVIVAL SERIES - Wild Edibles
I’ve been making chopped salad all day with a weed whacker!
Part of my job as a lawn care professional is using a weed whacker. In the places that the lawn mower cannot go, it is time for the weed whacker to take over. Since I am familiar with some of the local wild edibles, it is amazing to see how much food there can be in the lawn of local businesses.
Today alone I have chopped down Chickweed, Purple Deadnettle, Alfalfa, Wild Chives, Yellow Dock, Wild Lettuce, Dandelion, and Plantain. There may have been more, but I can be sure of those. When I think about potential survival situations in the future, I’d be glad to just walk to the nearest store and eat the lawn.
THIS VIDEO SHOULD GIVE YOU A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT I MEAN.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
A lot of the helpful wild herbs and edibles can often be found in what are called “waste areas.” The reason that so many useful plants can be found in these places is that “waste areas” are often left untouched by humans. No one cuts or fertilizes the lawn there and no one applies weed killer. Many of the wild edible plants are known as “weeds” by the majority of the population.
If you can avoid areas where chemicals are used, you should be able to find some healthy wild food. Avoid manicured and well-maintained lawns of private residences and businesses and stick to those that kept up with minimal effort (like only cutting and trimming the lawn) or are completely abandoned.
In a survival situation, things can get pretty desperate pretty quickly. Many will be looting and robbing, and most likely a lot of animals will also be killed. I believe that a lot of food at the local stores will be looted quickly and the refrigerated and frozen food will spoil. Condiments, however, will most likely still be available, at least near the beginning.
I bring this up because many of the urban weeds that can be used as salad greens can be an acquired taste, especially to those who usually only iceberg lettuce or similar things. Therefore, if you can find some edible weeds outside, and condiments like Salad Dressing may still be available inside. I share a little more about this in this video.
MOVING FORWARD
If things go bad, and the brown stuff hits the whirly thing, prolonged power outages and martial law may suddenly become the reality in which we must operate. High populations of people in smaller areas (cities) will become one of the most desperate situations to be in. In a very short amount of time, it is very likely that there simply will not be enough food to go around.
I think that exploring more of the common plants in our areas that can be used as a food supply is an excellent way to spend your time. The more that we can learn now, the more knowledge we will have at our disposal later. There is a large amount of information on wild edibles available online, and I’ve even been working on a series called THE EDIBLE OUTDOORS which can also be used to help you learn more about the plants growing all around us.
I see so many wild edibles every day, whether I am in the cities or the country. So much food is available all around us, it is just that most people are ignorant. Hopefully this ignorance does not lead to their downfall one day, but I’d rather not risk being ignorant.
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
To check out the previous post in this series, follow the link below.
Until next time…
STEEM ON!
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Thanks again!
You can buy dandelion leaves in mixed salad at a premium price. It's weird how people hate them so much. They have no idea of the health benefits of dandelion...
All of that stuff can have some great amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Ironic that people pay a premium price for spring mix that is about 40% dandelion leaves wile spending time,effort ,and money exterminating the free stuff growing in their back yard.
No kidding! Excellent point!
Being a horse lover and spending lots of time throughout my childhood riding through the woods I was fortunate enough to learn about many wild edibles. Elderberry, wild strawberries, sour grass, Oregon Grape, black berries and apple trees provided a good snack for both me and my horse. Thanks for bringing back that memory!
Sounds like some excellent rides! Thanks!
I agree with you @papa-pepper. Being able to identify edible plant material is a vital survival skill. Great info.
Thank you @rebeccaryan!
How can I contact you direct?. I was tidying the shed and found something that might be useful to you in your horticultural endevors.
https://steemit.chat
papa-pepper
I will get trevor to walk me through it. what US time zone are you in?. so I don't wake up in the middle of the night.
We have lots of wild food growing here in the city. In fact there are a few groups that will take you out and show you where everything is and how to get it.
There is also a website I think that plots all the wild fruit, nuts etc around the city.
I also like that the council has an 'edible Wellington' initiative around growing wild food for the communities here.
If things go badly here - an earthquake or something, I think we'll be pretty well set for food. The lawn mover guy certainly won't come to our house, so we'll have plenty of 'horta' to eat :-) Horta is 'greens' for Greek cooking. For Kiwis it translates to 'weeds'. ;-)
That sounds excellent! Local experts are always one of the best choices to learn!
I get all my "wild edibles" from Rasta-Pepper! Great service and the best weeds in the woods.
These days, I'll stick to those weeds.
In the meantime you can set up a stand and sell some of your weed whacked produce. A nice supplement to your lawn care job and definitely a step up from a road kill cafe!
Intersting post @papa-pepper!
Great idea, thanks @kus-knee!
Actually it would make a funny video. You go out weed whacking for the day. Then you bag and label the weeds and then set up roadside stand and sell your "vegetables"!
Nutritious and fresh! Good idea!
I was always eating flowers and grasses growing up. Nice write up!
Thank you!
All those greens around us, and other wild plants, are real food for regular people. The plants you've been seeing are so great for salads. Every day salads! You are in the right business for eating free, lol! And once you start eating those greens, iceberg lettuce seems like it doesn't have enough flavor or nutrition.
I've been at a hotel in the front range of Colorado this week. Last night I had a salad from the area -- Dock, Dandelion, Mallow, and Chinese Elm Seeds, even though spring is just getting started here. With a dressing of a granola-fruit-nut bar, and packets from an earlier meal (soy sauce, hot mustard, and plum sauce). That was better food than a cheap Taco Bell salad, by far. Nutritious and satisfying!
Very nutritious stuff!