Review - Guide To Wild Foods and Useful Plants

Part of an Eco-friendly life is living closer to the earth. When we take the time to really look at the natural world, we begin to appreciate and love all that the earth offers us ... and what we love, we protect.

Foraging is one way to live closer to the earth.

When I was a child, my family enjoyed searching for food in the forest. Foraging was a fun, family activity. We hunted for mushrooms, picked hazelnuts, and collected wild huckleberries (which my Mom would bake into delicious pies). Finding an edible was like finding treasure and, at dinner later in the evening, we'd enjoy delicious foods while we reminisced about coming upon a patch of goodies.

What I didn't know, back then, was just how many wild foods are available to us. It turns out that there is an abundance of plants which can be used as food and/or medicine. Even our backyards contain a plethora of wild delicacies (did you know that the grains of grass can be eaten?).

I was invited to read Guide To Wild Foods and Useful Plants by Christopher Nyerges. Mr. Nyerges is the co-director of the School of Self-Reliance. Since 1974, he has taught classes on wild foods, survival skills (such as fire-making), and urban skills (such as food and water storage, emergency preparedness, alternates to electricity, etc.).

Guide To Wild Foods and Useful Plants has quickly become my favorite book and one which I carry with me when ... well ... whenever I leave the house. While I may not always harvest plants for food, this handy field guide gives me a new appreciation for the plants I encounter.

The front of the book includes a pictoral key to leaf shapes followed by one for fruits and seeds. This key is so handy in helping one to identify a plant. Once identified, it's easy to find more information ... the book is organized alphabetically.

Information on plants begins with the most prominent characteristics and includes photographs. The author talks about the overall shape and size of the plant and discusses things like the stalk, flower, root, etc.

Next, one will learn about any beneficial properties such as whether or not a plant is edible or if it has medicinal uses. The author even talks about using certain plants to make mats, clothing, etc.

The paragraph on detrimental properties is very important. This is where the author includes information on poisonous plants, plants which may cause skin irritations, and even offers cautions about where a plant is growing (such as polluted water).

Finally, we learn about where the plant can be found, it's growing cycle, and any lore connected to the plant. The author even includes some recipes for cooking wild foods (Tropical Purslane looks delicious).

The end of the book includes an interesting discussion on why we should eat wild foods. It talks about genetic engineering, food purity (as in free from food-borne diseases such as E. coli), commercial fertilizers, and more. I especially liked the paragraph on harmless harvesting where I learned about how to sustainably harvest wild foods.

Guide To Wild Foods and Useful Plants is really a "must have" for anyone who wants to live closer to the earth. It's appropriate for those who love to forage and equally interesting to those just curious about what's growing in their yard. People who love to camp and/or hike will find that it is an invaluable resource ... it may just save a life.

I highly recommend Guide To Wild Foods and Useful Plants.

To purchase the book for your library, please visit these sites:

• Independent Publishers Group (IPG)
• Chicago Review Press

I received a copy of "Guide To Wild Foods and Useful Plants" in order to write this review. I received no other compensation. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone and reflect my honest opinion of the material reviewed.

Images courtesy of Chicago Review Press and digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This post is shared at Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Party Hop

How To Grow Your Own Air ...

A few years ago, one of my friends got sick at work. She felt dizzy and nauseous ... to the extent that she had to leave work and go home to bed. By the time she got home, she felt better. This happened frequently in the next few weeks so she went to the doctor. It turns out that the new building, which her group recently moved into, was pumping various chemicals through the air conditioning system ... straight into her lungs. And ... it was making her sick.

We are a climate-controlled society. As global warming creates extremes in temperatures, and as our society's practices create more pollution, we look to artificial means to provide the air we breathe. Unfortunately, these climate controlled environments carry their own problems ... including contaminated air.

Here is an interesting video about an easy way to create clean air:





Wasn't that fascinating? Now, in addition to growing our own fruits and vegetables ... we can grow our own clean air.

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

8 Quick "Green" Tips

Here are a few quick "green" tips:

1. When going to an ATM, "Pay at the Pump" gas station or Starbucks ... say "no" to a receipt. You'll save tons of paper.

2. Here's a great idea for towels, pillows, blankets, jackets and coats (even furs) that aren't in good enough shape to either use or donate to a thrift store ... donate them to an animal shelter or Humane Society. They'll use them for bedding, baths, etc.
   

3. Rather than defrosting food on the counter or using a microwave, plan ahead and defrost food in the refrigerator. It'll take a little longer ... but it will lower the temperature of the refrigerator and ... save energy. Brilliant!

4. Have a pair of shoes that are no longer wearable because of a hole in the bottom or a broken heel? Before rushing out to buy a new pair, take them to a shoe repair shop and see if they can be fixed. Often times, the fix will be far less expensive than a new pair of shoes and ... you'll keep one more item out of a landfill.

5. Receive and pay your bills online ... and, rather than print out the receipt or confirmation ... save it to a file where it will be accessible if you need it. You'll save time, a stamp and paper.

6. Get a few houseplants ... they'll clean up the air and decorate your home.

7. Rather than buy bagged vegetables from the grocery store ... buy whole vegetables. Bagged veggies, like salad mixes, are washed using ... yep ... you guessed it ... chlorine. Chlorine causes all kinds of environmental problems. If you'd like to read a good discussion about it, click HERE (towards the end of the article there is a discussion about bagged lettuce).

8. Spring is just around the corner and that means that birds who have wintered in warmer climates will be returning to nest. Help them along by building a bird house. If you have kids, invite them to participate ... it is a great way to get them interested in "green" activities.

What quick green tips do you have?

As always ... I'd love to hear from you!

A Living Wall ...

I'm always on the lookout for unique, green ideas. Our bloggy friend Kelli, from Thoughts of a Sober White Woman, has a regular feature called Eco-Friendly Friday. At the beginning of the year she talked about her rather unusual plans for 2009 ... her own special twist on Living Walls. I was fascinated! Her idea is brilliant ... creative, lovely and ... green. She has very kindly agreed to share her plans with us. A big THANK YOU to Kelli for this article. OK ... here we go:


Before I start this entry I would like to say thanks to a reduce footprints for asking me to write an article for her blog.

Let me give everyone a little bit of back ground information on husband and I.

My name is Kelli and I am a true hippy at heart. I think I was born to the wrong parents and in the wrong decade. I recycle everything, hug everything, I am huge animal lover and I love coming up with new ways to reuse everything and I love never having to pay for anything. Ed Begley is my hero.

My husbands name is Rusty and he is your typical hard core veteran. I told him that when he is old he will be the crazy veteran that sit’s on the porch and shoots little children. He does not recycle, conserve, or care about the world in which we live.

As you can tell there is never a dull moment at our house.

One night I was watching one of my “hippy shows” or that is what Rusty calls them….anyway I saw an awesome idea. This couple had planted a living wall. They were building a new house and they wanted to plant Ivy on one wall. They had a skylight right above the wall and they even had a sprinkler for the wall! The couple said that the living wall actually cooled the house and it helped purify the air.

That got me to thinking. I am not building a home from the ground up, so I can’t do exactly what they did, but what could I do?

I told Rusty about the t.v. show, and that I wanted to create something like that for our home. In the summer time here in California the heat just beats down on this one side of the house. Rusty just said HMMM.

One of our friends came over and we telling him about the show I saw, and we came up with a way to grow a living wall. I wanted to plant roses and sunflowers and they would become my outside curtain. They would provide extra shade, and they would be nice to look at.

Rusty semi agreed to this. He said “I think Ed Bagley has it right. If we are going to grow something lets grow something we can eat.” What? My husband likes something that Ed is doing?

For two of the windows on the side of the house I am going to plant rose bushes. Not only will they get taller then the window’s, give us some shade, but they will also look nice.

On the back of the house we have four big windows. Rusty and his friend came up with the idea of growing green beans. We were given several different idea’s on to get the green beans to climb. So it looks like I know a husband and some helpers that will be building a trellis of some sort. Please say a prayer for me. That mean’s I will have a ton of marines building something in my back yard. All I want is a trellis, not a bunker.

For another window I am going to use corn as my curtain. I just can’t believe how expensive corn is!

I still have two windows left, and as of yet I have not decided what to grow in front of them. Rusty did say that he would like me to grow some squash this year. O.K. but that does not grow upwards!

All of this has also got me to thinking about people that live in small spaces or apartments. They can do the same thing. My girlfriend use to grow cherry tomatoes in a big pot, so I am going to assume that you could grow some corn or green beans the same way.

Lettuce and spinach can also be grown in containers, and that will keep coming back even after you cut it. Granted to won’t offer much shade, but it will make a nice salad.

What it really comes down to is thinking outside the box. What can you grow that will provide some shade or food for your family? Just think if we all grew some of our own food we would not only be getting the best quality food, but we would also be reducing our footprint.

Again, I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to Kelli for sharing her creative ideas with us. As always ... I'd love to hear from you!

ONE HUNDRED POSTS

Wow ... I can't believe it!!!

This is Reduce Footprint's 100th post. :)

It has been so much fun ... and I thank you all for participating in this wonderful green journey we're on. I can't wait to see what happens next! Until then ... here's a gift for you ... and some of the reasons why we walk gently ...

Cut Flowers and the Environment ...

For many, beautiful arrangements of fresh cut flowers are a must for a holiday table. Bouquets of unusual flowers make easy gifts ... grab a bundle from most supermarkets or order a bouquet online to be delivered. Whether one needs a hostess gift, something for a special someone or a gift for the "hard to please", cut flowers will accommodate. That's what the $40 billion a year, cut flower industry tells us. What they don't tell us is how bad they are for the environment.

Most cut flowers, approximately 79%, are grown in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are grown in climate controlled greenhouses using pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides ... including DDT and methyl-bromide which are banned in the U.S. These substances have been linked to health problems such as skin conditions, respiratory problems, impaired vision, and birth defects. Many of the people who staff the greenhouses, and who come in contact with the flowers on a daily basis, are now suffering from these problems.

Not only are workers being hurt ... the environment is suffering as well. Methyl-bromide has been linked to the destruction of the ozone layer. DDT usage has caused serious problems for many animal and bird populations. Small amounts of these chemicals are dangerous ... most greenhouses, however, aren't using just a little ... they are using a lot. It contaminates the ground and water, hurting animal and fish populations and it reduces the amount of drinkable water in many communities.

Once the growing stage is complete, the cut flowers are sent all over the world. They travel far distances, and as we've talked about before ... anything that travels a long distance is causing pollution and using a lot of resources to make the trip. An estimated 500 million make their way into the U.S. In order to pass inspection upon entry, they are often sprayed with more toxic chemicals so that no bugs or insects make the trip ... and so that each and every blossom looks it's best. Florists in this country touch these flowers and are reporting skin rashes and breathing problems.

There's still more ... once the flowers get to a florists shop, they are typically arranged using floral foam which helps to hold them in place. This foam is a petroleum bi-product that off gases formaldehyde when soaked in water. It is also non-biodegradable. A leaf shine product is typically used to shine up the greenery ... this is an aerosol product and aerosol products hurt the environment.

What about the flowers produced in the U.S.? Are they better? While they may not use banned chemicals, many farms and greenhouses use a lot of pesticides. These are harmful ... to the earth and all of her inhabitants.

So ... should one forgo cut flowers as a gift? Not necessarily. Look for organic flowers, grown locally if possible. Make a point of asking about that beautiful bouquet ... is it arranged with floral foam ... is it sprayed with anything. And by the way ... many live plants are grown in the same conditions so ... know where your product comes from. Basically, use the same guidelines buying cut flowers and plants as you would buying food.

As always ... I would love to hear from you!