Welcome spring!

On my first post, on my first blog, and on the first day of spring, let me preface by saying; I am not a country mouse. I live in a densely populated, car-centric, consumerist suburban society. Even if you live in a city, you can find and eat many safe, healthy and delicious wild edible plants. And they are free.

I aim to integrate the use of the diversity of plantlife around us with the sensibilities of modern living. In an effort to get away from expensive, packaged foods and gain the skills necessary to get through hard times or disaster, I learned how to look past the grocery stores and into the forgotten fields. There is a rebellious aspect to experiencing total and primal control over your food. It's empowering to walk through a meadow and see mankind's history hidden in the grass. Most of the plants around us were at one time important to some collection of people, and each plant had names, personality, specific preparations and uses. This common knowledge was handed down from parent to child for millenia. And in a few generations, it was lost. We destroy free, nutritious, organic wild vegetables in the quest for a perfect lawn, and eat expensive, store-bought, imported vegetables in the quest for health. It's time to challenge the basic assumptions of living in modern society.

There are many reasons to enjoy learning about wild edible plants and it fosters an appreciation for conservation and low-impact living. I hope that this blog is helpful for other lifelong learners on a quest to live simply, be happy, and have the skills to be independent regardless of our circumstances.