Our perceptions are based on experiences, beliefs and data gathered. We are constantly bombarded with information. It’s tough to filter the good from the bad.
For example, we waste money and resources eliminating weeds because marketing companies have convinced us that we should. We perceive wat is healthy and abundant to be nasty. Plants that our ancestors sought out for their nutritional and medicinal values are the same ones we now try to get out of our yard. Food prices are going up, people are going hungry, yet there is free food all around us. Consumerism has changed our perceptions.
Let’s check our perceptions. Do they match reality? We tend to believe what “experts” tell us. The experts say that dandelions and wild violets are weeds that need to be eradicated with herbicides. Reality tells us that dandelions are very tasty, super versatile, astoundingly abundant and highly nutritious. They provide beta carotene, iron, calcium, B, C, D and E vitamins, as well as magnesium, potassium and zinc. Dandelions are great in salads and soups, can be sautéed in butter and garlic and make a really great wine. Reality also tells us that wild violets taste great, are loaded with vitamins A and C and are also great in salads. Chickweed, chicory, clover, garlic mustard and purslane are all edible, and they are bountiful in chemical-free yards. We cannot eat grass, yet we seed, water, fertilize, mow and bag it so we can pay to haul it away. All that effort and for wat benefit?
There are alternatives to grass. Rupturewort is wonderful. It is easy to grow, tolerant of heavy foot traffic and edible. So are chamomile, Corsican mint, thyme and moss.
We are pouring dollars, exerting effort and poisoning our water to defeat something that is not a problem. No one wants a yard to look like and unkept wasteland. However, a well-groomed yard with clean and edged planting beds, healthy trees and shrubs with pristine pathways is welcome spot for edible and medicinal weeds to grow naturally in the lawn. Thing for yourself and trust your gut. Your yard can look great, be chemical-free and help feed your family.
DISCLAIMER – Remember, no pesticide, herbicide or lawn chemical is edible! If you are unsure if chemicals have been applied, do not eat the weeds!