Foraging Series - Ignorance Is Not Bliss

I was having a conversation with a man, step-dad to a 10-year-old boy, a year or so ago.

The conversation was about prepping and personal preparedness. Seems like I have quite a lot of conversations with people on this topic. Most of these conversations, anymore, are not self-generated. I’ve pretty well decided, for a number of reasons, that it’s generally best to not broach the subject with most people.

I’m not sure how the conversation got started or who started it. It didn’t last long though. The thing that quickly prompted me to leave the topic alone and move on to something else in the flow of words was this remark …

“I’m teaching ***** all that he needs to know on how to survive if things get really bad. All he has to do is eat grass.”

His remark didn’t even justify a response on my part. It was, in my own mental process, just a thought that was left unspoken.

“Well, ok then. If ignorance was bliss, this one would be a whole blister.”

No.

I’m not roasting the guy.

I’m just saying.

There are three problems with grass as a food source for humans.

1.     Though native grasses are non-toxic, we are not ruminants or other animals designed for eating grass and cannot digest grass with our human digestive systems.

2.     Grasses have a silica content that will, over time, grind away and ruin our human teeth.

3.     There are imported non-native grasses now growing here that are toxic.

Decades of prepping … we were preppers before the term came into vogue … has taught us a lot about preparedness and self-reliance. A number of conclusions have been arrived at. One of the most important ones concluded is that the vast bulk of what is taught as prepping and preparedness relies on diverse and sundry goods that are purchased and stocked “just in case” the need arises to use them. All of these goods, given a long enough crisis duration, will eventually run out.

Three weeks … three months … three years of preps? Regardless the amount stored, time (or other factors) will use it up. Then what?

It was this realization, and the obvious answer to the imposing question, that prompted me several years ago to begin working on being able to identify and utilize the wild edibles that are common in this geographic area that we call home. This wild edible, and wild medicinal, journey of discovery is an ongoing one.

The knowledge of these wild edibles … coupled with the tools and skills to hunt, trap, and fish … adds a lot of valuable weight to the keep your fanny alive basket. This business regarding wild edibles is, however, a lot more than just adding to the keeping your fanny alive basket.

A large part of it has to do with the personal challenges and rewards that come with the educational process … going through and growing with the arch of the learning curve. It’s about personal experience. It’s about becoming familiar with one’s personal surrounding environment. It’s about understanding and appreciating the seasonal nuances and offerings provided by the natural environment that surrounds us.

There is a huge personal transition that takes place in this educational process where the natural environment honestly begins to mean something to us … something that is constantly regenerating itself to support us … something to be respected as an ally … something that needs our personal efforts to know, respect, and protect it.

Sure.

I’ll admit that the prior two paragraphs are a bit heavy on the philosophical side. It’s something I’ll admit but can’t apologize for. Self-reliance as a lifestyle is a philosophical thing. It is a philosophical thing that ultimately involves a romance relationship with nature.

Our diet, in order to maintain human health, depends upon ingesting a wide range of elements that provide us with the nutrients we need … carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Remove any of these elements, particularly in some type of long-term scenario, and our physical health becomes compromised.

The many Nations of native inhabitants did not have access to the studies and data of modern nutritionists. What they did have was the knowledge handed down to them from their ancestors … from the Grandfathers and Grandmothers. These Nations fared quite well health wise before Europeans arrived. They lived self-reliantly by the fruits of the land. They knew what plants to harvest for food. They knew what plants to harvest for medicine.

The woods are still here.

The plants are still here.

Interest?

Some are interested.

Interest is a good thing if it leads to exploration and experience.