Phone rings at work.
Holly, Wood and Vine, I say, alone in the office (sniff).
Hello? Says man with very local accent.
Hello! I say, thinking, What's he selling?
This may sound really strange, says the man's voice, but...uh...I'm calling to find out about weeds.
W E E D S, he spells...
Yes?
Are they good for anything?
Um, well, some of them are, I say, Some of them are edible. Like lambs quarters, dandelions...
Really! he says, excited, Like, you can bake them like wheat. W H E A T?
Uh...no, they're leaves, L E A V E S so you eat them cooked or raw like salad, but you have to know what they are so you don't get sick, I say, speaking more slowly and clearly.
Really, this is great, great...this is very useful information to me. But, no bread?
Well, I say, I know you can harvest the seed of amaranth and make a flour...
I knew it! he says. Thank you!
Where are you calling from, I ask?
The Bronx, he says...I work for you!
Uh...
He tells me his name. He does some demolition work and hauling for us when we are starting a new garden from scratch and need a lot of stuff taken out and away.
He says, My brother needs to know about this, he has a Message to put out and I said I know who can help!
Ah, I say. Well, you can Google edible weeds and you will find a whole, long list.
I'm gonna do that right now he says!
Good bye...
Good bye!!!
good for him! everyone should spread the message that so-called weeds are a productive and vital part of the environment.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteyou have to wonder about the bread fixation though. At least I wonder . . .
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of weeds. There's a few women who come by and pull the amaranth in front of me landlord's telephone poles every year. Amaranth is everywhere!
ReplyDeleteFor me,
Purslane and lamb's quarters to eat,
Day flower and Smartweed to look at.
Melanie - The bread fixation...I really should learn to ask more question. Brought up suppressed, I was.
ReplyDeleteFrank - lambs quarters, young thistles, good sauteed with some scallion greens.
It's not impossible that you could call him back, is't? This weeds-into-bread alchemy is intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThe whole weeds in bread thing sounds suspicious. ;-) It reminds me of my trips to the hydroponics store to buy liquid fertilizer or grow lights. Everyone in there is trying to go out of their way to make it seem like they are not buying pot growing supplies. I was probably the only person in there who really was starting basil seeds.
ReplyDelete