Increasingly it appears that much of our modern society is becoming more and more uncertain. In the last two years I’ve heard, and have asked myself questions like… Do our votes really count? Can we afford gas prices much longer? Will this inflation ever quit? Are food shortages really on the way?
With so many questions swirling around, I’ve been inspired to find a few alternatives to depending on supply chains. I’m in no way completely self sufficient, but when I started hearing rumblings of shortages I immediately thought of victory gardens!
Victory gardens were a term coined during WWI. They were a way everyday Americans helped to alleviate demand to support the war effort. Most of these victory gardens were planted in backyards, churches, and community parks, etc. They generally contained beans, beets, squash, cabbage, carrots, kale, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, turnips, and Swiss chard. A wholesome collection of easy to grow crops.
As someone who personally feels our country is a captured operation at the moment, I’ve been working hard on my Victory Garden. I don’t know the future but as a precaution, I thought it would be wise to offset some of the goods I require from the store.
In addition to planting traditional crops, I’ve been learning about edible plants that grow naturally around the PNW. There are a ton of truly nutritious plants that we call weeds that provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals, and they taste good!
One of my most favorite star players in this category of edible weeds is the mallow plant. It has pretty much taken over my garden. Before I knew it’s benefits, it was the bane of my existence. I was overwhelmed with mallow and furiously tugged at each plant. But! Now I know that not only does mallow make for a killer addition to a lovely salad, but like okra, it gives of a gelatinous thickening agent that pioneers used to make marshmallows with.
Also, the chicks absolutely loooove mallow snacks and cluck impatiently when they see us coming. I’ve tried several snacks and so far their favorites include blueberries, grapes and mallow.
So, in addition to my lively traditional garden, I’m letting the weeds grow and flourish and seeing what other edible foraging might happen throughout the year. Clovers, dandelions, rose hips, amaranth, and apple mint are just a few wild edibles that grow themselves in my yard with zero effort on my part. Thank you God for providing so many wonderful plants!
Artful Homemaker 