Tending Your Own Wilderness

Tending Your Own Wilderness

The indigenous peoples all over the U.S.A., all over the world actually, helped the plants along they used a lot. But it was not apparent to the Europeans, they thought it was all just wild, when in fact it had been manipulated by the bands of folks who lived there, from burning to promote new growth to pruning plants to do the same. Burning is out for us, but it is an interesting story of how and when it was done.

The focus of this article is what you can do in your chosen little piece of the rock to work in. No one will notice unless they examine the plant closely and then it has to be one who really knows plants.

The Elderberry, was a favorite. You can eat the berries and it has medicinal properties. The soft pith inside was a favorite for flutes and pipes. It really is a multi use plant. The Indians would clear under the plant and prune to promote new growth by cutting the suckers off.

Many bands at times used the seeds from tobacco plants to replant them. This insured their use at a later date. You can employ that to almost any plant you want to make use of in the future.

Any of the various berry species can be helped along by breaking the twigs and cutting a few of the suckers off. You can replant some of the cuttings for more berries in the future. Wild grapes can be helped along in the same manner. In some places it was reported the grapes were like a vineyard because of the yearly care given to them.

The Cahuilla followed the practice of no harvest with many plants, “to let the ground have more seeds for another year”. The Diegueno planted seeds or transplanted wild plants to areas where they could be better tended. They transplanted wild onions and other tuberous plants. They also made use of cuttings by replanting to more accessible locations. Agave, a much used plant, was planted and tended. Most herbs can be transplanted and cultivating an area for them would be a benefit for your area. Curly dock and sunflower can be cultivated also.

The Cahuilla regularly pruned mesquite, by breaking and cutting branches to improve growth patterns and provide easier access to beans.

Getting to know what grows in your area is a job that will be very gratifying in the long run. The returns are a payoff hat is a healthy one. the bounty being the result of what you have learned and helped along the way. Pine nuts are not to be overlooked . Acorns are found in a lot of locations are a fine bounty.

Learning the plant resources to be exploited , requires a continuum of plant knowledge which will allow you to thrive in your wilderness garden. You are creating a quasi-agricultural manipulation of a harvest. All the while looking as if no one did a thing. No one questions a wild looking plant even if it seems to be concentrated in a location. You can plant more cattail by using the root and planting more in the bed, close by. This is a plant found world wide and is a good plant for flour and the plant yields a starch used for many things.

All in all, the plants just in this article can supply one with a vast array of food. You will have to apply some effort to learning plants. It isnt hard just takes a little repetition until you have it down. Every area is just a little different so learning the local plants is a must. Many places have someone who teaches the wild plants… track them down, your harvest is waiting