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17 February 2008

The Importance of Wild Edibles


Yummy...wild edibles with raw sweets! :)

Have you heard of eating the wild greens right out of your garden? Next time you go through the wild plants in your garden, don’t throw them away. Some may be just the right thing you need – and this growing "gold" in your garden and everywhere in nature is free.

In case you're wondering why I'm stressing wild greens so much, let me take you by your hand and guide you into the land of wild greens. What we usually find outside – often believed in to be just “weeds” -- are dandelion, chickweed, clover, thistle, lamb's quarters, sorrel, garlic mustard, cress, stinging needles, plantain, and grass -- just mention the most common ones. There are bushes, such as hawthorn and roses with delicious leaves and fruits. There are trees, such as the linden tree, lime or basswood with young leaves so tender and full of nutrients. Or the needle trees with their young spots. And it all grows for you! Best of all, you just have to pick and eat it! No cooking required. Plus, cooking would damage all of this goodness.

So, what else is good about these wild edibles besides they're being free (free in nature and free of charge)? Well, if you think about a normal head of lettuce compared to wild edibles, you’d have to eat a lot of lettuce in order to get the same amount of nutrients you put in your system with just one handful. On average, wild edibles have three to seven times more iron, 20 to 30 times more Vitamin C and 20 to 50 times more Vitamin A than cultivated plants. Those are rough numbers, but you get an idea! If you wanted to get enough Vitamin C, for example, you’d have to eat 600g of Boston lettuce or 1000g if it is one day old, but you could just eat 40g of garlic mustard and have enough for the day!

These wild edibles are super foods. Always remember, God made everything for us. This perfection that you find in wild edibles (not generated, created or somehow influenced by man) is the wonder of nature. All the energy in our universe is found in those strong little plants. They are magic. They are so strong that they even grow through asphalt. They come back every year, again and again, even though some get sprayed with the worst chemicals. But to the surprise of everybody…bling…their head keeps peaking out again…and again…and again…as if they wanted to remind you: I am here. I am here for you! I fight until you realize me! Pick me and eat me and you will be as strong as I am! Watch the animals. They know it, too. Even the pets do.

Studies have found that plants in contact with us even have the ability to produce what our bodies need! They can attract just the right substances through their roots and the air in order to prepare the best mix of nutrients for each personal case! Wow! Imagine that! You really have everything growing around you -- everything you need in order to heal and thrive. But you have to get out and use it. Be thankful and take care of it. Give them your love and they are so happy to give it back many times.

Nutrients
Stinging nettles, for example, are known for their complex pack of ingredients. Even pharmacists know the positive effects. They know there is a lot more iron in them then in most other plants. Iron, our body needs! Not from animals but from those plants that you better know how to pick or you get stung. But what gets done with them? For consumer reasons, they are put in bottles with chemicals added, processed and sold for a lot of money! The same goes for red clover and many other plants. Why don’t we just use it the way God made it for us? Don’t we believe in it anymore? We have to come back to our knowledge and our birth right – to live a happy life in abundance!

Chlorophyll
With plants, think all green, very green, dark green, and bursting full of chlorophyll - another most important substance! Chlorophyll is the juice that is the closest match to our blood. It contains all the energy from the sun. It delivers the light right in our body. Through photosynthesis, the plants perform miracles. Not even our scientists understand this totally. But do we have to? Let’s be in awe and be grateful for them!

Now, that you know how good they are, here are some tips on how to eat them.

You can just put of the edible greens in your mouth and chew well. That’s another good thing about wild edibles -- you have to chew! Chewing is important. Our food needs to be liquid by the time we swallow it. When it comes to stinging nettles, for example, I always wet my finger tips, crab the top part of the nettle (the softest leaves), twist them in my fingers so that the little hairs break off and don’t sting you anymore, and stick those rolls in my mouth. The seeds of nettles are also delicious. They taste a little bit like nuts.

The longer you keep the greens in your mouth, the better your body remembers them and will ask for them more and more often. It’s like waking up; you wake up those old memories of where to get good nutrients from. And the longer you do it, the better they taste.

Oh, you think dandelion is too bitter? But that’s what your system needs from time to time. Your liver will thank you! Or pick a few sour clovers and you will be so refreshed on a hot summer day! Pick some leaves when you take a walk through the woods and you are good to go. Try it! It is very energizing.

You can also pick a bunch of different plants and make delicious sauces from them, such as a green sauce or a yummy green roll.

Green Sauce:
~ One bunch parsley
~ One bunch cilantro
~ A few big leaves of sorrel
~ A little bit of cress
~ An avocado
~ Himalayan salt or sea salt (if desired)
~ A little bit lemon juice

Blend it all together and enjoy over your salad. Be fit and full of energy for the whole day!

Green Roll:
~ A few big leaves, such as chard or romaine lettuce
~ Carrot, shredded
~ Corn kernels
~ Cucumber pieces
~ Sprouts
~ Avocado
~ Tomato slices
~ Wild edibles

Fill the leaves with all the yummy things, roll them up and enjoy!

Another trick to eat more wild ones – bring a banana or an apple on your hike and enjoy it with the greens. It will taste a lot better – especially if you just start with it. One bite banana, one bite chickweed, one bite banana, one bite dandelion and so forth. Before you know it, you will have eaten a handful and will be happy. It does something else for you, too; it connects you on a cellular level. It connects you with nature again. It’s like being newly coded again. You feel so balanced and happy after it - very satisfied from the inside out. Those little plants are just full of life that they love to share with you! And if you don’t want to eat them right away (which is surely best) then bring a bag along and pick some for later. Sprinkle them over your salad and enjoy the flavor.

If you look at their bio-energetic radiation, you will see that they are a lot stronger than our grown lettuces we buy from the stores! And if you are one of the people that can’t get full when you eat raw – try wild edibles! They will fill you up. Just a handful! You have to try for yourself.

Happy picking!
Posted by Sonja at 3:13 AM 1 comments
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Raw Children - by Sonja Watt

My children, ages 4 and 6 have lived a raw-vegan lifestyle from birth and have managed to stay that way, so far. Yes, I am sure there will be phases when they want to know about all the other types of food, and that is okay. But while they are young, I believe it is important for me to stand my ground, believing in and living what I am teaching them. This will increase the chances of them following my lead. The same goes for you.

Fortunately, children who have eaten raw from birth haven't had their natural tastes altered by cooked foods. With their non-tainted taste buds, children sincerely enjoy pure fruits and vegetables, lettuce and such over mixed dishes. Their digestion is different, so raw children are usually more sensitive to mixes since they haven’t had a bunch of artificial flavors ingrained in their minds. Eating raw-vegan food, exclusively, is therefore easier for them in this regard.

Here are some ideas to make it easier for you and your children as you transition into or journey through a raw-vegan lifestyle:

Have fun with raw food: Build funny faces. Create art pieces. It is totally different if you can look at food from another point of view. Raw food is beautiful food. It's like flowers that make you smile. Soak it up and let it allow you to feel good.

Let your children take part: Children love to help, so let them take part in this life-learning! My children just love to eat raw foods because they can handle it themselves! They feel “big” which is very motivating to them!

Don’t stress over the mess: Don't worry about how your kitchen is going to look afterwards. As parents, we often look to save time and do not want to clean everything again. However, just step back and think “fun.” Be happy to be a part of the process. When I allow myself to do this, I can literally see my children grow. How amazing! Those times don't return to us, so think about what is really important to you. House cleaning can be fun, too, by the way. Children do love to get involved with it as long as they can do it together with you. Just relax and don't worry if it takes longer than usual. All you need is time and patience. Pull yourself out of the circle of trying to be perfect. Show that you want to help your children with the cleaning, like how they want to help you. It’s most amazing to me with the ideas they come up with during this time. Observe! Build life-long valuable memories by not stressing over the mess.

Encourage your children to create recipes: Simply provide enough of a variety of fresh, yummy fruits, etc., and let them go at it. Of course, you can stay nearby so your kitchen doesn't get chopped up in the process. Try to focus on positive communication. For instance, "Let me know if you need some help,” instead of, "Nooo, you will cut off your fingers. Nooooo, the whole hand!” Children can end up resisting and rebelling from a negative communication approach.

Host parties and events: Invite friends and offer loads of yummy stuff. Make fruit porcupines (they can add the spikes, or you). Make delicious ice cream with strawberry sauce, shakes, or cakes. If you can get their friends to eat it without making a deal out of it, often no one will even realize it's raw, which is all the better for your children. Your children will go with the flow and be happy to not be so different this time.

Take raw food to friends: Bring a big bowl of something wonderfully raw to share with everybody! Again, your children won’t want to feel left out. If everybody else eats it, chances are, your children will, too.

Let it be the norm: Have plenty of different types of fresh, ripe foods at home (that your children like), so they can help themselves whenever they get hungry. If you pull out lettuce and just eat it, they will, too. My children would rather eat a whole apple instead of a complicated mix. So, keep it simple. Experiment! Just do it...don't talk! Action is most important! We all learn and move forward by watching and imitating. Your job is to filter (not shelter!) what should be imitated.

Don’t let your children get too hungry: Prepare filling shakes before they get too hungry and then go somewhere where “other” things are served. Whey your children are full, they are more satisfied and less attracted by other food.

Answer their questions: That's it. No begging, etc. Just fill them up with honest information. Children want to be able to understand and tell others. Point food differences out to them, so they know for future reference.

Take them grocery shopping: Let them pick things they like and what’s on the list.

Use puppetry: Let their dolls, cars, etc. "talk" about it. Use those toys as puppets, and you will see how fun that approach is for your children and how aware they are. They will start asking you questions based on what they just heard from their dolls, etc.

Make commercials: Turn off the TV since there are so many negative influences there. Just watch how creative your children become.

Sell their creations: Let your children make raw crackers and sell them at park days, school functions, etc.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. For transitioning, I suggest you try to find recipes that work for your children. Don't worry too much about all the right combining, etc. That will come by the time they are ready -- when their taste buds have changed to a desire for better quality food.

Again, be sure to have lots of fruit handy since children have a better chance of connecting with flavors they enjoy. Most importantly (for all of us), the fruit should be ripe, fresh and, if possible, organic!

If you want your children to live of raw food, make it happen! Do things such as replacing processed chocolate with your own raw chocolate; they will love it! The point is to simply be a fun example for them. Before long, they’ll be living that life with you.

I would love to hear from you and about your experiences. Let me know what helped with your family’s transition to more or all raw food.