The Free Radical

Let’s see… First, I had a little dance with Grouse, but she didn’t have much to tell me. Then, I nearly walked right into Whitetail Deer. We eyed each other suspiciously at very close quarters, neither of us betraying any fear or even concern. I tried to strike up a conversation, but he wasn’t in the mood. Shortly after that, a very large eagle circled above me for a moment. As I dug in my pack for my GoPro, Eagle vacated the sky and did not return. The critters are curiouser and curiouser… as I’m accepted into their forest family.

Yesterday, I spoke of the recalibration necessary to resonate with the forest’s myriad messages– namely through the ingestion of rose petals and the likes. Today’s message is along the same lines… but also takes a new direction.

Pictured above is a lovely field of “weeds,” mainly alfalfa and clover… and various blossoms caught between my toes. It was Alfalfa who spoke up… additionally representing Clover, Dandelion, and Yarrow to some extent. These are some of the forest’s most prolific weeds. When they crop up in our yards and gardens, we certainly recognize them as such.

Alfalfa’s main message is a reminder that these varieties of indigenous plants are far more more nutritious and well-adapted than virtually all of the other foodstuffs we choose to cultivate. Alfalfa’s tone was nearly mocking as he spoke of our cultivation techniques. We zealously remove highly nutritious plants to replace them with our inferior, ill-adapted preferences which henceforth require our near constant attention and labour to bring them to successful harvest. Furthermore, the so-called “weeds” rather than depleting the soil, they enrich the soil and give it superior structure… and they are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. At the very least, Alfalfa urges us to utilize the weeds as proper fertilizer for our preferred crops. Instant fertilizer can be made by placing any of the weeds, but especially alfalfa, in a blender with non-chlorinated water. Use the green slurry liberally as highly available nutrition for plants not as well-adapted as the indigenous.

Additionally, all of the above-mentioned “weeds” make for excellent trail nibbles while venturing through the forest. Dandelion leaves, roots and blossoms are all highly nutritious. Folklore surrounding clover suggests that red clover blossoms (which are usually actually purple) help purify the blood, whereas white clover blossoms purify the lymph. Yarrow flowers taste exactly like a strong cough drop and work as a breath freshener, a remedy for colds and will induce excessive sweating when deep cleansing is required. Alfalfa is highly mineralizing for both soil and consumers. Its blossoms range in colour from lilac to the deepest purple bordering on black. I can’t resist the nearly black ones; I gobble them up enthusiastically… with an anticipatory eye on purple’s penchant for transmutation– I am becoming the forest.

As I continue my daily forest adventures I’m learning more and more that I am walking through a living food-producing machine. The abundance is everywhere… if we just care enough to see.