My uncle told me, we used to be able to walk along the hedgerow and eat as we were going. This article is very interesting and you might inspire a few gardeners to re-plant indigenous plants.
Perennial crops like these are conversely a great choice for gifting to others in my experience. A divided section of a perennial is more substantial than some perilously fragile seedlings, and the gift lasts longer. In other words, it's easier to get others to grow a perennial than it is to get them to keep growing annuals.
Absolutely loved this article. Will you let us know how they turn out (including taste)? There is a living history YT channel called Townsend that do old forgotten American Frontier Food..just relaxing to watch.
Yes, I'll certainly be following up on this. Particularly with the tansy, which is said to ward off slugs and insects. The skirret seeds were quite expensive, and for a few, so I'll have to see about that.
I heard that Jameson's (whiskey) is so bland because it's mass market, each bottle needs to be identical for brand continuity and the only way to ensure this uniformity is to erase the more interesting (but variable) notes. It seems you can't scale up without losing a great deal.
It's the same when it comes to mass produced wines. It should be a seasonal product with noticable differences each year, but the big labels will blend different wines (often across multiple years) to get a consistent taste with each batch.
I won't paste this on X, but this reminds me of Academic Agent's "Carrot Pill" fight from a few years back. Like many men of thought, they have no idea of the tie of humanity to their land and the soul building that one can achieve by doing exactly what you are doing. Every year, you are learning more about your land, what it can do, and it builds a meaning that only someone who is there every day, each year, can fully understand. There is a real symbiosis there in what so many think is such a simple thing. I really enjoyed this article, sir.
I tasted salsify about a decade ago when it had a little renaissance - no doubt due to some celebrity chef writing in The Times or The Guardian.
You may be aware of “permaculture”, a movement and science that aims to feed us from our own gardens. I wonder what that would look like if it drew on pre-colonial era vegetables?
Interesting to think about how our diet has been shaped. Being able to grow your own is great. Also great to be able to buy and support friends and farmers within your community that aren't using poisons and foreigners working for slave wages. Private equity taking over industrial farming is as disastrous with misaligned incentives as them taking over the medical system.
Round my way in deepest darkest Devon there is much talk of a return to the land. Open-field systems, forest management and permaculture being the hot topics.
Even wealthy boomers here sense an inflection point. Though it might be they sense they are about to be taxed out of existence by the liberal regimes they keep voting for.
I have heard that one reason the potato initially spread through Europe was that it could be left in the ground. Hostile armies passing through did not recognise the green plants as food, unlike grain which was harvested, kept in storage, and often looted.
There's a long wait for allotments in my town, but my Mum has managed to get one where she lives. So I'm about to embark on my own little green fingered journey. Really enjoying this content, and looking forward to shamelessly copying any success you have with some of these crops. Cheers.
This is fascinating and if I ever get a small garden going on our heavily shaded lot I will try some of these, especially the lovage. I used to have a really large garden though I am a terrible gardener and even here in the sunny mid-Atlantic US tomatoes can be hard to grow, at least the plants seem to die off by August while still covered in ripening fruit. It’s very frustrating.
A video of this topic would be interesting. I miss the rambles.
This is really interesting, I'm going to look in to some of these perennials for my own garden I think. It's been right at the back of my mind for a while, but this has really got me thinking. Thank you.
I think the biggest reason for annuals (no doubt the industrial reign of quantity comes into it but it predates it with our first grain crops) is because of their enormous net yield, due to putting so much of the energy of their life cycle into storage structures, namely large seeds or tubers. Perennials (and perennial ecosystems in general like forests) have much higher gross production but not as high net as in annual ecosystems like grasslands which boom then die.
It's actually why agriculture first developed in and is best suited to dryland or monsoonal areas with a pulse of wet/dry or a simulated one via irrigation. It took some workarounds to make it work in colder temperate areas, and the potato is actually more suited to colder areas than many grains.
The way things are going, it might be those who can (and do) grow their own food that will survive the coming upheaval. I know some preppers emphasize having large communities to increase your chances of survival (fair enough); however; a small group would probably benefit more from perenials, as their would be fewer hands to tend the crops. Large communities would attract more attention than smaller hidden ones.
I find the history of food a fascinating subject, so loved this article, and as a first year allotment holder I'm interested to hear how you get on with your experiments!
I think the lack of diversity in our modern diets is also a major contributor to many modern day health issues. We just weren't designed to eat the same limited number of crops all year round so I love the idea of reviving old plants.
My uncle told me, we used to be able to walk along the hedgerow and eat as we were going. This article is very interesting and you might inspire a few gardeners to re-plant indigenous plants.
Perennial crops like these are conversely a great choice for gifting to others in my experience. A divided section of a perennial is more substantial than some perilously fragile seedlings, and the gift lasts longer. In other words, it's easier to get others to grow a perennial than it is to get them to keep growing annuals.
Absolutely. They can be passed on and on.
Rhubarb feels like the last survivor of this group, clinging on to the side of the plate to use your analogy.
Absolutely loved this article. Will you let us know how they turn out (including taste)? There is a living history YT channel called Townsend that do old forgotten American Frontier Food..just relaxing to watch.
Yes, I'll certainly be following up on this. Particularly with the tansy, which is said to ward off slugs and insects. The skirret seeds were quite expensive, and for a few, so I'll have to see about that.
I heard that Jameson's (whiskey) is so bland because it's mass market, each bottle needs to be identical for brand continuity and the only way to ensure this uniformity is to erase the more interesting (but variable) notes. It seems you can't scale up without losing a great deal.
It's the same when it comes to mass produced wines. It should be a seasonal product with noticable differences each year, but the big labels will blend different wines (often across multiple years) to get a consistent taste with each batch.
I won't paste this on X, but this reminds me of Academic Agent's "Carrot Pill" fight from a few years back. Like many men of thought, they have no idea of the tie of humanity to their land and the soul building that one can achieve by doing exactly what you are doing. Every year, you are learning more about your land, what it can do, and it builds a meaning that only someone who is there every day, each year, can fully understand. There is a real symbiosis there in what so many think is such a simple thing. I really enjoyed this article, sir.
Yes, the carrot pill thing was confected nonsense.
Thanks.
What a beautiful article. And inspiring.
I tasted salsify about a decade ago when it had a little renaissance - no doubt due to some celebrity chef writing in The Times or The Guardian.
You may be aware of “permaculture”, a movement and science that aims to feed us from our own gardens. I wonder what that would look like if it drew on pre-colonial era vegetables?
Interesting to think about how our diet has been shaped. Being able to grow your own is great. Also great to be able to buy and support friends and farmers within your community that aren't using poisons and foreigners working for slave wages. Private equity taking over industrial farming is as disastrous with misaligned incentives as them taking over the medical system.
A wonderful article, Morgoth.
There is hope and something in the air.
Round my way in deepest darkest Devon there is much talk of a return to the land. Open-field systems, forest management and permaculture being the hot topics.
Even wealthy boomers here sense an inflection point. Though it might be they sense they are about to be taxed out of existence by the liberal regimes they keep voting for.
Thanks, John. I always hesitate to do these more reflective articles because people prefer newscycle stuff.
I have heard that one reason the potato initially spread through Europe was that it could be left in the ground. Hostile armies passing through did not recognise the green plants as food, unlike grain which was harvested, kept in storage, and often looted.
There's a long wait for allotments in my town, but my Mum has managed to get one where she lives. So I'm about to embark on my own little green fingered journey. Really enjoying this content, and looking forward to shamelessly copying any success you have with some of these crops. Cheers.
This is fascinating and if I ever get a small garden going on our heavily shaded lot I will try some of these, especially the lovage. I used to have a really large garden though I am a terrible gardener and even here in the sunny mid-Atlantic US tomatoes can be hard to grow, at least the plants seem to die off by August while still covered in ripening fruit. It’s very frustrating.
A video of this topic would be interesting. I miss the rambles.
I might bring back the rambles but from my potting shed.
That would be great!
Even the names of the "lost vegetables" are more beautiful than those of the modern variety!
This is really interesting, I'm going to look in to some of these perennials for my own garden I think. It's been right at the back of my mind for a while, but this has really got me thinking. Thank you.
I think the biggest reason for annuals (no doubt the industrial reign of quantity comes into it but it predates it with our first grain crops) is because of their enormous net yield, due to putting so much of the energy of their life cycle into storage structures, namely large seeds or tubers. Perennials (and perennial ecosystems in general like forests) have much higher gross production but not as high net as in annual ecosystems like grasslands which boom then die.
It's actually why agriculture first developed in and is best suited to dryland or monsoonal areas with a pulse of wet/dry or a simulated one via irrigation. It took some workarounds to make it work in colder temperate areas, and the potato is actually more suited to colder areas than many grains.
The way things are going, it might be those who can (and do) grow their own food that will survive the coming upheaval. I know some preppers emphasize having large communities to increase your chances of survival (fair enough); however; a small group would probably benefit more from perenials, as their would be fewer hands to tend the crops. Large communities would attract more attention than smaller hidden ones.
Just a thought.
I find the history of food a fascinating subject, so loved this article, and as a first year allotment holder I'm interested to hear how you get on with your experiments!
I think the lack of diversity in our modern diets is also a major contributor to many modern day health issues. We just weren't designed to eat the same limited number of crops all year round so I love the idea of reviving old plants.