ACT & REPORT BACK // We’d love to hear about what food plants grow in your area, and any stories of traditional ecological knowledge that have led to knowledge about plant species, or anything interesting your country has done with a certain food group that’s gone through the centuries.
_ In the Netherlands where Lis is from you’ll find that carrots took on a life of their own being cultivated in the color orange for the first time in mass production, rather than the colors carrots mostly were before that; red, purple and white. It seems the Dutch adopted the orange carrot as a dedication to the Royal family (orange is the national color). There are many versions of this story though and it’s hard to know which is closest to the truth!_
_ In Western Australia where Em and Adam live, there is nearly 40,000 years of history of the local Indigenous peoples living off the land and practicing a rich culture tied intrinsically to the landscape and seasons. This long history has left an incredible knowledge of the local flora and fauna, and there are many plants that are edible or have medicinal properties that grow quite literally in peoples backyards. Learning about native food plants (what is called “bush tucker”) can be extremely interesting and rewarding, and can make you look at the plants around you in a much different way. It can also help us a lot with far more sustainable and local food supply._
__In the UK where John is from there is a fascinating story of the Rhubarb triangle. Native to Siberia, they’re grown by candlelight in Yorkshire and though it is often romanticized it is back breaking labor. _
Your turn to share a story!