Found this:
As we seek to integrate our agricultural systems with the landscape, in a way that follows an ethic of bioregional stewardship, the native and naturalized flora of our region offer a uniquely diverse resource. The plants that surround us have co-evolved with, and supported humans in a myriad of ways through the millennia. Whether native or introduced, at one point or another almost every plant in our landscapes, from the most common weed, to the most majestic tree, was used by people for something. By utilizing these resources resources, we reap the benefits of local adaptation. Local plants are adapted to the local soil and weather conditions, possibly requiring little or no irrigation, and becoming self-sustaining in the process. In many of our fragmented ecosystems, cultivation of certain plants may be necessary for their preservation. In any case, a familiarity with the identification and use of the local flora, in the fields, in the woods, and in the garden will bring us closer to a truly regional sustenance.
from Tobias Policha in Rewilding the Garden- Towards a Contemporary Ethnobotany
Check out their website, Foodnotlawns. What a pity they are so far away, what a joy to know they exist!
PS. The title idea for this post comes from combining a comment in a submission to the Committee of Inquiry into Folklife in Australia (see previous post) by a Greek immigrant who summed up the Australian way of life as ‘mowing bloody lawns’ (page 54), and an article written by Heather Coburn and available in the Foodnotlawns website, Don’t be Wasted on Grass! Lawns to Gardens!, which you will have to save in an upcoming ‘Reading List’, definitely.
