In this Chapter, McCully addresses the evolution of the importance of weeds. I thought it was pretty interesting and accurate to say that a type of plant that used to provide an abundance of resources is now considered to be a pest. While there are still edible and medicinal weeds around, we’ve found other more easily accessible means of drugs and food so naturally we tend to depreciate these plants. At the end of the day I think it all goes back to convenience, and why would we go through the trouble of looking for the appropriate plants for our needs when everything is already prepackaged and ready for use at our local supermarket or pharmacy.
The chapter once again made a point to address how when the Europeans came to America they saw the world as a source of exploration and exploitation. I particularly liked when McCully writes, “nature was viewed as the realm of matter, not spirit, serving the physical needs and wants of man.” The natural world went from being considered a holy realm that was meant to be treated with respect, to just property that needed to have every last bit of usefulness drained and abused out of it.
Going back to the topic of weeds, I went on Google to see what I could find about different common weeds and their practical uses and stumbled upon this: http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/edible-weeds.html
After reading and seeing how little I know about how to make use of the natural world around me, I think it’s pretty safe to say that in the event of some apocalypse where we’d be left with nothing but plants, I’d be the first to die.
