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Wild Edibles And Their Advantages

Wild Edibles and The Many Benefits With so much convenience spread all around us there isn't much need to know about what grows under our very noses, more what we can get from Africa or Spain or Italy. We are so busy trying to find what is growing in the far reaches of the world that we fail to see that the most suited plants for us are often the ones that grow as weeds in our own gardens.

Plants such as Nettles grow all over the woodland areas in countries such as the UK and have been written about for thousands of years in sacred texts telling of their host of beneficial attributes. This is such the case that countries that are naturally unable to grow them have created artificail ways of cultivating them.

It's recommended that you eat the younger shoots as this is where most of the energy is concentrated and will pack the biggest punch. Eaten raw, the leaves can be rolled up in a wafer shape so all of the stinging hairs are pointing up and away from you. There may be a slight sting in your mouth but the sting will be counteracted by the juices almost immediately.

There are plenty of plants men and botanists out there who are championing wild food as their advantages far out way the disadvantages, if any. As a gardener and designer myself i very much appreciate plants and their abilities to help us physically and mentally and would love to see more people embrace the benefits that stare us in the face.

To keep any plants coming back year after you'll need to keep the roots in place and just harvest by cutting them back. Wild food can be preserved in many ways by dehydrating, pickling, canning or freezing. I'm a big fan of dehydrating as this can be very long lasting and very lightweight when vacuum packed. There are hundreds of informative books out there focusing on any one specific point so find what you love and focus on it until you've mastered it!

To keep pests away from your own plants and to eliminate any chemicals being sprayed companion planting is the best way to attract insects that will eat or deter the damaging pests from hanging around your crop. Look at what problems you have first and then come up with a plant that will host an insect that will bring a solution.

Article Source: GardenGap.com

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Want to find out more about Wild Edibles, then visit Ben Jackson's site on how to choose the best Edible Plants for your needs.