Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 30, 2023

11

 Mountain Views News Saturday, September 30, 2023 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges [www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


Meet Miss NIKO!

This beautiful 
baby and 
her brother 
(but he's now 
adopted) 
were being 
kept in a 
chicken coop 
by a well meaning but misguided human. 
After we rescued them, they were 
lovingly cuddled and socialized, and 
making ex-cellent progress! Niko is a 
beautiful, medium hair, dilute tortie. She 
is a sweet, curious, and acrobatic girl. 
Her favorite game is to jump and twist 
to catch toys on a wand. She loves to get 
attention, and purrs constantly while rubbing her body all around the room. She enjoys 
being petted and has silky fur, with a surprise on her left back paw--it's white! See more 
pictures of her on our website’s “Very Young” page. Niko is all ready to go: spayed, vaxxed, 
tested negative, chipped, and more. 

 We are taking applications now,--apply at our website, www.lifelineforpets.org.


FORAGING AS A LIFE-STYLE

[Nyerges is the author of over 2 dozen books on survival and self-reliance, the founder 
of the School of Self-Reliance, and an educator since 1974. More information at www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]



For several years, I have conducted a field class called Seasonal Foraging, 
which consists mostly of beginning students who want to know how to identify 
edible and useful plants. Each student is looking for a practical way to 
begin using some of nature’s abundant bounty in their own lives.

I realize that I’ve been foraging most of my life, partly due to economic necessity 
but mostly because I’ve enjoyed the adventure of learning how hunt and forage peoples 
of the past survived.

I have always regarded the many traditional skills of self-reliance and bushcraft as worthy of 
mastery simply for the feeling of self-confidence that they impart. I find most of the television 
and on-line versions of “survival” a bit skewing, since the tv shows are so often about competition 
and making money. Not everyone shares my perspective, and that’s ok.

SEASON

In my Seasonal Foraging class, I take students to the same (or very similar) location four times 
a year – near the solstices and equinoxes – to observe the seasonal changes, and to observe what 
is in season at the moment, and what will be available in the coming months. 

One benefit of viewing our environment in this very positive and practical manner is that the 
students tend to become natural protectors of the environment. When you see every plant as 
useful, and valuable to your daily life, you want those environments to be maintained and 
protected. And you would never just uproot a plant if you only need to use its leaves, which 
I’ve seen “foragers” do all too often. It’s an act of self-interest to never uproot a plant that you 
don’t need to uproot.

 Take lamb’s quarter for example. This is an annual, originally from Europe, which can today 
be found all over the world. The leaves can be eaten in dishes raw or cooked, and it’s one of the 
top most nutritious plants in the world. When I have it in my yard, I just pinch off the leaves I 
need. I never uproot it. In doing this over the past several decades, I’ve noted that the plants I 
cut back actually live longer! That’s right –my pruning prevents the plant from flowering and 
seeding in its normal time, and extends its life up to a few more months. That’s several more 
months where I can harvest and eat lambs’s quarter – a point that could make a significant difference 
in hard times.

It’s important to see the big picture and not just think about today. Look ahead. Think seasonally. 
And keep in mind that the quickest way to learn the art of ethnobotany is to see the plants 
in the field. Books are a distant second best. And once you recognize plants in the field, one of 
the best ways to accelerate your learning is to watch each of them throughout the year. Get to 
know the plants as they sprout, as they mature, as they produce flowers and fruit, and as they 
dry up and die. No book provides that full spectrum of images.

FAMILIES

It’s important for the beginner to learn the individual plants. After awhile, you know some 
very well, and you start to look at what you don’t know. My main mentor emphasized the great 
value of learning about and understanding botanical Families.

My mentor, Dr. Enari, pointed out that the chemistry often flowed within families, and by 
knowing certain families, you have a great insight into all the members of that family.

So what exactly is a botanical Family? Through centuries of observation, naturalists have observed 
the characteristics of flowers, and they have carefully analyzed those flowers. There are 
many types of flowers. A complete flower has sepals, petals, stamens and pistils. Some flowers 
do not have all those parts, and so are called incomplete.

Despite the differences in leaf shapes and growing conditions, the flowers with identical parts 
(I’m simplifying) have traditionally been grouped into the same family. It’s a way to get a handle 
on nature, to see the patterns that exist and to find the order that seems to exist in nature. 
For example, any flower that has four sepals, four petals, four stamens (the male part) and one 
pistil (the female part) are classified in the Mustard Family. That family includes radishes, watercresss, 
wasabi, mustards, and broccoli – all of which appear very different, but whose flowers 
all consistently agree with that flower formula. 

This order in nature helps the new botanist to identify plants by giving a device by which to 
study and classify. And in this case, since there are no poisonous member of this family, any 
plant you find with four sepals, four petals, six stamens, and one pistil can at least be tested for 
palatability since it will most likely be an acceptable food.

There are quite a few completely edible plant families. When I was first researching this with 
Dr. Enari, he identified perhaps three dozen such families that were entirely safe, and he always 
encouraged me to see the relationship of each plant within a family. It was not a “shortcut” 
he warned, but a way to always see a bigger picture, and a way to make great progress in 
botanizing.

SOME FAMILIES HAVE QUESTIONABLE MEMBERS

Knowing that a wild plant is related to a known edible plant does not make the wild plant edible, 
however. There are at least two botanical Families – the Nightshade and the Parsley Families 
– which contain many good edibles, and many that could also kill you. 



In my first book, “Guide to Wild Foods,” 
I included an appendix describing many 
of the entirely safe to eat plant families. I 
found that most people didn’t read it, but it 
was perhaps the most important part of the 
book. You can also get a similar insight by 
reading Tom Elpel’s excellent book, “Botany 
in a Day.” Both those books are available 
wherever quality books are sold, and they 
will accelerate your botanical education.


Pet of the Week

 Shadow is not only super handsome, he's also such a good 
boy! He is an energetic and outgoing lab mix who is about 3 
years old. 

 Shadow has become quite a favorite of the volunteers at 
Pasadena Humane. He’s gone on some field trips and even 
had an overnight stay with a foster family. He has spent time 
with other dogs and kids- he seems to like everyone he meets!

 He also appears to be housetrained, and he knows some 
tricks. He’ll happily sit or give you a paw for a treat. He loves 
treats, so additional training will be a breeze!

 Shadow definitely wants to be someone’s shadow. He 
follows you around with a happy grin on his face until you 
acknowledge his presence and remind him that he’s a good 
boy. 

 Shadow is ready for his forever home- maybe with you?

 The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and 
age-appropriate vaccines. 

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet. 

 View photos of adoptable pets and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.
org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption appointments are available every 
Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email. 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com