PRECIOUS WEED

Australia is a tough place to live as an 'introduced' plant.

Hunted, ripped out and poisoned with Roundup, a carcinogenic broad spectrum herbicide unleashed upon Earth by toxic monopolist Monsanto. There's a fervent zeal about nurturing only what's native, what 'belongs', with perplexing ignorance of the cycle of migration and nauseating disregard for Nature's ability to find her own balance.

In biodynamic farming, the best vegetables grow surrounded by weeds as those hardy and tough 'weedy' roots take the more fragile 'domesticated' roots deeper down into the Earth with them to find nutrients and water. Our garden has thrived ever since I've blown my Dandelion and Plantain seeds all over the place, and I can not wait to sow the wild meadow flower seeds my mum send over from Germany.

As Australian 'landowners', we are legally obliged to control all invasive weeds on our property, and fair enough, I cry over our rare red cedar trees (introduced long long time ago from Asia;-)) strangled by Madeira Vines (probably introduced via the stomach content of Llamas imported from South America).

But thanks to Kirsten from Milkwood Permaculture, this year we'll control this highly edible exotic weed by harvesting!

Turns out the nutritious Madeira vine leaves can be cooked like spinach and are highly nutritious, the roots (rhizomes) can be baked like potato and extract from the aerial seeds are a traditional Chinese medicine anti inflammatory, anti ulcer and liver protectant.