eating weeds.

Because I am apparently the kind of person that can be talked into almost anything (especially anything involving "wilderness"), Jay recently convinced me to sign up for a series of Friday evening lectures at a local community college on "wilderness survival." The series is by this guy and the content is in fact interesting. (10 points for Jay.) However, we have discovered a subclass of people that will turn out for *anything* with the word "survival" in the main title and who are totally, and completely OUT. OF. THEIR. MINDS. (-50 points for Jay.)

When asked why they were interested in the course, approximately 50% of our class answered, "the coming apocalypse."

The rest of us just tried not to make eye contact.

The first lecture was on edible plants--the growing and green things around us and in our own yards that actually serve as food. I've posted some pictures and descriptions on flickr. I'm not officially endorsing any of this info--you can eat this stuff at your own risk--but I tasted everything that I took a picture of. It IS sort of fascinating to think about how narrowly we define what is "food." Many of the plants covered in the lecture are commonly used ornamentals, but not-to-be-found in your local grocery store.

Personally, I found the carob pods surprisingly tasty. And the sow thistle? Unsurprisingly not.