Wakefield and Effective Whistle-Blowing
June 2, 2013
Adults with Autism: Crazy, Lying Hypochondriacs?
June 25, 2013
Show all

The Tragedy of the Ramps

RampsIn the city where I live, the popular edible native plants are going extinct.  Why should you care?  If you can get them at the farmer’s market, what does it matter, if the ecosystem in the park is getting disrupted?

In Quebec, the use of ramps in restaurants is now heavily restricted. Native forests have been so damaged by inexperienced harvesting that the wild leeks may not rebound.  We are seeing that now in the Kitchener area, along the banks of the Grand River.

In North America, we have an ugly history of taking what we want, when we want it.  Native women.  Land.  Passenger Pigeons.  Buffalo. It’s like we have no switch inside that says, “I have enough”.

Early on in the European invasion of North America, it was discovered that the wild-growing American Ginseng had medicinal properties coveted in Asia.  A ginseng gold-rush ensued, everyone rushing to get ‘their share’ before it was all gone.  And it virtually is.  Most field naturalists won’t point it out when they see it in the woods, because it’s so rare that it’s struggling to survive.

We are now destroying the fiddleheads and leeks/ramps in the natural areas along the Grand River.  People who have no understanding of how to protect the plants for future generations, or even future harvests, think they have a hobby of wild food gathering.  Rather, they have a brief interlude of unintentional pillage and destruction, which will not be able to be repeated because the plants’ needs, and the ecosystems’ needs, have been ignored.

Fiddlehead ferns require that most of the uncurled ferns are left intact on the root.  Break off more than one in ten, and you have left that plant less able to feed itself from the sun, vulnerable to illness.  Break off all of the fiddleheads from a single root, and if that root is really lucky, it might have stored enough energy to send out a smaller crop of weaker curls.  Many just die.  

No fiddleheads will come again from most of the plants along some of my favourite stretches of the trails along the Grand.  But an even greater tragedy is the leeks.  Leeks have a way of growing that leaves them very vulnerable to disturbance.  Top estimates of how many may be taken from a patch without damaging it run at 5%.  That means one out of twenty plants may be harvested by one person… and not by every other passersby.Ramp Roots

Ramps store most of their energy in the bulb of the onion, the part that is most succulently edible.  A plant that is uprooted cannot grow seeds; its genetic diversity is gone from the population, and its life is forfeit.

But take a look at the roots.  Notice how they go out to the sides, and then think about how closely leeks tend to grow together.  Harvesting a single leek doesn’t just harm that leek.  At best, its neighbours’ roots are disturbed, and less able to support themselves both foodwise, and stability-wise, in the soil.  At worst, they are weakened to the point of not surviving.  

Soil disturbance also encourages invasive plants to take hold, and earthworms (a non-native species that is heavily destructive to native forest floors) can move in. That patch of soil may be so changed by uprooting or digging a single leek that the leek’s former neighbours die, and that soil will never be able to support another leek again.  

We are doing ourselves, and our future, a disservice by not learning about responsible harvesting in grade school.  As a result,  the worst grade school behaviours (I’ll just take what I want) come from people of all ages when they walk the trails.  If local democratic process weren’t happening in toxic buildings filled with people wearing toxic neuro-disruptors and hormone disruptors disguised as ‘fragrance’ in their laundry and personal care products, I would brave the over-stimulating crowds and try to get more involved.  

If I had my druthers, we would develop a local wild harvesting manifesto which required that any harvester of native species be able to name all of the interdependent plants and wildlife, and the impact of harvesting, for every ‘desirable’ species.  Every patch of woods and other natural area would have a team of youngsters designated to patrol, harvest, and monitor it (learning nutritional, culinary, and business skills in the process).  Fines and ecological restoration work would be required of anyone showing the fruits of illicit harvesting.

The final caveat to this plan, though, is that it will go nowhere unless people who are going hungry are given adequate, real food, the skills and land to grow it, or the livelihood to purchase what they need.  Our food banks are chock-a-block with processed foods that anyone who is already stressed and vulnerable will take much more harm from eating than the average person.  Wild foods are incredibly nutrient-dense, compared to our dumbed-down agricultural foods.  How can we take care of them, and ourselves, better?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get your free Autism Guide

Start lifting straws off the camel’s back!

    You can change your mind at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in the footer of any email I send, or by sending an email to jackie@thrivewithautism.ca. I (and MailChimp, my email service provider), will treat your information with respect.

×

Questions About Speaking

Tell me a little bit more about your organization and what topic you are most interested in learning about.

  • Please let me know if I can add your details to my contact list. If you select No, I will immediately delete your entry. Note that I need your contact information to respond to your query!
  • If you wish to subscribe to my newsletter, please click Yes below.

×

Mentoring Inquiry

Tell me a little bit more about yourself and what you are most interested in learning about.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

×

Download your free report

Please fill out the following form, so I can send your FREE report,
The Five Root Causes of Autism – What’s Causing the Symptoms You’re Dealing With?
Submitting this form subscribes you to my mailing list…

Since you’re looking for better support and answers (or you wouldn’t be here), it’s important to me to know that you’ll only stick with me if you feel inspired and informed. If you don’t find we’re a good fit, please unsubscribe by clicking the link at the bottom of any email.

Thank you for caring about someone with autism…

    You can change your mind at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in the footer of any email I send, or by sending an email to jackie@thrivewithautism.ca. I (and MailChimp, my email service provider), will treat your information with respect.

×

Get Help Now

For every 5 people helped at full price, Jackie supports one who couldn’t otherwise access her materials and guidance.

  • Your contact information will not be added to my mailing list unless you specifically download the Autism Decoder report, or indicate that you want to join my mailing list below.
  • Most of our contact will occur through email, Skype, Facetime, or conference calling. However, if I have any challenges getting in touch with you, a phone number can solve things quickly!
    If you wish to subscribe to my newsletter, please click Yes.

×
Get In Touch
  • The autistic spectrum includes ADHD, Asperger's, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Kanner's, OCD, PDD-NOS, and Tourette's. Females in the spectrum are often misdiagnosed with Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, Bipolar, Eating Disorder, Fibromyalgia, and OCD.
  • Because I have autism and the associated heightened variability in daily function, I am not on the computer every day. Thank you for your patience.
  • Please note: Your name and email will only be used to contact you directly. Your information will not be added to my newsletter mailing list unless you select that option below.
  • If you wish to subscribe to my newsletter, please click Yes below.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

×
Get In Touch
    (Check as many as apply)
    The autistic spectrum includes such diagnoses as: ADHD, Asperger's, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Kanner's, OCD, PDD-NOS, and Tourette's. Females in the spectrum are often misdiagnosed with Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, Bipolar, Eating Disorder, Fibromyalgia, and OCD.
  • Because I have autism and the associated heightened variability in daily function, I am not on the computer every day. Thank you for your patience.
  • Please note: Your name and email will only be used to contact you directly. Your information will not be added to my newsletter mailing list unless you select that option below.
  • If you wish to subscribe to my newsletter, please click Yes below.

×
Get In Touch
  • The autistic spectrum includes ADHD, Asperger's, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Kanner's, OCD, PDD-NOS, and Tourette's. Females in the spectrum are often misdiagnosed with Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, Bipolar, Eating Disorder, Fibromyalgia, and OCD.
  • Because I have autism and the associated heightened variability in daily function, I am not on the computer every day. Thank you for your patience.
  • Please note: Your name and email will only be used to contact you directly. Your information will not be added to my newsletter mailing list unless you select that option below.
  • If you wish to subscribe to my newsletter, please click Yes below.

×
Get In Touch
  • Because I have autism and the associated heightened variability in daily function, I am not on the computer every day. Thank you for your patience.
  • Please note: Your name and email will only be used to contact you directly. Your information will not be added to my newsletter mailing list unless you select that option below.
  • If you wish to subscribe to my newsletter, please click Yes below.

×
Autism Turnaround Session
  • If in your culture your personal name and family name come in a different order, please rearrange them for the sake of my database!
  • Let's try not to get slowed down or stymied by a spam filter!
  • Depending on your location and preferences, we will either use a conference line, Skype, or FaceTime so that you have a recording of our call. However, if there are last-minute challenges, a phone number can help us get things straightened out.
    If you wish to subscribe to my newsletter, please click Yes below.

×