Feminism, Rape Culture and BEYONCE! (A discussion)

I haven't written a blog post for a while........ a LONG while. So what better way to recommence than with a conversation about Queen Bey?

I am going to welcome you in to a conversation I had a few months ago with a friend about Beyonce, our debate about her feminism and the (sometimes subtle) omnipresence of rape culture even among self-proclaimed feminists.

So it doesn't get confusing, my friend's stances will be denoted with a "J:" and mine with "SB:"

Disclaimer: this is just a conversation between friends.  That said, no offense was meant and I hope none will be taken.  Also, please look past any grammatical atrocities, this conversation has not been edited in any way.

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The conversation started out with a discussion of music:

SB: "Thanks! Like I said, there really is not a genre of music I don't like... Even mainstream pop has its merits for me. Case in point... #BitchBad http://www.crunkfeministcollective.com/2013/12/13/5-reasons-im-here-for-beyonce-the-feminist/"

J:  Points well made. Some further curiosity led me here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc

I didn't know of Chimamanda Adichie prior to this but her thoughts seem to coincide with mine regarding gender equality. I see it as evident that there is a false disparity between men and women on many of levels. I don't think a sustainable world is possible without changing this unfortunate reality.

Beyonce is undoubtedly multi-talented although I'm not personally a fan of hers. My primary disagreement is that it still conveys an objectification of women and a glorification of wealth. I feel that these provocative perspectives and attitudes that appear in pop culture sometimes evoke in the majority of listeners a sense of being proactive but otherwise don't inspire the actions necessary for true change. I fear superficial ideas that keep masses docile. It does have significance as one part in the larger impetus for progress and shifting society at large. I couldn't claim it would be better without such ideas but it's the form and method of delivery that I disagree with. I must sound like such a cynic but I feel that the record industry, predominantly run by rich white men with political connections, are the overseers of what can and cannot be expressed in the mainstream and it leads me to believe that the progressive views offered are still filtered, diluted and acceptable to those very dirty rich white men. I think egalitarian gender principles should be ingrained from childhood and they should be the norm in every aspect of our society or hierarchy will never be dismantled... at least not to my satisfaction heh.

Am I a hater yet? lol

I'd consider myself a proud feminist!

I want to hear your thoughts on this.

SB:  
Wow! She is mesmerizing! Thanks for finding this and sharing.

First off, you're not a hater at all! I completely agree that the music industry is controlled by wealthy white males that seem to have PhDs in how to perpetuate oppression. But I think there is certainly merit in the line from the Crunk Feminist Collective's article, "marginalized groups have the right to self-define." I believe that criticizing people, especially marginalized persons, for their language, self-identity, choice of clothing or even false personas they choose to present to the world, creates a horizontal hostility that only impedes the movement rather than impelling it. That said, I think it is VERY healthy to criticize the industry that most likely sways these choices if not downright forces them out.

Now, let's talk about Beyonce! :-)

When you say "it" conveys an objectification of women, let's dissect that for a moment. What in particular do you feel is an objectification? Is it safe to say that you are saying that the way she dresses or moves invites others to objectify her? This is very interesting to me, because can we agree that Rape Culture has very skillfully implanted in all of us a very oppressive way of thinking? And can we also agree that that oppressive way of thinking subtly exposes itself in your statement which seems very feminist and altruistic on the surface? Here is what I am trying to say: rape culture blames the victim. It says, "Yes it was tragic that this person was raped, BUT look at what she was wearing when she walked home in the middle of the night alone." We both know that is bullshit, though. It is not up to the victim to avoid getting raped by living in a state of fear and dressing and acting accordingly. It is up to the "rapist" NOT TO RAPE. So when you say that Beyonce conveys an objectification of women are you saying that, due to the way she moves or the way she dresses it is the only conclusion that women should feel belittled and men should feel justified when they think that she is subordinate, an object for their desire, and a?

As Adichie put it in the TED talk you sent, "[women are taught shame, cover up, cross your legs, etc.]."  A part of me wants to say that if we feel Beyonce's dress is inappropriate because it turns her into a sex object, aren't we then creating that horizontal hostility again by shaming her for dressing like that. Rape culture dictates to us that since Beyonce dresses the way she does, she is inviting us to criticize her as a sex object. She is to blame for our vulgar thoughts because she acts the way she does, dances the way she does and dresses the way she does. I ask you to fight back against something that is so subtly deep rooted in all of us and say "THAT'S BULLSHIT." "Beyoncé can say and dress and dance and do whatever the hell she wants."

Now, I've treated Beyonce as a case study to prove my point, BUT there is definitely a problem in mainstream pop music. The Robin Thicke's of the industry disgust me and don't get me started on the tragedy that is Miley Cyrus. I think it is appalling that the only tools we seem to be providing our young women to feel powerful is through their sexuality and their appearance. I know this may seem like it contradicts what I was saying about performers like Beyonce, but there is a fine line between a woman who self-identifies as a powerful, yet sexual being and a woman who has no other choice but to use the only tools she believes she has been given. I have never witnessed Beyonce disrespecting herself or another in any of her shows, music videos or music. I cannot say that about every pop artist, although I wish I could.

P.S. Let's talk more about the tailored image we are presented in pop media. I completely agree. Although, I suffer from the "I just want to dance" syndrome. And pop music, with it's simplistic repetitive beats gets me moving everytime. HELP!

J:  
HAHA you're awesome. It's funny you say that because I feel the same way. When I'm in that type of setting it definitely gets me moving... to the point where I'm the only one of my friends dancing even though I'm typically the most critical of the music. That also tells me something about the reason why pop music is popular and the importance it has to our species (which is why I'm so disappointed by its current inability to generate more genuinely progressive ideas.) I know I can be overly critical of popular music and many times I denounce it as being simplistic. What I really mean is the repetitive themes and lack of artistic creativity, especially when it comes to rhymes and production. That being said, I can groove to it for sure... but you'll catch me laughing and shaking my head in dismay as I get down haha. I'd like to quickly add that dancing to me is a major form of cultural and individual expression. I feel that freedom, community, love, etc... can all be transmitted within those movements/moments.

Let's talk Bey! :)

First off, I have to say that I had a feeling there would be something subtle in what I said that would provoke some thoughts from you and I'm glad that was the case because you gave me a great response. I am aware of a rape culture mentality(shit, I guess I should just say "I'm a product of a rape culture"). It brings to mind the atrocities of corrective rape where women are sexually assaulted, many times by family or friends, as a means to cure their homosexuality. In the majority of cases they have no legal recourse because they are considered to blame, essentially being seen as inviting the rapist because of their own behavior. Undoubtedly it's the rapists abhorrent behavior that must be eradicated, yet our form of rape culture is arguably more insidious because of it's subtlety and surreptitiousness. If we don't know it exists, how do we mobilize against it, much less defeat it? In reaction to your poignant argument, I'm in full agreement without any convincing necessary. I stand with you in saying "THAT'S BULLSHIT"... fist in the air too? fuck it, fist in the air! haha. I MUST clarify my thoughts but I don't have to say too much because I'd really be reiterating you...

   "I think it is appalling that the only tools we seem to be providing our young women to feel powerful is through their sexuality and their appearance.  I know this may seem like it contradicts what I was saying about performers like Beyonce, but there is a fine line between a woman who self-identifies as a powerful, yet sexual being and a woman who has no other choice but to use the only tools she believes she has been given."

It's not a contradiction at all because it's actually exactly what I was trying to convey in what I originally wrote. The fault is my own when I throw many artists into the same category. In this case I delivered some undue wrath to Beyonce.

P.S. I'd love to see the day when Beyonce proudly declares "I am an Anarcho-Feminist!"

SB: 
Just to throw a kink into our conversation, here is a great response I found debating a different perspective: http://realcoloredgirls.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/the-problem-with-beyhive-bottom-bitch-feminism/ Thoughts?

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So there you have it. A little glimpse into my private world and my conversations with friends... about Beyonce, of course. What are your thoughts?

Scary

http://www.cornucopia.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/prop37-poster3.jpeg 

Worcester Mag Article about WCBA and CCD

A colony’s collapse

Local beekeepers help find a link between honey bee deaths and major pesticide

by Barbara Taormina

Story Created: Apr 18, 2012

Story Updated: Apr 30, 2012 

 

During the break at the Worcester County Beekeepers Association’s Bee School, a seven-week course on beekeeping held in an amphitheater deep inside the maze that is UMass Medical School, Richard Callahan munches on a chocolate-chip cookie and talks bees.

As a retired entomologist, Callahan has a scientist’s affection for facts. He doesn’t speculate much, he just tells you politely what he’s observed, and what he’s learned. Callahan doesn’t look like a guy who is warming up to drop kick one of the world’s largest chemical corporations, but it could happen.

(PHOTO: Worcester County beekeeper
Ken Warchol creates smoke near honeybee hives at Harvard University. Steven King/Worcester Mag)

Callahan and fellow Worcester County beekeeper Ken Warchol have been working with Chensheng (Alex) Lu, professor of environmental exposure biology at Harvard’s School of Public Health, on a study on colony collapse disorder, or CCD, the name used to describe the ongoing worldwide die off of honey bees.
Since 2006, North American beekeepers have been losing huge numbers of bee hives to CCD. Estimates of those losses range from 30 to 90 percent of hives.

In cases of CCD, bees don’t roll over and die. Worker bees abandon their hives, leaving the queen and brood unprotected and uncared for as they fly out to their deaths.

CCD represents a stunning break in the behavioral pattern of an insect of which every other nanosecond of life is genetically programmed with aweinspiring precision. And it’s been deeply troubling for beekeepers and others who respect and revere this insect.

But CCD is really everyone’s worry, even people who aren’t fascinated by bees and those who choose processed sugar over honey every time.

(PHOTO: Ken Warchol lectures at the Worcester County Beekeepers Association's Bee School. Steven King/Worcester Mag)

As Lu mentioned to the Worcester Beekeepers last February when he presented the results of the study to the group, honey bees are responsible for the pollination of more than 100 different food crops. Fewer and fewer bees means thinner and thinner yields of all sorts of fruits, vegetables, nuts and livestock feed.

“Around here, you’re talking about apples, blueberries and cranberries,” says Norman Mercier, president of the Worcester Beekeepers Association. “Some commercial farmers have gone out of business because of CCD.”

People have different ideas on what’s causing the collapse of honey bee hives. Some research has targeted mites, other studies have blamed fungus, and some suspect malnutrition, weakened immune systems and other types of stress.

But Lu, Callahan and Warchol are part of a growing group of researchers who have linked CCD to imidacloprid, one of the most commonly used pesticides in commercial agriculture, back-yard gardens, lawns and landscaping.

And while they weren’t surprised to find a convincing link between CCD and imidacloprid, what did catch them a little off guard was the way it worked.

“We used such a small amount,” explains Callahan. “It was a half milligram over a nine-week period.
Lu, Callahan and Warchol set up five hives in four different locations, including Warchol’s home in Northbridge. From July to September, four of the hives in each group were treated with different amounts of the pesticide, while the fifth was not.

(PHOTO: A honeybee is seen at a hive. Steven King/Worcester Mag)

The idea was to give the bees the amounts of pesticide they would naturally pick up from the surrounding environment as they collect nectar from different plants. The study also suggests that bees ingest imidacloprid through the high-fructose corn syrup that beekeepers often use to feed their hives. According to Lu, the corn which is treated with the pesticide retains some of the chemical’s residue even as it is processed into corn syrup.

“We kept thinking we would see some toxicity, but nothing happened,” reports Callahan.
In his presentation to the Worcester beekeepers, Lu admitted that by early December he thought the study was a bust and that they had failed to show a link between CCD and imidacloprid. But then, around Christmastime, the research team lost three hives. Then three more were abandoned.

“It was so strange to find the hives so quiet and still,” recalls Callahan.

Ultimately, 15 of the 16 hives treated with the pesticide, or 94 percent, died while only one of the four untreated or control hives was abandoned. And both Lu and Callahan say that the hives in the study were like hives that have been hot with CCD. Food and pollen was left behind with younger bees and the queen. When hives are affected by pathogens or other toxic or risky conditions, nothing survives.

“The result is very convincing,” Lu told the Worcester beekeepers. “It’s really obvious that it is really just the pesticide that is killing the bees.”

But even if they had set up a hundred hives and recorded the same results, it may still be difficult to save the bees.

“We are fighting against a giant pesticide manufacturer with billions of dollars on the line,” says Lu.

PICK YOUR POISON 

The study of Worcester County bees is slated to be published in the June issue of the Bulletin of Insectology. However, earlier this month the Harvard School of Public Health issued a press release announcing the results.

And the giant pesticide manufacturer, Bayer CropScience, didn’t waste any time with its response.

Bayer called the study “seriously flawed” and “factually inaccurate.” Among the company’s complaints are the amounts of pesticide that Lu, Callahan and Warchol used to treat the hives, amounts Bayer CropScience argues are much higher than what bees would encounter in nature.

According to Lu, however, the study involved amounts below those normally found in the environment.

The company’s quick reaction is surprising considering this is the fourth study this year to link this type of pesticide to CCD.

Imidacloprid is part of a family of pesticides called neonicotinoids. Chemically similar to nicotine, neonicotinoids ravage the central nervous systems of insects causing paralysis and death.

Neonicotinoids are systemic. They are absorbed by the entire plant and the residue of the chemical lingers. But neonicotinoids are considered far less toxic to mammals than earlier types of pesticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rates neonicotinoids as class II or class III for toxicity, which means products that contain these chemicals do not have to be packaged with decorative skulls and crossbones.

Instead manufacturers of chemicals that fall into class II and class III only have to inform consumers that their products are moderately toxic. They may be harmful or fatal if swallowed, but then again they may not be.

Neonicotinoids have not raised any major or direct concerns for human health, and Callahan stressed that point at a recent Bee School class.

“Our data isn’t alarming as far as humans are concerned,” he points outs.

But bees are another matter. In January, a research team at Purdue University found neonicotinoid pesticides were present in dead and dying bees in hives in Indiana. High levels of clothianidin and thiamethoxam, two neonicotinoid pesticides that are used to coat corn and soybean seeds before planting, were found in waste dust in fields.

“We know that these insecticides are highly toxic to bees; we found them in each sample of dead and dying bees,” reports Christian Krupke, associate professor of entomology at Purdue University, in a press release announcing the results of the study.

In March, a French research team released the results of their study which involved gluing tiny radio transmitters on the backs of honey bees and then feeding some of them nonlethal doses of the neonicotinoid pesticide, thiamethoxam.

(PHOTO: Honeybees on a hive at Harvard University. Steven King/Worcester Mag)

Researchers then released the bees one kilometer away from the hive. A significant number of bees who were fed the neonicotinoid were unable to find their way back to the hive.

Last month, a British study published in Science offered evidence of a link between imidacloprid and slow colony growth among bumble bees.

And that’s just 2012. With the mounting evidence linking CCD to neonicotinoids, it’s difficult to understand why the EPA would approve and then register these chemicals for such widespread use.

Or maybe it’s not so difficult. On the EPA website, in the section that describes pesticides, is a link for frequently asked questions. One of the questions listed is: “Why does EPA rely on studies submitted from pesticide companies when the Agency is considering whether or not to register a pesticide? Shouldn’t the government be performing independent studies?”

According to the EPA, it comes down to resources. But the agency says it issues guidelines to companies testing their own products, and it also carefully reviews the submitted studies.

No doubt; but in 2003, when EPA conditionally approved clothianidin, a newer sister pesticide to the one tested in the Worcester county study, it was with the understanding that Bayer CropScience would conduct additional testing. And it did.

But when the EPA’s own scientists generated a memo, declaring that Bayer’s follow-up study was poorly designed, and that they believed clothianidin was a dangerous toxin for honey bees, the memo was ignored.

And sadly for the EPA, it was also leaked to the public. Last month more than one million bee keepers and environmental groups petitioned the EPA to suspend the sale and use of clothianidin.

PHOTO: Worcester County beekeeper
Ken Warchol, left, and retired entomologist Richard Callahan examine honeybee hives at Harvard
University. Steven King/Worcester Mag)

Since CCD has emerged as a global concern, the enrollment at Bee School has soared. Mercier, who was a member of the beekeepers association for just six years before stepping into the role of president, says more than 200 individuals and couples are enrolled in this year’s course. And the group encompasses all ages, all occupations and all levels of education.

“When CCD appeared, it made people aware of how important bees really are,” says Mercier.
But once they discover bees, beekeepers stick with them for a variety of reasons. Stephanie Stanton, a new beekeeper from Clinton, likes the pace of tending bees.

“It really makes you slow down,” she explains. “You can’t do it quickly. You have to be persistent and patient.”

Others find beekeeping makes them more observant and more tuned into changes in the environment. And for others like Roger Trahan, beekeeping and launching a small honey business was something he found he could share and enjoy with his daughter.

Holden resident Barbara MacPhee, secretary for the Worcester County Beekeepers, has lived through a lot of changes in the beekeeping community.

“When I first started 36 years ago, bee keeping was a man’s world,” recalls MacPhee. “Now it’s everybody from all walks of life.”

Like other beekeepers, MacPhee is fascinated by the order of a hive and the commitment of the bees.

“I am in awe of how they know exactly what to do and exactly when to do it,” she notes. “I’m just there to manage them and to keep them happy.”

(PHOTO: Worcester County beekeeper
Ken Warchol, left, and retired
entomologist Richard Callahan examines honeybee hives at Harvard
University.)

MacPhee also says there’s a kindness and camaraderie among beekeepers that’s not often seen among other groups of hobbyists.

“Beekeepers are very caring toward one another,” she shares. “They will go to any extent to help out another beekeeper.”

Although MacPhee doesn’t doubt that pesticides are responsible for CCD, her bees are involved in yet another study by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Mercier says because the Worcester County Beekeepers Association is the oldest and largest county beekeeping organization in the United States, national experts come to Worcester to research problems and issues with bees. And the group is convinced their members have cracked the case of CCD, if people would just pay attention.

But MacPhee, who has been part of the push to educate people about the value of bees, has seen a lot of positive change already.

“About 10 years ago, I started bringing beekeeping into the schools. Kids were just like their parents; they saw a bee and their first reaction was to kill it,” she remembers. But, MacPhee reports, because of this education through the media and schools, that attitude has totally changed.

“Today, children really understand the importance of bees and the role they play,” she says.

From Worcester Mag

Bee Sugar Candy for Winter Feeding

Bee Sugar Candy
by Armand Provost

for winter feeding of your bees

Makes about 14 8¾” pie plates

Ingredients

• 15 lbs sugar
• 3 bottles Karo syrup
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. Heat to 240 degrees (soft ball stage)
2. Cool to 180 degrees
3. Stir vigorously
4. Pour into containers
5. It should be hardened and ready for use in 2-3 hours

Lessons in Bees: The Tid-Bits that Make a Difference

I read that I should provide a source of water for my bees.  So I cleaned out a bird bath and put it next to the hive.  When I observed them I noticed they never drank from the bath.  Instead they drank from puddles in the mud near the plants I was growing. 

I began to wonder why they shunned the clean water I was providing.  At first I thought the bees were drowning in the bird bath.  This prompted me to put stones with a gradual slope in the bird bath so the bees could easily get to the water without drowning.

 

 

But they still preferred the water from puddles after it rained.  This became problematic when we experienced drought in the middle of this summer.  The soil was parched and there was no rain in sight.

Then I talked to a local bee expert, Ken Warchol, who has been keeping bees since he was 5 years old (he is now over well over 50).  Ken informed me that the bees prefer the minerals in water puddled up above the soil. He recommended I put dirt in the bird bath with the water.

Worcester's Solidarity and Green Economy (SAGE)

http://www.worcestersagealliance.org/

Jill Stein has my vote!

Post Lorax Thought of the Day

I think when scientists or renewable energy aficionados say things like, "it's actually very simple.  If we reduce our consumption of so and so or convert this gizmo to that gizmo, we will cut our carbon dioxide output by so and so percent.  If you combine the impact of that it's like removing all cars from American roads for 10 years," (<-- generic quote) it gives the public a GROSS sense of false security about the HUGE change necessary to deal with climate change.  

I feel it allows people to sit back and say, "oh.  Well if that's all it takes, then it must not be THAT dire of an issue.  The experts and technology are bound to figure things out."  And go on living their lives not realizing the DEEP, INHERENT complexity of the issue; Not realizing that technology WILL NOT save us.  That we are buried so deep in a hole that the rope ladder technology drops down to save us is 10 feet too short.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food

Incorrigible Forageables: Red Clover

Red Clover is one of the ultimate wild plants for women's health.  Red Clover contains isoflavones that act as phytoestrogens (water-soluble plant chemicals that act like the female hormone estrogen).  Traditionally, red clover is used to treat respiratory ailments (Bronchitis and Asthma), heart disease, and skin disorders as well as women's reproductive health issues.

Women's Benefits:
Red Clover tea may help relieve PMS symptoms.  The isoflavones can help regulate estrogen that contribute to fat, which means it is a way to help reduce excess fat.  It may slow bone loss, aiding in the prevention osteoporosis.

For women with normal estrogen levels, red clover isoflavones may displace some natural estrogen from attaching to estrogen receptors, possibly preventing or relieving estrogen-related symptoms, such as breast pain, associated with PMS.  (Herb Wisdom)

Heart Disease:
Red clover may lower the levels of 'bad' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and raise the levels of 'good' high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in the body.

Red Clover contains small amounts of coumarins, the precursor to the anticoagulant dicoumarin which act as slight blood thinners.  There is a small possibility that red clover may be linked to preventing blood clots and arterial plaques for this reason.

Skin Disease:
Red Clover ointments can be spread on the skin to relieve skin rashes, inflammation, eczema and psoriasis symptoms, and irritations.

Red clover is a rich source of calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorous, potassium, thiamine and vitamin C. (Herb Wisdom)

With all that said, moderation is always key.  High dosages of red clover consumption may be harmful and may be linked to an increase in miscarriages and infertility.  Also, I am not an expert, doctor or professional herbalist.  Make sure any red clover you are consuming is not coming from a source exposed to any sprays or chemicals!

Red Clover Tea

1. Add 1 Tablespoon of dried or fresh red clover blossoms to a cup of hot water or add 1 cup of the blossoms to 4 cups boiled water.
2. Let the flowers steep for about 10 minutes with about 2 Tablespoons of mint (2 Tbsp for 4 cups)
3. Add Honey to taste

Red Clover Iced Tea

1. Steep 2 black tea bags in 6 cups boiled water.  Then chill.
2. Add 1 cup of red clover blossoms mixed with 2 Tablespoons fresh mint sprigs
3. Add Honey and ice and enjoy!

Incorrigible Forageables: Wild Chamomile

Iced Chamomile Tea

1. Place chamomile in boiling water or pour boiled water over chamomile flowers and leaves.
2. Let steep about 5 minutes
3. Add LOTS of ice
4. add a bit of local honey to taste.

Internal Uses:

• Mild Sedative
• Calms stomach spasms caused by gastritis and colitis
• Helps rid-of or prevent diarrhea and other intestinal related issues
• Helps with liver problems
• Encourages sweating, which helps with lowering a fever
• Relieves headache pain
• Can be beneficial for babies with colic
• Calms or prevents menstruation pains

External Uses:

• Calms red and inflamed skin
• Liquid feed and plant tonic effective against plant diseases
• You can add Chamomile to your shampoo and/or conditioner. It helps add a silky look to your hair while strengthening your roots.
• Dried flowers can be used as an insect repellent
• Stuffy nose: breathe in the steam from boiling Chamomile in water to clear out your sinus system.

http://www.simplysetup.com/simple-living-2/wild-chamomile-finding-identifying-and-using.html

Incorrigible Forageables: Wild Grape Leaves

When harvesting, make sure to gather the young, tender, green leaves.  The older leaves are woody and fibrous.

Here's a fun fact about grape leaves: historically they have been added to pickle jars to keep the pickled items crispy!  Grape leaves produce a lot of tannins which serve this purpose!  Make sure any high-tannin leaf you are using for this is NOT sprayed with any chemicals or pesticides.

Stuffed Wild Grape Leaves - the recipe is time intensive, but you can make them in a huge batch and freeze the rest.  Recipe from  http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/105403/stuffed-wild-grape-leaves/

Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients

• 6 dozen grape leaves rinsed.
• 2 C leftover rice
• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 minced onion
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• ½ C chopped pecans
• 1 handful plantain chopped (this is a wild green, you could substitute swiss chard or spinach)
• 2 TB lemon juice
• salt
• pepper

Directions

1. Preparing the Leaves. Young leaves are best. Choose leaves that are bright green, and about as large as a woman’s hand.
2. Rinse leaves and then bring a pot of water with 1 tsp salt to boil. Add leaves and boil a few minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. The Stuffing - Brown hamburger with onion and garlic. Drain if needed. Add salt, pepper, and nuts. Cook a few more minutes. Mix with remaining ingredients. Allow to cool.
4. Place the leaf stem side up. Put about 1 TB of stuffing on near the stem end. Fold the sides in and roll tightly, and place in a shallow baking dish.
5. The rolls can simply be brushed with olive oil or baked with about a cup of tomato sauce or water. I prefer them baked with tomato sauce.
6. Bake at 300 F for 50 minutes.

Incorrigible Forageables: Burdock

Burdock is a pretty tenacious plant!  It's the plant that shoots up seed burs that are practically impossible to pull off of your furry dog (especially if her name is Sandy, who has a conniption every time.  So I end up having to just cut her fur instead).

Every part of the plant (leaves, stems and roots) are useful, but it is the root that is most sought after.  It is also the root that is the hardest to access.  Let's just say you want to have some serious digging shovels handy and a strong back to pull the sucker out.

Click here for some pickled Burdock recipes.

This is Sandy.  Can you see how that fur would be a nightmare to deal with when it comes in to contact with Burdock burs?

.

Burn Treatment
The leaves of the burdock may be used for pain management and may help speed up recovery time for burns. It is said to impede bacterial growth by acting as a barrier to moisture.

Kinpira Gobo Recipe
Makes 2-1/2 cups
Preparation Time: 35 minutes

Beginners usually get into trouble when they sauté root (gobo in Japanese) instead of simmering or steaming it because sautéing makes it harder to make the root tender. The trick is to slice the root razor-thin and braise it after sautéing, as in this spicy Japanese side-dish.

• 2 tbs. dark (toasted) sesame oil
• 2 cups root, very thinly sliced
• 2 cups wild or commercial carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbs. fresh ginger, thinly-sliced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled but not cut
• 1/2 cup redbud wine, mirin (Japanese rice wine), or white wine
• 1/4 cup whole sesame seeds
• 2 tbs. tamari soy sauce
• 1 tbs. chili paste or 1/2 tbs. cayenne hot pepper, or to taste

Sauté the carrots, ginger, and garlic in sesame oil 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove and discard the garlic as soon as it turns slightly brown. Meanwhile, toast sesame seeds in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they pop and become slightly brown and fragrant. Remove the sesame seeds from frying pan and set aside. Add the remaining ingredients to the sautéed vegetables, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. Add the sesame seeds. Serve hot as an appetizer, a condiment, or a side dish.

Incorrigible Forageables: Japanese Knotweed

I recently went to Herbstalk 2012 in Somerville and learned that you can make Japanese Knotweed tincture that boosts your immune system to help fight against Lyme disease!

Yay, herbstalk!

Japanese Knotweed has a bitter, sour flavor and I don't particularly enjoy it, but some people LOVE it.

Here's the recipe for the tincture to battle Lyme disease and other spirochetal diseases: harvest the root (which is a super pain to dig up) and mix it with a VERY high proof vodka alcohol.

1. five parts HIGH-proof alcohol (vodka, everclear, etc. <-- 190="" a="" alcohol="" corn="" from="" href="http://organicalcohol.com/store/" i="" proof="" use="">Alchemical Solutions

) to one part Japanese knotweed root

let sit one to one and a half months (4-6 weeks), shaking it up every day or two (up to 6 months is ideal)

Sieve out the root pieces

You can use this recipe for humans OR animals!  When using herbs to treat anything, it is best to use as local as possible, so if you have invasive knotweed growing in your backyard and you have safe and healthy soil, then your backyard is the best place to go for your ingredients.

When using the treatment for animals (i.e.: medium sized dogs) the doseage goes as follows: mix 1/2 the vodka with 1/2 veggie glycerin to sweeten the tincture and lessen the burn.  Use 1/2 a dropper 2 times per day.  It is best one hour after feeding but you can also just put it right into your animals food.  

Nancy Anderson, the herbalist who gave me this recipe suggested that for every year of having lyme disease, one treats themselves for 3 months with the tincture.  So if you're using this as a treatment and not preventatively, and you've had lyme disease for 2 years, you should treat yourself for 6 months.

Incorrigible Forageables: Purslane

Purslane is a scrumptious gem of a weed!  It is a succulent, which means that it has fat, water-retaining leaves, stems and roots that burst with flavor.

The other day I used purslane and lamb's quarters in a stir fry for some guests and they loved the new tastes!  Then I added a bunch of chopped purslane stems and leaves to a salad with a bit of oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice and garam masala.  The possibilities are endless and fun to play around with in the kitchen with purslane's unique flavor.

It is rich in vitamin C as well as alpha-linoleic acid a.k.a. a well-known and highly coveted Omega-3 fatty acid.  

Can't wait to try this out the next time I harvest some purslane!  Looks savory!

Incorrigible Forageables: Lamb's Quarter

Lamb's quarters (also known as goosefoot, pigweed, or fat hen) are absolutely delicious and grow EVERYWHERE!  You can tell how rich your soil is by how lush your lamb's quarters growing in it are.  Lamb's quarters grow big yummy leaves in nutrient-dense soil.

To me, Lamb's quarters taste like a velvety-textured spinach with a hint of pine nut flavor.  Sound yummy?  It is!  I've made Lamb's Quarter saag (Click HERE for my Dad's delicious saag recipe that I've posted about in the past and just substitute the spinach for Lamb's quarters) and my Desi friends have exclaimed that it tastes even better than spinach!

It is cultivated in parts of Asia and Africa for food, but in most of N. America and Europe it is considered a weed.

Lamb's quarters is high in protein, vitamin A, calcium, phosphorous and potassium.  Like other members of the spinach family and black teas, lamb's quarters is also high in Oxalic acid.  With this in mind, just take care not to eat a consistent diet too high in raw leaves of any of these plants.

Other than that, I'll hope you'll get a chance to try it out.  It's one of my favorites!

Incorrigible Forageables: Stinging Nettles

Stinging nettles are pretty much a super food and a magical wild edible!  They are a rich source of beta-carotene, vitamin A, C and E, iron, calcium, phosphates and minerals.

The most common benefit I've heard of for using stinging nettle, is to treat allergies, strengthen the immune system and aid in kidney cleansing.

If harvesting, make sure to wear gloves!  Some people, myself included, do not have a severe reaction to stinging nettles.  Either way, the sting is not a pleasant experience.  Most people get welts where the sting gets in contact with their skin and experience a tingling sensation for hours after.  Boiling, blanching and drying nettle leaves neutralizes the sting.

Harvest the young leaves at the top of the plant.  I harvest no more than 2-3 stratum of leaves.

Check out this past post for my recipe for Nettle Tabouli.  Also, this season's Edible Boston has an entire spread of Nettle recipes!

The following are from this website:  http://holisticmedicine-denie.blogspot.com/2011/04/benefits-of-nettle-plant.html

Nettle tea
Nettle tea may be useful in eliminating cold viruses and bacterial infections. Preparation: the tea can be prepared through soaking the fresh or dried leaves in boiled water.  I like to use fresh leaves and then strain them out and use them to cook with (nettle ravioli, pasta with a creamy nettle sauce or nettle pesto here I come!).

Nettle infusion
Washing the scalp with nettle (leaves or roots) infusion and nettle tincture may help thicken and strengthen hair. Preparation: to prepare the infusion: mix 60g of finely crushed nettles with two and a half cups of water. The mixture is boiled, and then covered for 10 minutes. It can be used either hot or cold.

Nettle tincture
Eliminates dandruff and leaves the hair silky, strong and revitalized. Preparation: leave six-seven fresh leaves or two spoons of the dried plant to macerate in half a liter of high-proof alcohol for ten days. The mixture is then used to rub on the hair root.

Nettle juice
Preparation: gather the nettle leaves and stem and put them into a fruit juicer. Filter the paste and keep the juice in the fridge in dark bottles.

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