50 YEARS OF FORAGING -- an interview with Christopher Nyergesgoogle.com, pub-8623877305223293, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

 

CHRISTOPHER NYERGES HAS TAUGHT SELF-RELIANCE, SURVIVAL, AND WILD FOOD SINCE JAN. 1974 –       NEARLY 50 YEARS!

Christopher Nyerges:  “After 50 years of teaching, and 27 books later,

 I still enjoy learning new things….”

 

GZ INTERVIEWS CHRISTOPHER NYERGES, web site: www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com

 

GZ:  How do people find out about your classes?

CN:  Various ways ,such as word-of-mouth, the web-site, news articles.  I often just get random phone calls such as the guy who asked me to teach him and his family how to be self-reliant.

GZ:  What did you tell him?

CN:  With such a question,  I asked him what the term ‘self-reliance’ means to him.   He wasn’t all that sure, so it led to a conversation to find out what he already know, and to find out  his life situation.  I wanted to know what skills he already had, and more importantly, what deficits he believed he had.

GZ:  So what did you end up advising him?

CN:  In this case, he took a few private Wild Plant walks with me, and a few classes on storing and purifying water.  That satisfied his need to learn more self-reliant skills and I still see him.

GZ:  You must get odd requests sometimes too, right?

CN: Right.  A man called me  who wanted to take my wild food classes, and cut his food bill in half because he had a big family. That was his main concern, saving money.  I told him that Botany is a science and that it takes time and that there are many benefits. However, if his primary motivation was to save money, I felt he’d be disappointed by studying wild foods. I mean, it’s about so much more than saving money.  So I advised him to join a food co-op, begin using coupons, go to the 99 cent store, get an EBT card from the government, and things like that.  I don’t think he thought much of what I was telling him, and I never heard from him again.

GZ:  So you’ve been doing this a long time.  Much longer than anyone out there.  How did  you get into this field as a teacher and writer?

CN:  In the 1970s, when barely in high school, I became alarmed by studying the world situation, and realized that there were threats to my survival around every corner.  I realized that in order to eat, I should study botany, ethnobotany, and mycology, which I did intensively.  I began studying the works of Euell Gibbons and Bradford Angier, and I joined the L.A. Mycological Association. I was in it for the long haul.  I also became familiar with Larry Dean Olsen, who was the foremost teacher of primitive and indigenous living skills. 

GZ:  I know Euell Gibbons – the author of “Stalking the Wild Asparagus.”  But who is Larry Dean Olsen?

CN: Olsen taught primitive skills – skills that the indigenous peoples used – at Brigham Young University in the 1960s, and he is largely responsible for the primitive skills interest we have today. His very popular book was “Outdoor Survival Skills.”  He passed away just a few years ago.

GZ:  I see.  Many of our younger readers may have never heard of them.

CN:  Right, that was before the days of the internet and cell phones.  And so back then, I had to learn by all the old school methods.  I made a point of going to every lecture that I could in order to learn about the plants and skills that I thought would save my life one day. In high school and college, I took courses in botany, ethno-botany, field biology, geology, astronomy – all the sciences that I thought would help me.

By 1974, Mr. R.E.White, who founded the non profit WTI, and sponsored the first Wild Food Outing that I led in January of 1974. Within a year,  I met Euell Gibbons, and I started a serious ethnobotanical study with Dr. Leonid Enari of the L.A. County Arboretum.   I regarded the pursuit of “self-reliance” as a serious life study, and I am indebted to the various high-quality individuals along the way who assisted me in my journey.

I wrote my first book and it was published in 1978, “Guide to Wild Foods,” with the help of R.E. White and Dr.Enari.  The book is still in print, now in color, and I still suggest that those seeking to learn about self-reliance read that book.

GZ:  1978!  Wow.  And is that book still in print?

CN:  Yes, still in print, many version later, and now all in color.

Along the way, I have continued to teach in field trips, in the classroom, and various lectures and workshops.  We have figured that we’ve seen up to 50,000 students in the last 50 years!  A lot of the up and coming naturalists have participated in our classes, and we’ve been written up in magazines and books, such as in Neil Strauss’ “Emergency” book.    Besides my first book, I’ve produced over two dozen related books, on wild foods, wilderness survival, and urban self-reliance.   

GZ:  Yes, I noticed that you have many books available on Amazon.  You must be busy all the time.

CN:  (Laughs).  So, today, when someone wants to learn about “self-reliance,” I usually tell them to read my “Extreme-Simplicity: Homesteading in the City” book, where I detail what my wife and I did for 20 years in our attempt to live a more self-reliant life in Los Angeles.  The book discusses raising animals, using solar electricity, gardening, collecting rainwater and so much more.   The sequel book was “Self-Sufficient Home” which I also highly recommend.

Along the way, I have also written eight Foraging Guides by Falcon Books, the most relevant here would be “Foraging California” and “Nuts and Berries of California.”  All these are fully illustrated with color photos. I also more recently wrote “Urban Survival Guide” which is my most current thinking about how cities should be built, how homes should be built, and h ow we all should be living.  This book includes an extensive section on Health and Economics, topics not normally found in “survival” books. 

GZ:  Yes, I have the Urban Survival Guide book.

CN:  So, after 50 years of teaching, and 27 books later, I still enjoy learning new things, and sharing those practical skills with those close to me.  And though the threats today to our very existence are still there, and greater, I no longer pursue this path based on fears.  It’s very exciting and fulfilling to live better with less, to realize that each of us holds at least some of the keys to our survival, depending on  how we think and live. 

I share in my newspaper and magazine articles, and in my books, the ideas and skills that I think everyone would benefit by learning.  In my on-going education and teaching experience.  It’s really been a fulfilling experience, and I’ve met so many great people along the way.

GZ:  Thanks for your time!

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on EUCALYPTUS

 

THE EUCALYPTUS TREE:google.com, pub-8623877305223293, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

AUSTRALIA’S MOST DOMINANT TREE HAS NOW NATURALIZED
IN PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES

Christopher Nyerges

 Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” and an outdoor instructor.  For more information, contact him at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041

The Eucalypti are the most dominant tree of the Australian landscape, with approximately 550 species known as ironwoods, gumwoods, and mallees.  They are also one of the most common introduced trees in Southern California and Arizona. 

They were originally brought into Southern California about 150 years ago, in the belief that this quick-growing tree would be a good timber tree for railroads and other building applications.  This proved not to be the case, as the twisting grain of eucalyptus made it unsuitable for most building projects.  Nevertheless, this beautiful, fragrant, and largely pest-resistant tree caught on as a garden, park, and street tree in California, Arizona, and throughout the southern U.S. all the way to Florida where the climate is moderate.

Eucalyptus is generally thought of as a medicinal tree rather than a food-source, though there are a few foods available from the plant.  Perhaps the most interesting is a common bug that is seen on the leaves, appearing as small white bumps.  This is actually a psyllid, a small scale-like creature that Aboriginal children in Australia would scrape off the leaves with their teeth to get a good sugar source.

At my field trips, we have participants pick off the leaves and chew the white sweet bugs.  A few people refuse to do so, but this is really one of the most pleasant ways to “eat bugs.”  You can also put a psyllid-infested eucalyptus leaf into a cup of hot water, and end up with sweetened eucalyptus tea.

In fact, a tea from the leaves of any eucalyptus species (with or without the psyllids) can be infused and used as a pleasant beverage. 

The roots of several Eucalyptus species were dried, powdered, and used as food in Australia.  The best are said to be E. caesia, E. dumosa, and E. gracilis.     The finely powdered seeds of one mallee, E. microtheca, have been reportedly used for food.

In Australia, the eucalyptus provides nectar and pollen to bees, who in turn provide honey and beeswax.  Beehives that I've kept near a Eucalyptus grove in my Los Angeles back yard have produced a honey as dark as molasses and extremely fragrant.  I use this honey as a medicine as much as a sweetener, and find that if I have a cold or sore throat, I feel much better after using this honey in my drinks.

The young fruits can be sucked for sore throats.  According to Alma R. Hutchens, author of Indian Herbology of North America, "Among the diseases in which it is employed are croup, diphtheria, bronchitis, asthma, piles, neuralgia, malarial diseases, catarrh, in subacute or chronic inflammation of the urinary organs, ulcers and sores.  It has proven an effective remedy in some cases of rheumatism.  For some, the mode of using it in asthma is to smoke the dried leaves."  (I’ve never tried this last use).

The tea of eucalyptus leaves, well known for its efficacy in dealing with sinus congestion, also has sufficient antiseptic properties that it can be used to clean wounds.  In fact, though there are many species of eucalyptus with many distinct uses throughout Australia, the two primary uses for eucalyptus are the tea from the leaves for all breathing-related problems, and a tea from the bark used to wash and disinfect wounds.

I have boiled eucalyptus leaves on many occasions and inhaled the steam to help with sinus congestion.  I usually drink a little of the strong broth as well.

Eucalyptus oil (obtained from the leaves by distillation) is rich in the therapeutic agent cineole.  Cineole is used as an active ingredient in inhalants, gargles, lozenges, etc., because it has a pleasant odor and is efficient in killing bacteria.  Rutin, used medicinally for diabetes and high blood pressure, occurs in the leaves of some eucalyptus. You have consumed this anytime you’ve had eucalyptus cough drops (by whatever name).

We have taken the caps off some of the smaller capsules, and used the powdered insides (which consisted mostly of stamens) as a first aid remedy for cuts.  In all cases, this resulted in rapid healing and very little scarring.  We suggest that the smaller, unopened capsules be included in first aid kits.

The variously scented eucalyptus leaves (peppermint, lemon, medicinal, etc.) tend to repel insects.  A necklace of young fruits is used as a safe flea repellent for cats and dogs.

Whole books have been written on the many uses of this valuable plant.  We've only scratched the surface here.  One good book for further information is Bush Food: Aboriginal Food and Herbal Medicine by Jennifer Isaacs Lansdowne Publishing Pty. Ltd., Sydney, 1987).

EUCALYPTUS AND AGRICULTURE

It is worth noting that eucalyptus trees are very high transpirers, and they often dry up underground water sources.  It is also more difficult to garden or farm under the areas where eucalypti are growing.  Your garden plants will produce smaller fruit or tubers, and the plants will require more fertilizer.  This is the result of the dispersion of the various eucalyptus oils into the soil.

They should not be heavily planted in areas where one intends to farm or garden.

Native to Australia, there are about 90 varieties which have naturalized in California and Arizona, and beyond those areas.

 

SOURCE OF LEAVES FOR TEA:  Urban farmer Julie Balaa of WTI Farms sells packages of the dried eucalyptus leaves which can be used for tea. It comes with instructions.  One package is $10, from WTI, 5835 Burwood Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90042.

Or email Balaa at juliebalaa@gmail.com.

 

 

 

In honor of Fathers Day and Mothers Day


I wrote this over 10 years ago, in another frame of mind, in a universe far away....
 







FORGIVING OUR PARENTS
Christopher Nyerges
www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com

 
We seldom think that who we are
Is product from backseat car
Or lusty night from smokey bar
And not the son of distant star
 
We are the product of mom and dad
Their mingled traits both good and bad
We want to think we’re so unique
And so we are, but let us speak
 
How our child minds did set the stage
For adult us who learned to rage
With pain within we could not gauge
And fears and deficiencies
 
From hidden fears from early age
We found we could not turn the page
To cure, we had to find a sage
Who maybe helped us, maybe not
Our solution, had to be sought
By choice within, or happened not
And even then, inside we fought
Our inner demons, night and day
Until we got to bright new day
Until we find that we could say
I accept my father who he was
I accept my mother who she was
They lived their life, they did their buzz
They were who they were, just because
I did what I did, I always does
 
Above my parents did I rise?
Or were their limits born in me
Should I blame them for my own lies
They were my parents, not 2 gods
They made no pretense, they weren’t frauds
I must forgive them, on my own
And for their soul, let cease that moan
They did their best, I am quite sure
No pain intend, from him or her
 
They lived their life, they tried their best
During Depression, dad came west
Challenge had in time of war
Enough to make their bodies sore
I was not center of their life
Though tried their best in time of strife
The center I’d have liked to been
That I wasn’t, was not sin
Child rarely in parents’ shoes
Sees from parents eyes what they dos
Day in and out, sun rise to set
Bills to pay and job to get
Responsibility, oh boy
My parents sometimes had no joy
 
I forgive them now in my heart
Though both gone now, I have to start
To have new life, must do my part
To see anew, and wipe eyes clean
Parents forgive, no more mean
Within my mind, internal clean
Release I do bad pictures seen
It’s finally time to let it go
And see instead divine rainbow
Challenges many we all have
Some we fail and some we meet
Time it is for spiritual salve
To lighten mind and stop the heat
 
To finally learn from our past
Forgive our parents at long last
And with optimistic heart and mind
Seek the truth that is there to find
Not dark webs that would keep us bind
But bright truth light most rad’ant kind
And on that path our answers find
That kingdom within, in our mind
A place real, where we’re no more last
Truly, we can be free at last
 
 



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Newly released Second Edition of FORAGING WILD EDIBLE PLANTS OF NORTH AMERICA

WHY I WROTE MY BOOKS

“Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America”

NEW SECOND EDITION JUST RELEASED

 By Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of many foraging books, including “Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America,” “Guide to Wild Foods,” and others.  He has also been teaching ethnobotany for many years, in the field and classroom.  Information about his books and classes is available from  www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com. 

 The cheapest way to get a copy of the latest FORAGING WILD EDIBLE PLANTS OF NORTH AMERICA  is through Amazon. The retail is $24.95, and you can also get an autographed copy at  www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com. 

 

 Since my youth, I have been extremely interested in the ethno-botany of native Americans, and how food was obtained before modern agriculture.  I learned that in Southern California, “passive agriculture” was practiced where native plants were tended to get maximum production.  I put my notes in order and in 1978, my first book, “Guide to Wild Foods,” was released.  That book led to a request by Stackpole books to write a recipe book based upon my first book.

 Of course I said yes.  I included the plants that are most common over most of North America, and began compiling all my recipes, as well as testing new ones.  In addition, I added various stories about cooking on the trail, and the types of gear and condiments you should always carry if you want a good meal.  Then I spent considerable time trying to come up with catchy names for the various recipes.  The result a year later was “Wild Greens and Salads.”  The book sold a few thousand copies a year and was never re-printed after the first edition.

 Thirty years later, I started writing foraging books for the Falcon Guides.  They were aware of my previous cook book, and wondered if I could revise it with full color photos and lots of new information.  Of course, I said yes.

 I worked for another year to update the text, to delete some plants and to add new ones.  Also, I once again spent considerable time coming up with catchy names to the recipes, usually recalling the first time I tried the recipe.  This is somewhat ironic too, coming from a guy who hardly uses recipes, and generally just follows the basics of cooking that was taught to me by mother.  For those who wonder if there is actually any food value to plants found in the wild, there is a chart at the end of the book detailed the nutritional analysis of many of the wild foods in the book, based upon the USDA’s “Analysis of Foods.”  You’ll be amazed that wild foods are generally more nutritious than much of what you buy at the supermarket.

 This revised book was released in 2016, “Foraging Edible Wild Plants of North America,” focusing primarily on leafy greens for salads, soups, and other dishes. 

 Now, in 2023, the second expanded edition includes the wild nuts and berries that are found widely in North America, not just in a given locale.

 I was really happy with the latest result, and the way the color photos turned out.  It’s 228 pages full of wild recipes, and various ways to use wild foods, their nutritional value, and the ways to process the plants, with lot of new full color photos of every plant.  The books has lots of interesting recipes.  Those of you who have come to my wild food classes know the ways I prepared wild foods, so many of the recipes in this book will seem familiar. 

 This was a very enjoyable book for me to write, full of photos showing people preparing the various wild food dishes.  

 Some of the recipes’ names incorporate some memory of when I first came up with that recipe: Chardon Crepes (from when I lived in Chardon, Ohio), Big Bend Breakfast (a cattail dish my brother and I cooked up in Texas), the David Ashley Special (a salad of wild greens devised by David, and I wonder if David even remembers this?), Crisptado Fantastico (my unique chickweed tostada), and many many more.

 The 2023 second edition includes a section on berries, and a section of nuts and seeds, with plenty of recipes for those who are challenged in the kitchen.  It also includes a feature about Enrique Villasenor, the ambassador to the Prickly Pear, and a feature about how Euell Gibbons influenced me.

 EARTH BREAD

Perhaps my favorite recipes are the Lamb’s Quarter recipes, because I use that plant nearly every day, both the leaf and seed. It’s a relative of the now-popular quinoa.  

 Lamb’s quarter can be made into salads, soups, stews, and even bread when you use the seed.  You might like my Earth Bread made from the seeds. From the reviews of those who have tasted it, some like it, some do not.

 According to the book, “I’ve served this Earth Bread to many foragers and have had mixed responses. A few people did not like it and said it tasted like dirt. There have also been ecstatic responses from people who found the bread ‘virile,’ ‘deliciously wholesome and amazing,’ and ‘primitive.’”  You’ll have to try it for yourself and see what you think.