Julia's Edible Weeds

Julia Sich 8-11-1956 - 22-11-2023

Julia's infectious love of life and compassion for all living things will be sorely missed by all who knew her. From weeds to vegetables to insects, to four-legged and two-legged creatures, Julia extended her care and delight to all in her sphere.

Many of us have had the pleasure of attending her Edible W**ds Workshops over the years. Memories to treasure.

Her blogs and books will continue to inform and inspire lovers of all things wild and weedy.

Limited copies of her book are available here: https://www.juliasedibleweeds.com/store/book/

Bless you Julia, we thank you for all your generous sharing of ideas and heart energy.

Julia transitioned after a long illness. A community celebration of her life will be held on a date to be advised.

It's spring! Nature is waking up! This cherry blossom delights with its pink flowers every year! The bees and little birds make the most of the nourishment it provides.
Here's a lovely quote: Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature.
by Gerard De Nervel.

I've been invited by the Tauranga Library to give a talk on August 2nd in the Tauranga library. It is a free event and you can check out the details and register on the link below. I look forward to seeing you there. I'll have my new updated expanded versions of my book available. https://library.tauranga.govt.nz/whats-on/news-and-events/event-details/eid/6608/tctl/17044_
https://library.tauranga.govt.nz/whats-on/news-and-events/event-details/eid/6608/tctl/17044_

Foraging for Wild Edible W**ds with Julia Sich Event details

I totally agree that Doctors have been silenced, my doctor admitted that yesterday.
Let's bring back the ability to question narratives like "safe and effective" and
investigate why more people are having heart issues and increased illnesses and
unexpectedly dying.

#StopTheSilence | NZ Doctors Speaking Out Share this page in your network and social media with the hashtag to show your support for NZ doctors still silenced by health authorities.

Quote: Everyone should be told they're beautiful until they believe it. Author unknown.
Pretty flowers in a salad. There are nasturtium, abutilon, oxalis, dandelion, citrus flowers, pineapple sage, herb robert and red clover.

Since I last posted we've had a massive storm and many people are still without power and internet and are cutoff. I pray and send much energy and strength for healing and recovery of services, gardens, and the healing of souls and hearts and minds. And on 17th Feb my dear Dad passed away. The kindest, most generous hearted, totally capable, wonderful father who instilled a love of nature, animals and plants in me and a great work ethic including putting the tools back where they live after use!!

Quote: How beautiful the silence of growing things.
Buckshorn plantain as a garden plant and great salad green with it's graceful seedheads. The small, compact plant is also Buckshorn plantain - growing in the wild on edge of the Papaparaumu beach between land and sea. It glistened with the salt on the leaves. I've heard they also grow up in the Auckland area on the coast. I was so excited when I found that it grew wild. It doesn't just come up in your garden like the other two varieties of plantain. You have to sow it and then it will self sow, but is easily lost.

Quote: May all weeds be wildflowers. Randi Frazier.

Oxeye daisy is a pretty roadside flower seen all summer. I like to eat the flower rather than the leaves. Here it's growing with another pretty wild flower called Linaria purpurea with snap-dragon like purple or pink flowers that I don't eat and haven't really reseached, but it adds diversity to our wayside flowers and insects love it.

Quote: "Like wildflowers; you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would." E.V.
Galinsoga is a summer annual that pops up wherever it can. It prefers hot, dry weather, but I have some even in all this wet weather. It's the bane of some peoples' lives but I love this vegetable cherished in Colombia where its part of a comforting dish called Ajiaco - a corn, potato, chicken stew. Galinsoga has a distinct flavour - have you tried some in a pesto or salad? It's better eaten before it flowers when the leaves are well nice and leafy and before they become smaller as the flowers develop.
More in my blog post. https://www.juliasedibleweeds.com/.../galinsoga-love-hate/

Quote: “Wildflowers adapt and bloom wherever they want. Be a wildflower.” – Aly Aubrey
We've been enjoying the Japanenes Wineberry raspberries which have fruited earlier this year. The plant is a rampant, wild child that sends out huge covered in vicious thorn arching branches if given a chance. I've got it growing in a bed bordered by concrete which contains it but it still spreads sideways whereever it can. But the fruit are so worth having the plant. I wrote an article on it. https://www.juliasedibleweeds.com/general/japanese-wineberry-or-wild-raspberry/

Quote: Plants are the foundation of human culture. Without them humans would simply not exist.
Nipplewort or Lapsana communis is one of my favourite wild edibles. I'm not sure why but when I first discovered it, it had been one of those invisible plants that I just hadn't seen. Now I so enjoy seeing it around in its different growth stages. Here in the photo it is growing as an opportunist in front of Ivy leaved toadflax which is included in the revised and expanded version of my book. The book now has 50 wild edible/medicinal plants in it and is available on my website. www.juliasedibleweeds.com
And here's a link to an article I wrote on Nipplewort https://www.juliasedibleweeds.com/general/nipplewort/