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Here are a few common edible plants to be found around Oly.  The links are to wikipedia.  If you see a plant you like, root around the internet some more.  I know I've done some of this before, but spring foraging and some PM's I've done makes me want to share.  

Miner's Lettuce.  Tasty.  I munch on them as I find them.

Cattail.  Year round food source.   

Fireweed.  More tasty.  Popular plant in Alaska. 

Chickweed.  Grows everywhere in North America

Salal.  Tasty berries and useful leaves. 

Clean plants, no pesticides or herbicide use on or around them growing in clean water?  Someone has gotten me wondering where to find a supply, and I really don't know of a good stand of them.

A brief rundown, right now there are three valuable edibles you can get from cattails.  The young shoots and seedheads are edible.  Cook and eat the seedheads like you would corn.  Boil or roast, and then peel off the outer husk.  The rizhomes around the roots are edible year round.  Boil as you would potato. And of course the pollen makes an excellent and nutritious flour substitute.   

I honestly have to say, pretty much everyone I've met from this place I've gotten along with.  Ranging from far leftists with anti war stickers and buttons (hope you have a better handle on what you are looking for now!) to far right sign wavers (Thanks again!)

I think it is easy to fight and yell and insult each other over the computer, but when folks meet they usually are able to be civil and friendly and find things in common.

I've put out a call for a "pariah dinner" and this is still going down (probably the 27th to accomdate people and a decent payday that week for me) but I still would like to see some sort of broader get together, especially as the weather is improving.  A potluck maybe in some park downtown.  

Thoughts?

A couple of years ago, I was introduced to Utah through his son Brendon, who was an intern at Bread and Roses. Utah heard about B&R and what we do and agreed to perform at a benefit for us. He played in front of a packed Capital Theater audience. It was one of the most memorable nights of my life (those Wobbly songs always get me going) and we raised much money to continue our work. Utah spent the day he was in town hanging out at the advocacy center chatting with staff and guests alike. He was friendly, open, honest, wise, and immediately made us all feel like he was our dear friend. A truly rare person.

-Rob

Utah Phillips is very, very ill. He can no longer perform and urgently needs financial help. He has given so much to the One Big Union and progressive people everywhere. Now is the time to show him what we learned from him and to put into practice the solidarity he taught us.

I.W.W. Musician, Singer, Poet, Writer, and, most of all Organizer - Utah Phillips has spent his life uplifting the spirits of all struggling against the bosses to build a better world. At all his concerts he had it stipulated that wobblies would be present to fundraise and organize.

He has been the voice for "...all those thousands of unnamed wobblies buried in unmarked graves throughout the west." Don't let that voice go unanswered.

Cards, messages and money can be sent to:
UTAH PHILLIPS
BOX 1235
NEVADA CITY, CA 95959

Olympia's influence on Rock documented in this movie:

Shadow Distribution is proud to present the US theatrical release of "Girls Rock!" a film by Shane King and Arne Johnson. "Girls Rock!" had its theatrical release in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Berkeley, Portland, OR, Chicago on March 7, 2008, and is now rolling out throughout the country.

"The first time I saw the students at the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls kicking out the jams on their guitars and drums," says "Girls Rock!" co-director Arne Johnson, "I giggled happily...and then was inexplicably moved to tears."

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While these events are taking place in Tacoma, many Olympians were involved in the organizing and many more will be attending.

There are many local groups working on immigration issues if you would like to become involved, first try contacting The Cielo Project, a community based organization here in Olympia that provides support and solidarity to the Latino community.

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For Desecration of the American Way of Life.

A rat is a contractor that does not pay all of its employees the Area Standard Wages, including either providing or making payments for family health care and pension benefits. Businesses that choose this breed of contractor are guilty as well. When contractors underpay their workers, often the rest of pick up the difference when we pay our taxes.

Shame on GVA/Kidder Mathews for contributing to the erosion of Area Standards for area carpenter craft workers. The Pacific NW Regional Council of Carpenters has a labor dispute with Davis Schueller Inc. performing work in the Vance Building in Seattle. Davis Schueller Inc. does not meet area labor standards, including providing or fully paying for family health care and pension for all of its carpenter craft employees.

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