The 2nd Annual Dandelion Festival will be happening this Saturday, April 8th, at Berea College. Enjoy a variety of activities such as Live Music, Artwork and Illustrations, and Foods from more than 20 vendors while learning about the importance of sustainable landscaping and keeping our pollinators happy and off the endangered species list.

 

For more information about the event, check out the Facebook event page located here 

If you are interested in learning more about the ideas presented at the festival, check out these interesting books located on display in front of the Reference Desk:

Edible Wild Plants and Herbs by Alan M. Cvancara
Publication Date: 2001
You left your car at sunrise and headed out for a daylong hike along a marked trail to a scenic mountaintop. But somwhere along the way you missed a turn. It's getting dark and you're sitting in a high-country meadow infested with thistles, and very hungry. You know you'll sleep here tonight. Consider yourself lucky: thistles are edible.
 
 
 
 
Perennial Weeds by Wood Powell Anderson
Publication Date: 1999
As ready reference for the student, instructor, and those practitioners that deal with perennial weeds on a daily basis, this book uses 28 weed species to illustrate the ways in which perennial weeds propagate vegetatively. The author has taken care to use examples of perennial weeds that are troublesome on a national scale, or representative of principal agricultural regions within the United States and Canada. This organised and well-written one-of-a-kind text uses both tables and text to assist the reader in identifying each weed species. The text also includes 67 illustrations that highlight reproduction, over-wintering, and perennating parts. Perennial Weeds also corrects some misconceptions in the weed science literature as to whether the perennating organ is a root or a rhizome. Not just another identification guidebook, Perennial Weeds takes the reader through root systems and rhizome anatomy to discuss exactly how perennial weeds propagate, so that eradication can be achieved in the most environmentally sound ways. This book provides the reader with a wealth of information concerning the propagation of perennial grass-like and broadleaf weeds. It emphasises why perennial weeds are so difficult to control and offers suggestions for their control.
 
Edible Wild Plants by John Kallas
Publication Date: 2010
Imagine what you could do with eighteen delicious new greens in your dining arsenal including purslane, chickweed, curly dock, wild spinach, sorrel, and wild mustard. John Kallas makes it fun and easy to learn about foods you've unknowingly passed by all your life. Through gorgeous photographs, playful, but authoritative text, and ground-breaking design he gives you the knowledge and confidence to finally begin eating and enjoying edible wild plants. Edible Wild Plants divides plants into four flavor categories -- foundation, tart, pungent, and bitter. Categorizing by flavor helps readers use these greens in pleasing and predictable ways. According to the author, combining elements from these different categories makes the best salads.
 
Handbook of Edible Weeds by James A. Duke
Publication Date: 1992
"If you can't beat it, eat it." Words of wisdom from the author of this portable guide that emphasizes finding practical uses for weeds rather than waging pesticidal war on them. CRC Handbook of Edible Weeds contains detailed descriptions and illustrations of 100 edible weeds, representing 100 genera of higher plant species. Some of the species are strictly American, but many are cosmopolitan weeds. Each account includes common names recognized by the Weed Science Society of America, standard Latin scientific names, uses, and distribution (geographic and ecological). Cautionary notes are included regarding the potential allergenic or other harmful properties of many of the weeds. CRC Handbook of Edible Weeds is an excellent volume for botanists, plant scientists, horticulturalists, herbalists, and others interested in the edibility and practical uses of weeds.
 
 
Dandelion Hunter by Rebecca Lerner
Publication Date: 2013
In this engaging and eye-opening read, forager-journalist Becky Lerner sets out on a quest to find her inner hunter-gatherer in the city of Portland, Oregon. After a disheartening week trying to live off wild plants from the streets and parks near her home, she learns the ways of the first people who lived there and, along with a quirky cast of characters, discovers an array of useful wild plants hiding in plain sight. As she harvests them for food, medicine, and just-in-case apocalypse insurance, Lerner delves into anthropology, urban ecology and sustainability, and finds herself looking at Nature in a very different way. Humorous, philosophical, and informative, Dandelion Hunter has something for everyone, from the curious neophyte to the seasoned forager.
 
 
Green Inheritance by Anthony Huxley; David Attenborough (Foreword by)
Publication Date: 1993
A prominent botanist warns against further damaging the already fragile ecosystem.