I'm Gonna Eat That!

Kevin Hernandez - UNT Social Science Major

Today is windy but warm. The plants of my spot are soaking up the sunny day, creating nutrients to grow and, if the cold returns, grow dormant again. After this week’s reading, I thought I would examine the nutritional makeup of my spot starting literally from the ground up. Root structures, from the post oak’s shallow and horizontal to the yucca's oversized tubular veins, carry nutrients to the plant’s organs in a cyclical nature. The roots take up nutrients from the soil and water and, eventually, the things above the soil, mainly dead things, return its nutrients. So disregarding the chicken or the egg question: Did the soil start the cycle or did the plant, we’ll begin with the soil. Assuming the sprinkler system works, even in times of little natural precipitation, the plants would never want for water. The water, some of which may enter the plant through leaves and other outer and upper structures, would filter into the ground, taking with it various nutrients vital to plants. Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and even calcium found in the soil and in the fertilizers (natural or otherwise) are siphoned into the plant and used for creating the plant's food. Now, can I eat that? The practice of eating dirt has been around for a very, very long time. Western consensus seems to be "don't do that". Dirt, in large amounts, is difficult to digest and can become impacted in your large intestine leading to constipation and there is also a possibility of harmful microbes your body has never been and should not be exposed to. 

A pile of fire ants. Image from nationalgeographic.com.

Also just above the soil, there are also numerous bugs including the invasive fire ant. Recently attracted to a morsel, they’re aimlessly swarming now that they are done and I manage to grab one and I eat it. There’s hardly a taste with something this small, but there is a crunch. Bugs of all shapes and sizes have been used as nourishment, as a necessity as well as novelty, by many cultures. Although Americans may have a “natural” aversion to such a food, there are a lot of benefits to eating bugs. Firstly, there are a lot of bugs. Upwards of 200 million bugs to each person on Earth. This means a very large food supply. Of course bugs are small compared to the food we are used to. So we would have to eat a lot, right? A serving size of just 3.5 ounces of ants equals about 14 grams of protein. To put this in perspective, an average male needs 56 grams of protein a day and a female needs 46. Not bad for 3.5 ounces. For more perspective, a 3.5 ounce serving of beef contains about 25 grams of protein. Additionally, ants and other bugs are full of iron and calcium. But (and it is a large but) on average, an ant weights about 3 milligrams. There are about 114,000 milligrams in 3.5 ounces. That means you would have to eat about 38,000 ants for that one serving. 

Now, the plants themselves. The various plants all have some nutritional value. Firstly, there are plenty of weeds that can actually be foraged. Henbit, thistle, and crabgrass are all edible in varying degrees. Crabgrass, once considered a weed, is now being looked at as a source for pastures and grazing animals. Thistle, although it has very bitter roots, the plant above the soil can be eaten much like asparagus. It’s rich in vitamins A, B, and C. Henbit’s leafiness lends itself to salads and is rich in antioxidants and iron. The yucca has a highly nutritional root commonly called the cassava. The root has good amounts of carbohydrates, vitamin C, manganese and antioxidants. Our two fruited plants, the nandina and the Mexican plum differ greatly. The nandina flowers clusters of small red berries that can be toxic to birds and cats. The Mexican plum tree drops fruit that is very nutritious and is quite tasty. The post oak provides another but usually unthought of source of food, tree bark. Like eating dirt, eating tree bark has been a known practice utilized in dire circumstances. Although the outer bark provides little to no nutrition, the inner layer known as the cambium can be useful. Interestingly, a group of people called the Laplanders in Finland make bread out of tree bark. 

Also above the soil, lives more than just the plants. I found a used piece of gum, hardly nutritional before being chewed and spit onto the wood chips. A stick of gum, on the facts section of the package, generally, is “< 5 calories” and predominantly sugar, carbohydrates, and artificial flavors and really not much of any of these. A pale deformed ghost of its form, dried out and now hard, could you eat it? Please don’t.