Wild Greens

What makes our lives blissful is trying a thing that nobody has tried before. Those memories would be deep-rooted in our minds, catalysing energy for further innovations. My college life at IISER Tirupati was made memorable by such an event. Onam festival is celebrated wherever Keralites (residents of Kerala in India) are. As a Keralite, we have a wide variety of contests to make Onam glorious.  The Onapookkalam (floral carpet) contest is an important event in this festival. The carpets are always round in shape and should include traditional symbols. Two years back, during such a floral competition, we had an entirely new idea—a floral carpet blending the elements of modern science and technology with tradition since IISER is a science education institution. 

It all started the night before the floral carpet competition. Our boys’ hostel had a room where we occasionally met to play games and chat about current affairs. So the night before the competition, we gathered in the room as usual. 

“Tomorrow is Onam. How’re you guys planning to celebrate?” Suyambu, one of my friends, asked.

“Eating traditional dishes…playing games,” I replied, “like we always do.”

“Perhaps we do something different this time,” Suyambu proposed, “like participating in the floral carpet competition.”

“It’s all hard work, and we don’t even know all the traditional symbols associated with it!” Stephin anxiously added.

“I know, guys,” Suyambu sighed. “Let’s do something different, like using science in the floral carpet.”

We all looked at him in wonder, waiting to hear his idea. Looking at our curious eyes, he seemed taken aback a little.

“I was just putting forward a concept. Actually, I have no idea either,” he said helplessly.

Just then, when we were about to give up, Joshin came forward and said, “What about a QR code out of flowers?

“You mean a floral carpet of QR code?” Ashwin was doubtful.

“Yeah. QR, a product of science portrayed in a traditional fashion. But will it work?” asked Jishnu. Thus followed a long chit-chat of doubts. Although the QR code is black and white, any colour would suffice as the pixel blocks only matter. Still, it didn’t guarantee the decoding of the message as the flowers form neither sharp lines nor edges.

“But we won’t win the competition for sure. We’re violating the rules of the competition,” Siyad remarked.

“Who wants to win? We will just enjoy doing a new thing, that’s it!” Davin smiled.

“Yeah, let’s go. The competition starts in the morning, so we only have some hours left to plan,” I said excitedly.

That night, we, a group of 10 boys, began work on an extraordinary experiment. We decided that the message embedded in the QR code would be a simple, traditional phrase used during Onam. With the help of the internet, we made a picture of the required QR code, and the hard part was to scale it up for the carpet. Stephin grabbed long scales while we were calculating measurements. We all knew the QR code wouldn’t be decodable even with the most accurate measurements. And we didn’t care a bit. What is life without experimenting or trying new things?

After a long night of calculations, I laughed and said, “Guys, we’re going to mess this thing up. And I am enjoying it already!”

The following day, we drew grid lines on the floor while many eyes looked at us in awe. Only after finishing the gridlines and assigning the grids with specific flowers did we discover a grave reality. 

“It’s already half-time! And the hard part is just coming,” Jishnu remarked in agony.

“We are a group of 10. We can surely work it out in time,” I said and told my friends a simple strategy. Then, splitting into two groups, we began to make the floral carpet simultaneously by cutting flowers for it. Again, splitting into two groups, we filled flowers in the QR code outline from four corners. Fortunately, in front of a surprised audience, the QR code floral carpet was finished in time. A few improvisations were made, but it seemed to turn out fine.

“Time to check if ‘Plan QR code’ worked,” I said, taking out my phone. But to our dismay, the scanner failed to decode. Even though I had zero hopes for success, I couldn’t ignore a tiny tint of disappointment at the back of my heart.

“Look at the people. All their attention is on the QR code floral carpet only,” Stephin said, staring at the crowd. Everyone was praising our work even though it was a failure.

“Guess that counts as a win then,” I smiled. We all agreed. Then, a boy, a senior to us, approached us and showed us his phone. I literally jumped with happiness. Some of us whistled and cried in excitement. Our message appeared on his phone, Vannonam Thinnonam Poikkonam (Come and have a happy meal), decoded by a random QR scanner app. The problem was with our app, not the carpet. Our QR floral carpet was a success!

As we imagined, we lost the competition. But we were all happy, because we won everyone’s hearts. When asked about it now, no one remembers who won the floral competition that year, but everyone remembers who put up a working QR code out of flowers.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale): the leaves are commonly eaten as a salad green, and the flowers brewed as a tea. Both leaves and flowers are full of vitamins A, B, C, and D, as well as minerals, such as iron, potassium, and zinc. It is the best-known source of Vitamin K, essential for healthy bones. Traditionally, dandelion is used to treat bladder infections and to strengthen the liver. Select small young leaves are less bitter than mature ones.

Dandelion

Lambs quarter, also known as white goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) is one of the most common weeds in gardens and backyards, especially if you’ve added manure to the soil. These mild-tasting wild greens are easy to recognize with their triangle- or diamond-shaped leaves coated on the underside with a white or gray powder. Lambs quarter is closely related to quinoa, beets, spinach, and chard (the Chenopodiaceae). Members of this plant family are nutritional powerhouses: good sources of niacin, folate, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, potassium, copper, and manganese. 

Traditionally, lambs quarter, when prepared as a tea, are used to treat stomach aches and gastrointestinal tract disorders, and as a poultice, are used to treat burns.

Lambs Quarter

Lemon balm, also known as citronella and lemonella (Melissa officinalis). Lemon balm is a perennial herb from the mint family. The leaves, which have a mild lemon aroma, have been known since ancient times to have a calming effect, and recent scientific research has strongly supported this belief. Traditionally, the herb is used for digestive problems, including upset stomach, bloating, flatulence, vomiting, and colic; for pain, including menstrual cramps, headache, and toothache; and for mental disorders, including hysteria and melancholia. Many people make tea from the leaves and drink it for anxiety, sleep problems, and restlessness. Lemon balm is also used for Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Graves’ disease, swollen airways, rapid heartbeat due to nervousness, high blood pressure, sores, tumors, and insect bites. I add the slightly acerbic leaves to my salad to balance acidic foods like tomatoes.

Lemon Balm

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). A member of the Brassicaceae family, garlic mustard is one of the oldest spices to be used in cooking in Europe. Evidence of its use has been found from archeological remains found in the Baltic, dating back 8,000 years. The chopped leaves are used for flavoring in salads and sauces such as pesto, providing a mild flavor of both garlic and mustard. This herb has long been used as a disinfectant to cleanse wounds, as well as a diuretic. 

Like its relatives, kale and cabbage, garlic mustard is loaded with beneficial phytochemicals, including glucosinolate, which helps to prevent cancer. Despised by gardeners and foresters, garlic mustard is classified as an invasive species in North America. Since being brought to the United States by settlers, it has naturalized and expanded its range to include most of the Northeast and Midwest, as well as southeastern Canada. It is one of the few invasive herbaceous species able to dominate the understory of North American forests and has thus reduced the biodiversity of many areas. So, if you want to help the environment, eat as much of this weed as you can.

Garlic Mustard

Wild chives (Allium sibiricum and Allium schoenoprasum). Unlike onions and garlic, chives do not produce a large bulbous root—rather the leaves and flowers are eaten. They are prized by cooks for their deep color and mild flavor. They can be used fresh or dried. Like other alliums, chives produce sulfur compounds (including methyl sulfides and disulfides), which have proven health benefits—anti-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-tumor. Both the wild and cultivated varieties are valued by organic gardeners because most insects are repelled by the odor. My brother Jack, a skilled gardener, puts a line of chive and scallions on the edge of his vegetable garden as sentinels to protect the perimeter.

Wild Chives

Purslane (portulaca oleracea). Although considered a weed in North America, purslane has been widely used as a food and medicine in India, China, and the Middle East since ancient times. Traces of purslane are often found in prehistoric sites. Whether eaten raw or cooked, it is a highly nutritious comestible that is high in Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, C, and E, as well as calcium, potassium, and iron. It is also an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for brain function. With a slightly sour taste, the stems, leaves, and flowers are all edible. Traditionally, it is harvested in the early morning when the flavor is tangy, and recent scientific research shows that the nutritional content is highest at this time as well. As part of its impressive nutritional profile, purslane contains two types of betalain, potent antioxidants that have been found to help prevent cancer.