27:57
12 Plants WORTH MORE THAN GOLD That Nobody Is Planting
Silas Mercer Farmstead
Overview
This video explores 12 historically valuable plants and practices that were once common on small farms but have largely disappeared from modern agriculture. The speaker argues that these 'forgotten' resources, like open-pollinated corn, red clover, and heritage hens, offer significant benefits such as soil enrichment, food security, and reduced reliance on commercial inputs. The video contrasts the self-sufficient lifestyle of past generations with today's dependence on grocery stores and industrial agriculture, highlighting how market forces and changing consumer preferences led to the decline of these traditional methods. It encourages viewers to rediscover and implement these valuable, often free, resources for a more resilient and sustainable lifestyle.
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Chapters
- Historically, small farms were self-sufficient, providing food for families and livestock without relying on grocery stores.
- Plants like red clover were crucial for soil health and animal feed, offering free nitrogen and sustenance.
- Modern reliance on grocery stores and commercial inputs has replaced these traditional, cost-effective methods.
- The speaker aims to reintroduce 12 valuable plants and practices that have been overlooked.
Understanding the historical context of self-sufficiency helps appreciate the value of these forgotten plants and practices in building personal resilience.
Walter Boyd feeding his family through winter using a garden, a milk cow, and red clover, without grocery store visits.
- Open-pollinated dry beans, grown from saved seed, can provide a continuous food source without repeat purchases.
- The Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970 shifted focus to commercial, standardized seeds, marginalizing heirloom varieties.
- Mulberry trees offer abundant fruit for human consumption, livestock, and birds, requiring minimal care once established.
- Mulberries were sidelined due to their short shelf life and tendency to stain, making them unsuitable for commercial distribution.
These examples demonstrate how simple, resilient crops were displaced by market-driven standardization, leading to increased consumer costs and dependency.
A single row of dry beans providing enough seed for future harvests and food for the entire winter.
- Root cellars or cool, dark storage spaces are essential for preserving root vegetables and other produce through winter.
- Refrigeration and year-round grocery availability led to the decline of traditional food preservation methods like root cellaring.
- Lacto-fermented sauerkraut, made with simple ingredients, was a vital winter food source, providing nutrients and flavor.
- Commercial pickling often uses vinegar instead of the traditional lactic acid fermentation, altering the nutritional profile and cost.
Traditional preservation techniques offer cost-effective, low-tech ways to extend food availability and reduce reliance on energy-intensive modern appliances.
A root cellar holding potatoes, carrots, and cabbages from harvest until spring, with some potatoes still viable for planting.
- The pawpaw is the largest native edible fruit in North America but is rarely found in stores due to its extremely short shelf life (3 days).
- Its inability to withstand commercial shipping and handling means it was largely forgotten by the mainstream market.
- Land-grant universities are developing named cultivars for home orchards, but patience is required for fruiting.
- Pawpaws offer a unique flavor experience unavailable in typical grocery store produce.
The pawpaw illustrates how perishability, not lack of value, can lead to a food's exclusion from the commercial market, making it a treasure for local growers.
A ripe pawpaw that must be eaten directly from the tree within a few days of ripening.
- Asparagus is a perennial crop that can provide harvests for decades from a single planting, unlike annual vegetables.
- The focus on annual crops in modern gardening supports the seed industry's business model of repeat purchases.
- Open-pollinated corn, saved from year to year, was a staple, but hybrid varieties now dominate due to higher yields in optimal conditions.
- The Plant Variety Protection Act, while not banning seed saving, narrowed exceptions, making it harder for farmers to save and replant certain commercial varieties.
Perennial crops and open-pollinated seeds represent a long-term investment that reduces annual costs and preserves genetic diversity, contrasting with the disposable model of annuals.
An asparagus bed planted in the 1930s that continued to produce for the owner into the 1970s.
- Locally adapted potatoes, grown from saved tubers, offer a sustainable source of starch for winter meals.
- Red clover, a nitrogen-fixing legume, significantly enriches soil fertility, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.
- Comfrey, a deep-rooted perennial, provides nutrient-rich mulch and supplemental feed for livestock without being directly consumed by humans.
- The decline of these resources is linked to the rise of synthetic fertilizers, processed foods, and specialized agricultural industries.
These plants are foundational for a self-sustaining homestead, providing essential nutrients for both soil and animals, thereby reducing external inputs.
Red clover being cut and turned under to naturally fertilize the soil for a subsequent corn crop.
- Heritage dual-purpose hens lay eggs and provide meat, unlike specialized modern breeds.
- Commercial poultry specialization led to breeds optimized solely for egg production or rapid meat gain, increasing dependency on feed.
- The 'self-fed homestead' is the ultimate goal: a system where the land, garden, and animals provide all necessary resources without owing the store.
- Rediscovering and implementing these old ways is presented as a path to food security and independence.
Integrating heritage livestock with resilient plants completes the cycle of self-sufficiency, creating a closed-loop system that minimizes external costs and maximizes resourcefulness.
A small flock of heritage hens foraging for bugs and greens, supplementing their diet and reducing the need for purchased feed.
- The speaker emphasizes that these are not doomsday predictions but practical, historical methods for resilience.
- Viewers are encouraged to start small by implementing just one of these practices.
- The video series will continue exploring other forgotten heritage animals.
- Reclaiming these old ways is a way to honor ancestors and regain food independence.
This concluding message empowers viewers to take action by suggesting manageable steps towards greater self-reliance and connection to ancestral knowledge.
Planting a single 50-foot row of open-pollinated dry beans in the spring.
Key takeaways
- Many historically vital plants and practices have been marginalized by commercial agriculture, leading to increased consumer costs and dependency.
- Open-pollinated seeds and perennial crops offer long-term food security and cost savings compared to annual, hybrid varieties.
- Traditional food preservation methods like root cellaring and fermentation are low-tech, energy-efficient alternatives to modern refrigeration.
- Nitrogen-fixing plants like red clover are invaluable for natural soil fertility, reducing the need for expensive synthetic fertilizers.
- Heritage livestock breeds offer dual benefits (meat and eggs) and greater self-sufficiency compared to specialized modern breeds.
- The concept of the 'self-fed homestead' emphasizes creating a closed-loop system that provides all necessary resources without reliance on external stores or suppliers.
- Rediscovering and implementing these 'old ways' is presented as a practical path to greater personal resilience and food independence.
Key terms
Open-pollinated seedsPlant Variety Protection ActRoot cellarLacto-fermentationPawpawPerennial cropNitrogen fixationRed cloverComfreyHeritage breedSelf-fed homestead
Test your understanding
- How did the Plant Variety Protection Act influence the availability of open-pollinated seeds?
- Why are pawpaws rarely found in grocery stores, despite being a large native fruit?
- What are the benefits of growing perennial crops like asparagus compared to annual vegetables?
- Explain the role of nitrogen-fixing plants like red clover in improving soil health and reducing fertilizer costs.
- How can heritage dual-purpose hens contribute to a more self-sufficient homestead compared to specialized modern breeds?