Consumer Reports

In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer reflects on the practice of harvesting serviceberries and the concept of reciprocity central to Indigenous wisdom. She contrasts this with the dominant economic system rooted in scarcity, competition, and resource hoarding. Kimmerer highlights how the serviceberry tree, by sharing its abundance with its ecosystem, embodies a model of interdependence and mutual support. This ethic of reciprocity, she argues,...

"The author describes how she used the abandoned and overgrown garden behind the house she and her husband bought to come to grips with the recent death of her father and to awaken forgotten childhood memories,"--NoveList.

Half of the fruit that grows in yards and public spaces is never picked or eaten. Citrus trees are burdened with misshapen lemons, berries grow in tangled thickets on the roadside, and the crooked rows of abandoned orchards fill with fallen apples. At the same time, people yearn for an emotional connection that's lacking in bland grocery store bananas and tasteless melons. This how-to guide with nearly 100 recipes is devoted to the secret, sweet bounty...