Homestead mailing list

[Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>]

Happy Columbus Day, everyone!  We probably should call it Discovery 
Day.  On this day in 1492, thousandth cousins from the Central Asian 
lineage were reunited after 1000 generations of separation.

Here's a webpage about using You'll notice one of the native clovers we 
mentioned, T. wormskioldii.  This species was once grown for food, 
alongside Pacific silverweed (Potentilla anserina var. pacifica) and 
Northern rice root (Fritillaria camschatscensis).  At other webpages you 
can read about these were companion plants grown by the Kwakwa'wakwa'.  
It has always been my thing to grow a variety of root crops from around 
the world, so I can't wait to add these to my collection.

http://www.cityfarmer.org/nativecrops.html

However, my research on likely native clovers for unirrigated forage 
doesn't seem that promising.  Springbank clover (T. wormskioldii) is 
indeed a water hog, as you see here.  Brewer's clover (T. breweri) is 
somewhat obscure, with only one picture online, and few references in 
books.  Tomcat clover (T. wildenovii AKA tridentata) and long-foot 
clover (T. longipes) sound the most promising, especially the subsp. 
'nevadensis' or 'oregona' of the latter.  Unfortunately, big-head clover 
(T. macrocephalum) has some cultivation information in the Jepsen 
manual, followed by the ominous abbreviation "DFFCLT".

I'm always in a rush, since Gaea has not smiled upon us and bestowed her 
life-giving elixir, as I now get to spend my days moving a Rainbird 
frantically about, instead of canning grape juice and pickles during a 
leisurely rain.

Bill
S. Oregon coast