Why They Call it Bluefield

[unknownfate]

Some of my favorite flowers are ditch weeds. Chicory is just one of the reasons I love to come home in the summer.

Comments

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

Wow. An entire FIELD of the stuff that gives me seizures (I think).

...I have this perverse urge to roll around in it, mocking the power of the universe.

[bane-6.livejournal.com]

Eek. Are you allergic to them? I'm told you can make coffee out of them, but I've never tried.

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

Some sort of allergy, yes, apparently to the root (which I think is what you use to make the coffee -- just another reason to avoid the stuff!)

[demonoflight.livejournal.com]

How come Alaska gets to be this pretty?

[bane-6.livejournal.com]

This is actually West Virginia, where I'm originally from. We come here to thaw out and remember what green looks like. And in this case, blue.

[bane-6.livejournal.com]

We were always told that the Civil War soldiers used it to make coffee when they didn't have rations. Can you eat the leaves? I've heard the greens could be made into salad, but I've never done that either.

[demonoflight.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Here's me feeling really, really dumb. Real sorry about that.

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

No idea! All I know is the one and only seizure I have ever had, I had after eating something with chickory root in for the first time ever.

I now avoid it like the plaaaague.

[lithrael]

Aw, hee. & a beautiful photo.

Apologies to both of you for not existing, btw, my computer locked up while leaving me logged in or some crazy thing :p

[bane-6.livejournal.com]

Nothing to be sorry about! Don't you worry about it. I didn't think to be more specific.

[bane-6.livejournal.com]

Yikes! And no more seizures, I hope?

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

Not a single one. Fortunately. I didn't approve of the one, at all!

[slayersyrena.livejournal.com]

'which I think is what you use to make the coffee'

I'm packing my bags now...

[bane-6.livejournal.com]

Fields of a plant you could brew coffee from... so common, most people think they're weeds. Plus a lovely morning blossom of unusual blue. And I mean FIELDS of it. It's also common along the sides of roads and ditches. If I liked coffee, I'd be digging it up left and right. As it is, I just admire the flowers.

[siarwenevenstar.livejournal.com]

My Dad was born just after WW2 ended, and rationing was still going in that part of industrial Wales. He had chicory coffee. Said it was strange, but palatable. I've also seen recipies for the leaves.
I'm thinking that soon I'M going to have to come over to remember how pretty YOU are in comparison to your little blue fields... I'll drag the boy. And if the boy won't come, I'll go solo. Just as soon as my bank account loses the big fat -sign that's in front of a four-digit number YEESH.

[bane-6.livejournal.com]

Aw. Good luck with the bank account! I know what a pain that is...