In their wrap around long, colorful designed skirts and blouses; flip flops, and their shiny black hair in a bun at the back of their neck they were busy doing something at the front of the school.
I was teaching English as a Second Language in Louisville, KY, at a downtown adult education center converted from an old multi story brick high school. It had a fenced yard around the front of it.
As I pulled in to park, I saw all these Hmong ladies kneeling, balancing on their feet, and digging in the lawn. They had some small fires built, bricks and stone in a circle around it, and a big skillet on top. They were cooking something that smelled oniony and wonderful!
As I got closer I saw what was going on. They were digging up wild onions!
Then they added other ingredients and were coming up with at “fast food” lunch right there.
Wild onions! That takes me back. Some folks hate the first couple of times mowing the grass in the spring because the air fills with the smell of wild onions and garlic. They just don’t like it!
To me it smells great; like someone is busy in the kitchen. Or yard, as it may be.
Wild onions and wild garlic grow in many states in the South. However, there are some look-a-likes that also grow at the same time and can be confused with them.
Death Camas can be mistaken for wild onion and are deadly. Eating Death Camas will kill people, cows, or sheep.
False Garlic is not edible and may be toxic.
Don’t pick or eat them!
But Wild Onions and Wild Garlic are ok.
How can I tell the difference?
As a rule, if it smells like onion it is a wild onion and you can eat it; if it smells like garlic it is wild garlic and you can eat it. You can also research lots of information on these plants and how to distinguish them apart if you want to go further.
Does this remind you of something in the Bible?
Matthew 13:24-43 relates an interesting conversation the disciples had with Jesus. Jesus told them a parable about a man who sowed good seed in his field. But his enemy came and sowed weeds in the man’s field. Sure enough up grew the weeds right along with the wheat.
The man’s servants wanted to know if they should pull up the weeds, but the landowner said not to. He didn’t want them to pull-up the good wheat plants along with the bad weeds.
He told them to wait til the harvest, and then they could tell them apart, and burn them while they gathered the wheat into the barn. (24-30 in scripture).
Jesus is the sower of good seed, the field is the world, and the wheat those who respond to the Gospel and follow Jesus, with the weeds being those who refuse Jesus and His salvation.
God will wait til the final judgment to separate the believers from the non believers. We see evil and good side by side in the world. Both growing.
Until the Final Judgment Day: Where will you go?
Into the burn pile?
Into the Kingdom of Heaven?
