ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED BY SCIENCE

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Lake with lily pads and other growth--Erin Leary

Photo Copyright: Erin Leary

Here we are again this week observing and finding a solution to a virtual lake choked with virtual plants. Our hostess this week and every week is the gracious and talented artist and author, Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. We’re the Friday Fictioneers, and our challenge this week and every week is to each write an original story with no more than 100 words. It’s supposed to have a beginning, middle, end, and follow the picture prompt provided for the week. This week’s prompt was provided by Erin Leary. Thanks, Erin.

To read the other stories from group members, first click on the link given below, then on the little blue frog in the blue box. The link for the other stories this week is as follows:

https://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/5-february-2016/

Genre: Humor Fiction

Word Count: 100 Words

ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED BY SCIENCE By P.S. Joshi

It’s 2050. The world’s water is squeaky clean and chemical pest control is no longer used. The next step is taken.

The Hepptewith family is just about to munch dinner. Let’s peek over their shoulders.

Ruth Hepptewith deposits the heaped-up  huge bowls of greens on the table.

Little Georgie screws up his face. “Ugh.”

Martha Lynn the perfect child says, “Oh yummy, mummy. I just love kudzu and water hyacinth.”

Dad knows better than to say anything.

The family has taken a pledge to help the environment.

“Alright family,” Ruth says, “let’s all dig in and eat our weeds.”

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50 thoughts on “ANOTHER PROBLEM SOLVED BY SCIENCE”

    • Thanks, Sandra. My parents had a neighbor who used to come and pick their dandelions for salads. The problem is the water the hyacinths are growing in can’t be polluted as they absorb pollutants. I researched a bit and found out. There’s a water hyacinth problem in the water bodies here but the water is polluted. I’m so pleased you liked the story. 🙂 — Suzanne

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  4. The title is just perfect. It drips with irony when paired with the picture. That your 100 words manages to capture the less-than-thrilling prospect of solving an over-abundance of weeds by dining on them, is just icing on the cake!

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    • Thanks, Kirizar. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the story, the irony. That was a great picture. I guess if properly seasoned, weeds are edible. However, there’s a limit. Also, the soil and water they grow in shouldn’t be polluted.The water hyacinth especially absorbs pollutants. 😀 — Suzanne

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    • Thanks, Margaret. Yes, we’ll have to do something or we’ll be buried under weeds and bugs. I stop at eating bugs, though. I don’t care how nutritious they are. I’m so happy you enjoyed the story, especially the dialog. 😀 — Suzanne

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    • Thanks, Rochelle. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the story, especially the way I set it up and the dialogue. I couldn’t resist when I saw that lake choked with plant growth. Looks like we’ll just have to eat our way out of it. 😀 — Suzanne

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    • Thanks, Bjorn. I don’t know about rats, but bugs definitely not for me. We already eat some weeds I guess. My dad’s neighbor used to come to his lawn and pick dandelions. The problem with some weeds is the pollution of the water or land they grow in. .Also, some are sprayed with poisonous chemicals. I don’t know the common name for your plant mentioned above. “Eating your way to a better world” would be a great slogan. 🙂 — Suzanne

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  10. I think we forgot about so much natural food that surrounds us and we tend to discard too much food we buy…your story offers a solution that is not very alien to me, my mom was a magician with food. She even used to make a dandelion honey. These days I make an elder-flower and cherry syrup, pick up wild apples and pears, collect different herbs and plants for tea. There is an abundance of food around us, but it seems it is easier to go to the store. Very inspiring story, Suzanne!

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    • Thanks, Lore. I have a book that tells about how we’ve forgotten what some of the plants we call weeds were originally grown for. Some were even medicinal in use, even the barks of some trees. Here in India, they’re still knowledgeable about many plants. They add leaves of certain plants to flavor dishes here. In the U.S. many plant leaves are ground into powder, which is not as fresh. I’m so pleased you liked the story. 🙂 — Suzanne

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    • Thanks, Athling. I’m so glad you enjoyed the story. We just never know what to expect in the future. I suppose as people eat dandelion greens, they would probably eat other greens in future as well. It would no doubt be a personal choice–I hope. 🙂 — Suzanne

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  14. The plant Björn mentions is called ground elder, a plant that is native where I live and spreads fast. It will cover your garden (if you have light, sandy soil) in no time if you don’t pay attention but is as easily removed if you know how. It is, however, excellent ground cover and has pretty flowers. It’s also edible, you can cook it like spinach and it has a multitude of beneficial secondary compounds, something our ‘real food’ seldom has these days. I eat a fair amount every spring. It’s a fun story, Suzanne, and well told. The water hyacinth would be an invasive newcomer in most parts of the world, I guess, and suppress the native plant life. Water lilies on the other hand are good food (roots and seed heads). Sorry, I’ll stop my prattling now. 😀

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    • Thanks, Gah. That’s really interesting about the plants. I’ve read all the ways water lilies can be used. The water hyacinth here is a real problem. Every year they have to have men go out in boats and clear it out. The water is so polluted it can’t be eaten by man nor beast. I’m so pleased you liked the story. 😀 — Suzanne

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      • I’ve learned a lot about that plant this week, it’s been mentioned so often.it’s not spread where I live, but seems to have spread everywhere else. A fascinating plant, but I see why people don’t like it.

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  19. Pingback: A Mention in Dispatches – Some of the posts I have enjoyed this week. | Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life

  22. Ha! I love it! Just the other day, I heard a story on the radio about eating crickets, seasoned with lime and chiles. Apparently, that are a great source of sustainable protein. Bugs here we come! I’m not sure I can. I think I could eat weeds though. 🙂 Great story, Suzanne.

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