Oh no! The people I have in mind are rarely seen, living rough in a caravan out past the street light area. They mind their own business and appreciate things most of us overlook. I mean the little plants in the Peppercress group, botanically called Lepidium. Haven’t heard of them? 

Recently I too didn’t know about them. They are in all the botanical reference books; not the pretty flower ones, not a mention. Usually we find them in the weed books. It has been around since Adam.

There are 35 native species, some found in Dubbo. They live on the fringe of society with a bad reputation.

Puts me in mind of a really old movie I picked up at a second-hand shop in Dubbo. The not-so-young lady behind the counter said, “Oh, ‘The Outlaw.’ Haven’t seen this in a long, long time.” Then she laughed. It was a Howard Hughes special starring Jane Russell.

So what is the fuss? You say. Happens that a herb from South America called ‘Maca’ is gaining hot press. Maca Root Powder, alias Lepidium meyenii, or Inca Superfood, is said to help us see the ‘bigger picture.’

Whatever that means, it involves more zest and energy; comparable to what we had at age nineteen. Sweet memories eh?

‘Maca’ is said to taste like vanilla. The drink I had was a bit like butterscotch.

I grabbed it with both hands which tells you where my energy level has been of late. So if you come across a Peppercress plant, don’t step on it. It is related to a superfood.

It may look like an outlaw, but by all reports it is similar to that troublesome girl, Jane Russell.

She may be a plain Jane by name, but her presence could step-up the blood flow.

High time to leave the cow’s milk for the younger generation.