When I was 9 we moved to Africa as missionaries. I remember her
telling the grounds people to mow a lawn. They replied "Oh no, madam,
that
is food!" We ended up eating that food, "African spinach" (amaranth),
and
other foods that grew "wild".
When I was 12 we toured Europe. I remember eating stinging nettles and wild berries in Finland and Sweden. The stinging nettle was another contest of the wills because I had been reintroduced to them by the touch method.
In high school I joined the Outdoor Life book club and got every book they had on wilderness survival. I had no mentor to help me learn the plants, so I didn't get very far in learning them then. I also learned from biology class that boilogist didn't know what they were talking about. In some areas I knew more than the teacher just by keeping my eyes open and looking around.
In college I took a course called Wilderness Camping and Survival, became friends with Harry Hails, who taught the edible plant portion and went all around the Southern California with him looking for edible plants. One time we went on a camp out that Miriam Darnall was leading.