A couple weeks ago I wrote about the Polish ground cherry that Paul had planted in the house garden. I thought I would introduce you to something else that Paul put in and is just as bizarre, Mangelwurzel. This is in the beet family and is most popular in central Europe. Interestingly, it isn't grown for human consumption, although people do eat them. They are mostly used as fodder for livestock. The first mention of them being purposefully cultivated is in the early 18th century. I pulled a few and tossed them into the chicken yard to see if there was any interest by the birds. Within a couple hours one of the mangels was gone and they had started on the next one. I'm going to try the horses next. Funny thing is, our dairy animals get dried beet pulp in their regular rations. There really isn't anything new.