George Ingles

At times, I have done varying degrees of fasting, which I find easier than lessening my food intake.

When I am eating fruit, I prefer to keep to one kind per meal - in large quantities until I don't want anymore.
When the Plums are ripe, I eat a whole bunch of Plums.  Same with Cherries, Grapes, Peaches, Apples, what-you-got!?

I have found a single type of fruit per day to be agreeable on occasion.
Fifteen Mangoes in a sitting was too much.  Half a dozen big grapefruits per day wreaked havoc on my teeth...
Only oranges, eaten sporadically throughout the day (not in excess) is a nice way to stave off or shorten a Cold, I've found.

I think though, for the purpose of this thought experiment, I might choose Apples - depending on how sharp or mild the varieties available.  Or maybe Winter Squash.  Apologies if my hodge-podge answer throws off the survey.

You know what, can I change my answer to Miso soup?

There seems to be a lot of online videos showcasing vigilante lawnmowing 'heroes'.
They usually show some very unkempt lawn in a dilapidated state and then sped-up film of them mowing it and edging and such.
Then there is usually a clip of the homeowner crying tears of gratitude and hugging the vigilante.
The vigilante is just doing it out of the goodness of their heart; they don't want payment - but they do want attention it seems.

Not that your neighbors are making videos like that, but it is a trend out there on the interwebs that might be inspiring people to think they are helping when they're not.  
Some others I've met have an obsession with making things look like a golf course and can't imagine letting a dandelion grow, let alone have tall grass!  Those ones likely won't be reformed, but who knows.

I like that you are able to have conversations and share knowledge with some of your 'volunteer landscapers'.
You might cause them to consider things they never would have dreamed of.  

If you are in zone 4a, I would imagine the Grapes would like all the Sun they can get... Blackberries too.
Here in my 7b spot, they both grow and fruit the best in full sun - for me.  

They can both grow alright with some shade, though... Blackberries more than Grapes - in my experience.

Inulin might be not directly digestible by the human body, and those unaccustomed to eating foods rich in inulin can certainly experience stomach/digestive upset.
However, there are many studies that show inulin can be a good prebiotic fiber - encouraging healthy intestinal flora in the body, among other potential benefits.
A person might wish to add it to their diet slowly to avoid discomfort.
Using the traditional methods of preparing these foods, as the above post mentions, is probably still a wise path.

When you say, "tend to forest nettle patch," are you referring to harvesting wild nettles from the forest?

I harvest from patches on a farm where they grow wild in abundance.  I haven't tried looking for them in the forest much, so I don't know how fragile their place in the ecosystem may be in a woodland setting.
My experience with the ones on the farm is that it is quite difficult to get rid of them if you wanted to.
Their rhizomes spread and spread where the soil is rich, expanding the patch every year.
They do make a lot of seeds, though I have read that it is sometimes difficult to start them from seed.
I do propagate them into areas I want them by transplanting sections of the rhizome.

I wouldn't imagine you could overharvest Nettles too easily unless you are pulling up plants by the roots in great numbers.
Though of course, ethical wild harvesting is important.

I have used many types of blades for brush clearing, and it really matters what you are cutting when selecting the tool.
I switch tools for different sorts or conditions, and to mix up which muscle groups I am using to avoid overstraining my body.
Most of what I have to cut around here is bramble canes, lots of them - mostly on flat ground.
I favor different tools depending on the age/size of the patch of blackberry brambles.

In small spaces like around the garden fence I like a hand sickle of some sort - the serrated blade kind are very effective, but tedious to resharpen.  A Billhook, as someone mentioned, is good for this too.  (And the scar on my thumb begs me to remind you to cut *away* from your body - and to keep bleedable bits out of the line of work).

Then again, I like to use my 5-foot ARS pole-lopper - the cutting head can rotate with a twist of the wrist and has a trigger handle.
It keeps some distance from the thorns, and I can pull vines out with it too.   Regular loppers and Secateurs are also useful in this zone for me.

If the area is covered with much taller brambles I will use my Scythe (some day I will get a brush scythe, but I have a smaller grass blade that works well).  It is nice for sweeping through the thicket, when you can't see where the canes emerge, and dragging them to a pile with the tool likewise.

For these same conditions of thick tall growth, I think my favorite tool has become ... a manual Pole Saw!
I have a Jameson brand, with a curved saw blade and a branch hook.
I can reach in low to the ground and saw through thick canes with ease, and drag them out... though I generally push/pull them and roll up the vines and stomp them down as I go when it is a large area.  

I also have a Ditch Blade, a double sided one from Council Tools.  It is a heavy beast, but it has a lot of power.
It can chop through thick brush and cut through the blackberry crowns pretty terrifically.  However, I don't use it much.
I think with its weight, a Ditch Blade is made for... wait for it... Ditches!  Cutting things down-slope.

I have machetes of various sorts, but I find I don't like using them except for clearing a trail, really.
There's also a neat trick I've seen from places where machetes are the main tool.  The wielder holds a hooked stick in the other hand to both steady the stem being cut and give another barrier between blade and body.
There are machetes specific for cutting grass, to vines, all the way up to heavy Parang types for branches and saplings.

My top choice right now is the Pole Saw.

Please everyone be very aware when using sharp tools like these.  Plan your cuts, and line up your body so you are not in the way of the blade's path.  It sounds fun to go swinging a machete through the thicket, but the injuries can be bad.  Safe cutting.

That would be an interesting map to look at, but I suggest it be voluntary to add your location to the map, not automatic.
People have different comfort levels regarding privacy, and some might not want to be even vaguely pinpointed.
But I would find it fascinating to see a map like you describe, and it surely could help people connect.

When I was a kid, my family had a camper with a foot pump sink.  I remember stepping on it repeatedly to keep the water flowing, like it was a direct mechanical effect.  
When I was working in a restaurant kitchen, we had a very nice little stainless steel handwashing sink that had hot and cold pedals that one just steps on and it was automatic water, no foot-pumping.
So if there is a used restaurant supply store in your area, you might find such a thing there.
I think it's hygienically a smart notion.

Around here, the first things I notice are the Cleavers and Stinging Nettles.
I like the Cleavers fresh when the plants are small, though even the bigger ones are still nibble worthy.
I have a very short window with the Nettles before the aphids and tiny beetles take up residence on them - (not that they can't be shaken off or washed).  I prefer pinching off the topmost part of new Nettles and crushing it between thumb and fingers to get rid of the stings and then I eat them raw directly.  Steamed, Souped, or made into a mess-o-greens in the pan is good too.
I welcome Nettle stings as medicine too - I often intentionally get myself stung where I have sore muscles or the like for pain relief.
Lemon Balm is rather early here too, and I enjoy the fresh leaves for snacking.
Also overwintered Parsley, Kale, Mustard, Beetroots and such from the garden are at their prime for eating at this time (some years).