Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide

The book is divided into an introductory section, guides to harvesting plants in each of the four seasons, the plants themselves (also presented seasonally), poisonous plants, a nutritional guide, and two great indices. The introduction includes great tips on how to prepare wild foods as drinks, snacks, entres, and condiments, along with recipes for 25 jellies, 20 jams and 17 fruit and berry pies. But the good part is yet to come.

Each plant is presented with a good-to-excellent photograph, a distribution map (so a person in the Pacific Northwest doesn't have to wonder whether he or she is looking at a squashberry or a hobblebush berry), a complete description, identification of the edible parts, harvest and preparation notes, related species, and poisonous look-alikes (if any). The presentations are just excellent. My only complaint is that the book isn't twice as thick.

Whether you just want to be prepared for emergencies or you want to collect wild edibles for making jams, jellies, pies, and wine, this book is one of the only two you'll probably need. The other is a good regional guide, because with over 20,000 species of plants to choose from north of the Rio Grande alone, a guide to regional edibles is a must.


Only Fair for Identification   September 6, 2002
William H. Mills (Alexandria, VA USA)
33 out of 37 found this review helpful

Identification of edible species is what I want, with emphasis on the first word. From my experience in identifying tree species and other plant ID handbooks, I'd call this one mediocre. The photos are often close-ups with no indication of scale, so size is unknown. Details are not included. Root structure and overall plant structure are seldom shown. ID often depends on flowers, present only for a few weeks of the year. Variation among species is so widespread that I'd recommend at least two good books, with better illustrations than those found here. Drawings, though not "natural", often provide better clues to identity by showing roots, structure, etc.


Survival guide -- or what to eat when...   April 27, 2002
Victoria Tarrani (Betwixt FL and CA, USA)
26 out of 31 found this review helpful

While you may find that something that is growing in your own back yard could cut down on the grocery bill, this book is also a great tool for a writer, and that is my view.

Wild Plants is divided by seasons, and what is edible just in case you are surviving in nature's wonderland without fast food places just three miles down the road. On the other hand, what to eat when a flood in ... well, any place that strands your protagonists for weeks.

The color photographs show the shapes and colors of the leaves and berries, which makes describing a meal easier. A map of the U. S. is coded to show you where the plants are likely to grow. Additionally, there are many details about the plants, such as what part to eat and whether it can be a full meal or just a salad. One of the most important details included about the plants is a list of poisonous look-alikes. For example the Eastern camass, Camass Lily is edible during all seasons; the baked bulbs are very dark and sugary, but baking to perfection takes 1-3 days. However, the bulbs are palatable raw, or can be boiled in 25-30 minutes. The look-alike Death Camass has several differences, one being that the edible plant has blue flowers in the spring; so what does your hungry character eat while escaping?

A section about poisonous plants describes twenty that are toxic, and that grow beside the ones you can eat. Nature provides its own clue about the plants. By watching what and when the birds and wild life eat the odds decrease of choosing the wrong plant. There is a great picture of the Death Camass that grows in the west and north west states, as indicated by the map. "All twelve of the native Zigadenus species should be considered extremely poisonous." They contain alkaloids that can cause gastrointestinal distress that can lead to death.

Enjoy the recipes, or cook them up for your characters. I give this five stars for photography, information, and an easy to use reference book.

Victoria Tarrani


Great edible wild plant book; pictures, not drawings.   March 6, 1998
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

This book is a well-organized listing of edible wild plants in North America. Listings are by season, so you know when to look for a specific plant. Habitat is described including a quick reference range map of North America, as are how to harvest, prepare, and store foods for future use. A symbol key at the left of each plant will tell you at a glance what uses you can put a plant to; trail nibble, potherb, etc. Related edible and poisonous look alikes are also listed. This book utilizes pictures, something none of the other books I looked at did. I think this makes identification of plants much easier than relying on someone's black and white sketch or colored pencil rendering of something wild that I'm plan to eat. The one down side to this is that some of the pictures could be much better; about a dozen pictures are black and white, while others show the plant only at a distance which might make identification problematical. However, scientific names are provided, and if you have the luxury of time, you can do a search online for a more precise picture.