How to forage for wild foods without dying An absolute beginner's guide to identifying 40 edible wild plants

This helpful guide to edible wild plants is perfect for beginners. The first part, "Forage with Confidence!," should be required reading for all newbies, addressing essential topics that nascent foragers might not even know to consider. In a reassuring essay, it offers tips for identification, along with techniques, tools, storage, pollution and spraying, sites, seasons, harvesting windows, and above all else, sustainability. Then Zachos offers detailed descriptions of dozens of edibles that meet her criteria for good foods to forage: common plants found across the United States with multiple uses that don't have too many poisonous look-alikes. These are divided into five sections: common plants (such as dandelions), green weeds (like milkweed), trees and shrubs (including magnolias), shade plants (for instance, stinging nettle), and water-loving plants (think cattails). Individual, four-page profiles provide alternate names, what parts to eat and when to harvest, historic and contemporary usage, how to best prepare and enjoy the plant, an ID checklist, and full-color, closeup photos. The emphasis on sustainable conservation will likely appeal to new foragers.

This book by expert forager Zachos (The Wildcrafted Cocktail; cohost, Plantrama) joins a number of other guides for finding and preparing wild edibles that derive from the parts or wholes of common flowers, weeds, trees, and shrubs. Enhanced by lavish photographs and a friendly narrative tone, the book offers a responsibly researched and charming take on why and when to forage, how to locate and identify 40 of the most common plants that may be collected safely, and what to do with them once they're brought home. The book directs readers to secondary sources for further research. There's also an index with both the Latin and common names of each plant, best preparation techniques, and caveats. The author also wisely urges would-be foragers to seek professional advice if there's even minor doubt about any plant's safety. VERDICT This handsome book has real utility as a field companion for safe, wild plant hunts.--Dorian Gossy