How to Forage for Wild Foods without Dying: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Identifying 40 Edible Wild Plants

The world is full of delicious wild foods growing just outside your door, but even if you are willing to try them, how can you know which are safe to eat when there are so many that definitely are not? This friendly paperback, pocket-sized for field explorations, leads the absolute beginner to those foods that are most common, easiest to identify, and most delicious—the perfect introduction to adding foraging into your lifestyle.

From dandelions (whose roots apparently make a tasty ice cream flavoring) to magnolia (eat the buds or warmly-spiced flowers) to the ubiquitous oak and its acorn, most of these plants grow throughout the United States. You get a sense of how to use and prepare each plant (and which parts), and even a few recipes to get you started or to preserve your harvest.

The author, an expert forager, offers extensive identification details, accompanied by beautifully photographed close-ups; she also alerts you to common misidentifications and helpfully informs you whether those mistakes are likely to be fatal. When in doubt, don’t risk it! With this book as your guide, however, you will be well prepared to start expanding your culinary horizons with the fun of foraged foods.