Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants by Samuel Thayer

The author shares his in-depth knowledge of foraging with the authority, enthusiasm, and humor that have captivated thousands.

Rather than cover hundreds of plants in abbreviated accounts like the typical field guide, the author has chosen a smaller selection of species to discuss in exhaustive detail, including only those plants he has eaten fifty times or more. This book contains as many as ten high-quality color photographs of each plant. These have been selected to facilitate identification and depict the plant parts at exactly the stage of growth in which they should be harvested. The accompanying text is accurate and thorough, giving readers of any experience level the confidence to harvest wild plants for food. Botanically, the text is accurate, yet it remains accessible to the layperson by using technical terms only when necessary. This book has many unique features that will appeal to naturalists, hikers, campers, survivalists, homesteaders, gardeners, chefs, Native Americans, and whole food enthusiasts. It contains a calendar of harvest times for wild produce, a step-by-step protocol for positive identification, an illustrated glossary tailored to the needs of foragers, a recommended reading list, plus special sections on conservation, safety, nutrition, harvest techniques, preparation methods, and storage. While this is not a regional guide, it will prove most useful to readers in the eastern US and Canada, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Northwest.