Samuel Thayer

I borrowed this book from my library. I think they bought it to fulfill my request -- a Good Thing, to have a significant book like this in the public system. I've admired Samuel Thayer's writing, his insistence on authenticity, and his intelligence for years, and expected great things from his field guide. My expectations were surpassed. This is the definitive field guide to edible wild plants, a life's work, a magnum opus. I think (after my copy which I'm going to order arrives) I can stop show more buying books about edible wild plants. Update: I went to order at the bookstore *and they had it in stock* so that is the shortest time a book has been on my wishlist ever. show less

Readers may be put off by the tone of the introductory chapters of this work on finding, harvesting and using edible wild plants, but it's worth plowing forward. The author, a life-long wild food enthusiast, set out to write a manual covering only those wild plants he himself regularly harvests and *enjoys*; as opposed to the usual suspects. (He does not really regard distasteful foods as 'edible'.) As a result, he can be dismissive of some other texts and come off sounding self-satisfied, show more but his knowledge and tips are worth it. In particular, he gives detailed harvesting directions, precise instructions for preparing and/or preserving your harvest, and an indication of which foods preserve best and how. He covers Ostrich Fern, Cattail, Wapato, Wild Rice, Ramps, Smilax, Butternut, Siberian Elm, Stinging Nettle, Wood Nettle, Sheep Sorrel, Goosefoot, Spring Beauty, Marsh Marigold, Swamp Saxifrage, Serviceberry, Chokecherry, Pin Cherry, Hog Peanut, Hopniss, Black Locust, Sumac, Wild Grape, American Bassword, Evening Primrose, Wild Parsnip, Common Milkweed, Virgina Waterleaf, Nannyberry/Black Haw, Highbush Cranberry, Burdock, and Thistle. Of particular interest are his comprehensive instructions for harvesting and processing Wild Rice. He is very forthcoming about his own learning experiences and almost gleeful about experiences where he proved books wrong (such as his experiments with common milkweed, whose usual warnings can be traced back to Euell Gibbons). Thayer's usual range is the Middle North of the USA in the Great Lakes region, but he observes where and when he has found all the plants, many of which he has encountered in the Eastern and MidAtlantic seaboard as well. His story about the opossum baiting and the burdock is almost worth the whole book. show less

Similar to Forager's Harvest, this book has in-depth sections on a limited number of important foods with which the author is deeply familiar. In this case the foods include Trout Lilies, Solomon's Seal, False Solomon's Seal, American Lotus, Mayapple, Hackberry, Black Walnut, Acorn, Hazelnut, Wild Carrot, Ox-Eye Daisy, Sow-thistle, Amaranth, Garlic Mustard, Dock, Salsify, and quite a few more -- 42 in all. (Not that limited really, compared to the paltry number of different fruits and show more vegetables on the average grocery store shopping list!) The book is not intended as comprehensive, nor is it a field guide; the introductory material explains at length exactly why Thayer wrote what he did and how he did and I won't attempt to reiterate. It is worth mentioning, however, that he makes a very good argument for foraging as an activity that contributes to the health of the natural environment. Definitely, read the first few chapters before you jump into the middle of the book. And then, enjoy the journey. show less

This book is fantastic! I must buy it!!! I've been eating stuff in the woods my entire life but this describes the best ways to harvest, prepare and store all these edible wild plants in a very approachable way that the author ACTUALLY DOES. So often with these books, it is apparent that the person writing does not practice what they teach but the author of this book has for a long time. Truly excellent!