Weed 'Em and Reap: A Weed Eater Reader

by Roger Welsch

Join best-selling humorist Roger Welsch as he gathers and prepares wild fare, and soon you, too, will be able to amaze everyone around the campfire by serving up a salad, stew, vegetable, drink, or dessert made from ingredients found within yelling distance of the tents. This fun-to-read yet practical guide teaches more about morels, cattails, and smut (the fungus kind) than you ever thought possible. There's also information on making wines, jams, and jellies, and even gathering and enjoying acorns the Native American way.

Genres: Food

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Roger Lee Welsch (November 6, 1936 – September 30, 2022) was an American news reporter who was a senior correspondent on the CBS News Sunday Morning program, and was featured in a segment called "Postcards from Nebraska." An author, humorist and folklorist, Welsch was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the only son of Christian Welsch, who worked in a Goodyear tire factory and Bertha (Flach) Welsch, a homemaker.[1] He lived outside of Dannebrog, Nebraska.

Welsch earned a bachelor's degree in 1958 and a master's degree in 1960, both in German and both at the University of Nebraska. He also studied folklore at the University of Colorado and Indiana University.[1]

Welsch was the 2005 winner of the Henry Fonda Award from the State of Nebraska Travel and Tourism Division.

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the perfect book to get you excited about weed-eating and wild foraging. There are identification and cooking tips here, but mostly read it for Welsch's own telling of his experiences with wild foods, his rationale for their superiority, and his funny-uncle style and readability (though watch out for the good old midwestern latent sexism--it rears up out of nowhere and to no good purpose in a few passages). Welsch has had a fascinating run with wild foods and homesteading, and he's very thorough in what he knows. Not exactly a primer, but a valuable starting point for anyone interested in wild foraging.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weed ‘em and Reap is a series of essays and reminiscences on the joy of eating wild foods. Roger Welsch is a Midwestern humorist, sometimes seen on the Sunday morning news, if I recall correctly. He is also a prolific author, an honorary member of the Pawnee tribe, and a great fan of the free food that comes in the form of “weeds”. He takes great pains to insist that this book is not a how-to guide, and that the reader should seek out expert advice before eating what s/he finds in the wild. But as a “why-to” guide, you can’t find a more enthusiastic trailblazer than Roger Welsch.

[Luann Schindler · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love hunting wild asparagus and finding wild plums and sand cherries to make jam, so it was interesting to read about other edible weeds. Plus, Roger is so funny and makes it entertaining.