Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies

by Linda Kershaw, Ian Sheldon (Illustrator), Lee Craig (Editor)

Throughout human history, plants have provided us with food, clothing, medicine and shelter. The Rocky Mountains are home to a diversity of plant species that have helped native peoples and settlers survive through the centuries. EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE ROCKIES describes 333 common trees, shrubs, flowers, ferns, mosses and lichens that have been used by people from ancient times to the present. This comprehensive guide contains: * More than 700 color photographs and illustrations * An introduction explaining the use of wild plants, including gathering, preparing and cooking * Food, medicinal and other uses for each species * Clear descriptions of the plants and where to find them * Warnings about plant allergies, poisons and digestive upsets * A special section at the end detailing 46 of the more common poisonous plants in the Rockies region.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Reference, Plants, Field Guides

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[Tait Sougstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great primer on the subject. It doesn't say everything on the subject, but gives enough to whet the palate of the would-be herbalist and wild forager.

As with the other Lone Pine guidebooks I've encountered, the design is fabulous. You will not find the miserly page conservation found in many other guidebooks that give only a brief description and thumbnail line drawing. This book gives full page and, for more important plants, double-page treatment to each listing. They did their ethnobotanical homework, and list traditional food, medicinal, and other uses, as well as findings from modern research. It's not hard to find correlations between traditional uses ("useful to treat coughs, sore throats, etc.") with identified chemical constituents ("contains eugenol").

The back of the book contains a glossary of botanical terms and some diagrams, helpful for novices. The cover is a rugged material, some kind of plasticized fabric, which lends itself to field use. The listings typically identify the most common species, and lists descriptions of other species in the genus. Sometimes only one species is pictures, sometimes several are. The pictures are my only real gripe about the book. Most of them are great and give enough detail for identification, some are low resolution or poorly composed, and do not give enough to make distinctions.

In general, I've really enjoyed the book. As an aspiring forager living in a transition point between the Northern Rockies and the Great Plains, I recognized many of the plants pictured. As I explore my area, whether commuting to and from work, or walking around the neighborhood, more and more plants have names, and are potential foods. (I confess to sampling a rose hip outside the Billings Library, though only one, because they probably douse those things in pesticides. It was delicious, bright, and sweet, akin to strawberry fruit leather.) I find myself looking forward to this spring, and hope I can get out when the yucca and prickly pears are ripe to take a few samples. I remember some places where wild sage (Artemesia spp.) and mullein grow. Of course the juniper grows prolifically, but I've never harvested the berries (to flavor beer, or kombucha?) And I never knew that the bushes that beam red rays from riparian zones across Montana are the Red Ossier Dogwood, the cambium of which was harvested, dried, and smoked in kinnickinnic blends by Great Plains Indians.

In short, the tidbits in this book have made my world more interesting and beautiful, and lead to some productive lines of inquiry. Not exhaustive, nor perfect, but entirely useful.

[Lindsay Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to love this book when I was a kid camping the Rocky Mountains near Jasper! Excellent!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, of the foraging books I've read so far, this one is my favorite. The book is broken up into categories: trees, shrubs, herbs, mosses and lichens, and poisonus plants. That last category is super important because there are so many lookalikes when foraging, only one other book I've read mentioned poisonous lookalikes but didn't include any pictures. This book has a whole section dedicated to it. I also really appreciated the uses section under each plant, which detailed what the plant has been used for throughout history. She even talks about how to best consume each plant or use it medicinally and HOW. It doesn't cover quite as many plants as some of the other books I've read, but, quality over quantity when it comes to foraging. Five out of five stars to Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies.

[Lisa Ulibarri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and all the photos to identify the plants!!!! Excellent!!!!

[Vanessa Lecaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly good but lots of warnings which makes you wonder if anything ids edible

[Mykal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! Very complete. The best part about this book is that it mentions how the First Nations of North America used and prepared the plants. There isn't much mention of how one can include the plants in a modern diet or recipe. If you are an experienced forager, there is no need for recipes, only safe preparation methods are required. Creativity is key!

The plant descriptions are pretty good, but it definitely isn't a field guide. Most of the plants in this book have a disclaimer mentioning that if eaten in large quantity said plant will make you sick. I know the authors are trying to be thorough, but it could be quite discouraging for first time foragers.

[Jayme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for learning more about edible foods in the Rockies. I love that right on the back cover is an index for the five different families of plant this book is split up into (trees, shsrubs, herbs, mosses, poisonous). Each plant comes with a photo, description, location, edibility, and medicinal uses. Plants that you should be wary of using, or that are common allergens, are clearly marked and given a description of why.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the information on the use of herbs is nowhere as complete or detailed as, say, Michael Moore's books, the photos in this book are far superior to any I've seen making it incredibly helpful for identifying plants in the field.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some information may be missleading and inaccurate.

[Gary Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a real help when sorting out which berries are good to eat, I find it very helpful, I take it with me all the time when hiking.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book of the pictures helpful for basic understanding of plants locally and like that it's grouped by plant family

[Remy · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the BEST edible plant books I've read.