Wild Edibles: A Practical Guide to Foraging, with Easy Identification of 60 Edible Plants and 67 Recipes

by Sergei Boutenko

Sergei Boutenko’s groundbreaking field guide to the art and science of foraging and preparing wild edible plants—includes 300+ photos of 60 plants

**An Amazon Editors' Pick -- Best Cookbooks, Food & Wine**

In Wild Edibles , Sergei Boutenko’s bestselling work on the art and science of live-food wildcrafting, readers will learn how to safely identify 60 delicious trailside weeds, herbs, fruits, and greens growing all around us. It also outlines basic rules for safe wild-food foraging and discusses poisonous plants, plant identification protocols, gathering etiquette, and conservation strategies. 
 
But the journey doesn’t end there.
 
Rooted in Boutenko’s robust foraging experience, botanary science, and fresh dietary perspectives, this practical companion gives hikers, backpackers, raw foodists, gardeners, chefs, foodies, DIYers, survivalists, and off-the-grid enthusiasts the necessary tools to transform their simple harvests into safe, delicious, and nutrient-rich recipes. Special features

For the wildly adventurous and playfully rebellious, Wild Edibles will expand your food options, providing readers with the inspiration and essential know-how to live more healthy (yet thrifty), more satisfying (yet sustainable) lives.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Cookbooks, Gardening, Survival, Nature, Food

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Sergei Boutenko is a filmmaker, author, entrepreneur, green smoothie hustla, forager, health nut, salsa dancer, adventurer, and lover of life. As a child, Boutenko suffered from health problems that were caused by eating crappy food and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Boutenko managed to regain his health by cleaning up his diet and implementing a regular exercise routine. Since then, he has published numerous books detailing his journey back to health. Additionally, Boutenko writes books and makes films about diet, exercise, and foraging. He also runs a thriving YouTube channel called: “BoutenkoFilms” where he publishes original videos on various topics. From time to time, Boutenko also goes on lecture tours, appears on podcasts, writes articles, and hosts retreats. Learn more at http://www.SergeiBoutenko.com

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my favorite book on wild edibles, but it definitely has a place on my shelves as a helpful alternate. Some things you have to take with a grain of salt. The author writes that grass is a nutritious addition to a wild meal and praises just about any green as delicious and mild. I have tasted some of the greens he talks about and find them to range from weedy flavored to bitter. I have to assume that if you have been eating wild greens your whole life that your palate changes a bit. I have also always understood that humans don't contain the digestive system necessary to turn grass into nutrients we can absorb. But hey, I guess it is good to know that noshing on your lawn won't hurt you. There are a wide variety of plants in this book and a reasonable number of pictures to assist with identification (maybe not enough for a complete newbie). The one thing I do wish he had included is if any of the plants he presents have dangerous look-alikes. I also don't recommend that you plan to go hiking without enough food or water and expect to depend on wild foods to keep you hydrated and nourished. It is good information to have in emergency situations (which he does discuss) but I don't think it is wise to plan to use wild foods as part of your food source until you know much more about them and how your body responds to them. Overall, a helpful volume that presents some plants not covered in other books on this topic.

[Cecille Gagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how Sergei adds his own uses for the plants in this book and recipes at the end. I like that he has multiple pictures for each plant showing full plant, leaves, fruit and flowers. I think I will try a few wild edibles this summer.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watching Les Stroud’s (my favorite survivalist) Wild Harvest television program made me curious about foraging. Mr. Stroud recommends before viewers go foraging to take classes and read plenty of books before consuming any plant in the wild.

I searched the internet for foraging schools for the handicap and found none in my area. Since I’m not one to give up once I’ve made up my mind to achieve a goal, I’ll keep searching because I know there is a foraging school out there that caters to the handicap even if I have to travel to another country.

I planned to read all the books on foraging offer by the local library during the winter when things have slowed down.

I learned about Wild Edibles book after watching author Sergei Boutenko over the internet.

I was amazed to learn that produce travel an average of 1,200 miles to get to consumers (Brown and Pilz 1969). Brian Halweil, a researcher at the World Watch Institute, says this figure is likely 6 times higher today—somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 miles. … disadvantages … loss of freshness, food being harvested and eaten before it is ripe and a massive wasted of the earth’s finite resources … we are spending far more energy to get food to the table than the energy we get from eating the food…”.

In the book Discovering Wild Plants Janice Schofield writes “Eating plants in your local area is the best way to become acclimated to climate and resistant to illness” (2003).

Wild Edibles is filled with useful information and is written in a language fifth graders can comprehend.

The front and back dust cover is eye-catching.

The color pictures makes it easy to identify plants.

The references and index sections are most appreciated.

Though the leaf margins, leaf shapes, leaf patters, roots and flowers pictures were not in color they were drawn where they were identifiable.

I liked everything about the book.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent practical guide to foraging and plant identification, just like it says. The text is clear, the photos are full color, plus lots of tips, advice, and recipes. I borrowed this book from the library, but I will buy a copy to keep on hand. From his Facebook page, I can see that he's also published a deck of cards for portability out in the field. I might pick those up too.

"When I was in kindergarten in Russia, my teacher taught my classmates and me how to pick clover flowers and suck out their nectar through the stem. During our school outings, we would often stop at colorful flower patches and take a few moments to enjoy their sweetness. After my family immigrated to America, I continued this practice and scared many adults half to death. It seems like there is more fear surrounding plants in America, and children are generally discouraged from eating wild fare. Several educators throughout my childhood even told me that clovers were poisonous and would cause severe pain and discomfort. While I agree that children should be instructed not to eat unfamiliar plants, teaching them that a healthy, edible plant is poisonous is equally detrimental. If children grow up believing that safe food is exclusively found in a store, they become dependent on others to tell them what they can and can't eat. On the other hand, kids who have been taught how to forage properly can fend for themselves, which is a life-enhancing skill that may one day save their lives.

Hear hear Sergei!!

[Ryan Freund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe I’m biased because this was my first foraging book I ever bought, but the electric copy in the E-Reader app is one of my favorite things on my phone! I’ve always wondered what all the weeds were around the house and between this book, a plant identification app, and checking other resources I’ve learned so much about all the vegetation around me! This book is what got me super into wild edibles, and now I’ve learned more than just a couple of weeds I’m super excited for spring!

I really enjoy that Boutenko shares recipes and other snacking tips with almost all of the wild edibles; plus he includes quite a bit of nutritional facts about some of the plants. Another one of my favorite things that he does is includes if some plants have a look-a-like plant that is toxic. I worry about my foraging adventures out of fear I’m going to come across something bad, but with Boutenko’s descriptions he helps you easily identify some really common plants.

This book was a joy to read and made being outside even more enjoyable, and I didn’t know that was possible!

[Shyanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing job captivating the reader I even laughed a little at some parts, lovely how you started the guide book! As a kid I always tried eating plants and it's nice to see that most are in this book! A little weird I had such a strong sense to try them.. and now I know I can. Going to cherish this and hopefully learn some more, going to try mushroom picking next!

[Allyn Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the best foraging book I've found so far. Among other things, it has charts that provide nutritional information about some of the plants. When I buy a book on the subject, this will probably be the first one I get. He also includes recipes that I might find useful someday - but first I have to get to the point where I know what the plants are and where to find them.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried eating several edible weeds growing in my garden thanks to to Sergei's instruction and encouragement. All were edible; a couple were tasty. I would buy/borrow this again next summer just to try a few more and gain confidence in my knowledge of what's growing around my house.

[meheadhurts · Rating 4 out of 5]

August Readathon 2025 Book Explorer #2 Learning Curve - Book about a topic new to you

This was a decent intro to the subject. The author encourages you to get more in depth resources, but I felt it was a good intro without getting too much into the weeds (pun intended).

[Dinh Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and inspiring.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good info

Good information, recipes, and photography for easy plant identification. Some of the plants I already knew about but I also learned a few things reading this book.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have, just like a good cook book it's good to know what food is foragable around you to help supplement and support a healthy and affordable health eating.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lot of fun..now to find a few more references to read and carry.

[Natacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me this is one of the best books on wild edibles. It has so many detailed descriptions for each plant, including which parts you can eat, the nutrient content (with tables), how you can differentiate it from other similar plants, several color photos for different parts of the plant, etc. It is also very detailed on everything one needs to know about foraging in general and how to identify edibles. A big plus are the heathy recipes and teas (healthy is the key word here). If you are into foraging and raw food this is a must read and have. I keep it on my phone as my foraging guide.

[Chelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the information presented to me in this book. It's definitely going to be packed up in my camping gear, because since I live in the city, many of the items it shows don't really pertain to anything readily accessible to my location. I am wanting to try out many of the recipes in the book, because I'm an avid cook and love to experiment in my kitchen, so I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for the items listed that are not readily available in the grocery stores. The book was very informative, with the information clearly and concisely written out, as well as being pretty sensible. Something I'll happily recommend to customers in looking for books to take camping and hiking with them. :)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since reading thus book, I can not stop staring at the ground! This book has broadened my diet. I am so excited for spring. If you are interested in preparedness, gardening or natural health, this book will tickle your fancy. I was inspired by the stories Sergei shared in the book. I feel he described plants very well. The pictures were detailed enough that I feel confident that I can identify the edible plants with confidence. This book has launched me into a new hobby.

[JEO Ocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great photos and the kind of book you take on a hike. Lots of the info was repetitive,but his story was interesting. Great reference book!

[Emily Mellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love that this comes with recipes. Need to buy!