Front Yard Forager: Identifying, Collecting, and Cooking the 30 Most Common Urban Weeds

by Melany Vorass

The Front Yard Forager invites all of us to take control of our food by entering into the fun and delicious world of foraging. A concise field guide and recipe book, it showcases the 30 most readily found edible urban weeds. From

dandelion to day lily, nipplewort to nettle, and pineapple weed to purslane there's a salad bowl full of fresh edibles

just waiting to be collected and put to good use. Each plant profile features an easy-to-use field identification guide,

including photographs, as well as where to find the plant and what to do with it in the kitchen. Recipes range from

simple and classic to practically gourmet, while introductory chapters and sidebars cover the hows and whys of

foraging: ethics, nutritional information, harvesting, precautions, and more.

Written by Seattle's Melany Vorass, a longtime instructor of urban foraging, The Front Yard Forager brings DIY

harvesting right to your door, making foraging easy, accessible, and fun for everyone even in the middle of the

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Gardening, Survival, Reference

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, let me preface this review by admitting that I live deep in the Appalachian wilderness, and am not the urban-homesteader-type that this book was aimed at, which makes it waaay easier to "forage" for the edible flora listed within... Mainly because it's considerably less awkward to go plucking bagfuls of dandelions and nettles in your own yard than it is alongside the highway or in the overgrown vacant lot next to the crackhouse down the street. But I reckon if you're the type of person who bought a book on how to cook and eat weeds you picked from the edges of a Wal-Mart parking lot, awkwardness is not a great concern.

Anyway, on to the review:

The Front Yard Forager: Identifying, Collecting, and Cooking the 30 Most Common Urban Weeds is just what the titles says. Can't get any plainer than that, folks. WYSIWYG. It begins with the etymology of the word "forage", and is divided into six chapters on, well, identifying, collecting, and cooking common urban weeds.

Chapter One is the introductory piece, in which we learn the environmental, financial, and health benefits of foraging for wild plantfoods, as well as some social and ecological history of American horticulture. The section entitled "A Brief History of Weeds" is totally more interesting than it sounds: An explanation is given of how Americans became obsessed with having perfect, uniform, manicured lawns (hint: It's all the French's fault--no surprise there). Sections on how to forage safely and wisely (don't pick plants near fire hydrants, haha), and what tools to bring, how not to inadvertently violate any local regulations, etc.

Chapters 2-5 cover the plants themselves, and are organized by the areas in which they are commonly found: Lawns and Parking Strips, Vegetable Gardens and Flower Beds, Parks and Greenbelts, and Vacant Lots and Roadsides. Each chapter is divided into sub-sections containing photos and descriptions of the weeds, any folklore surrounding the species, a brief history of its culinary and/or medicinal uses, the foraging info (what it looks like, were to find it, when and how to pick it and any poisonous lookalikes to watch out for, what it tastes like, and how to store/cook it), and recipes. Lots of amusing trivia in these sections (like, did you know the common dandelion was often referred to as "piss-a-bed" in old English because of its diuretic properties? Ha!).

Chapter Six is a guide to poisonous plants commonly found in urban areas, so you know what to avoid. So you don't, y'know, make a big batch of Deadly Nightshade cookies for the Band Camp bake sale and cause half the town to go into convulsions and shit themselves to death. Unless of course that's your goal, in which case, it's still a very useful chapter.

The book includes a center section of full-color glossy photos, a glossary, bibliography, and index. There's also a separate table of contents for the recipes, for easy reference.

Recipes range from the straightforward ("Clover Soup," "Weed Seed Crackers") to the sophisticated ("Dead Nettle and Winter Squash with White Truffle Oil and Hazelnuts," "Amaranth and Caramelized Onions on Sourdough") to the delightfully whimsical ("Dandelion Flower Fritters," "Sweet Briar Rose Hip Nut Bread," "Daylily and Raspberry Sorbet").

The author's writing style is conversational and very pleasant, her anecdotes brief and charming, and she manages to advocate for her natural, weed-munching lifestyle without sounding like either an elitist foodie asshat or a hippy kook (she's actually all smart an' stuff: a retired environmental policy analyst with a degree environmental studies with an emphasis on ethnobotany, according to the bio). There is no superfluous filler--all the science and history trivia is kept concise and relevant. The book is very well laid out, easy to navigate and understand, and makes an excellent introduction to urban (or suburban or rural, really) foraging.

Plus I'm pretty sure you won't find a recipe for Nipplewort Crostini anywhere else. Just sayin'.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author actually eats this stuff. Many authors of edibles books do not. It's one thing to say "you can eat this" or "First Nations used to eat this" and another thing altogether to say "I eat it" or "it's yummy!" The better books are those like this one in which the author says "it tastes like [this] ... I found it [here]".

• I had no idea that horsetail is edible. It's aka "Scouring Brush". I think I'll use it to scour first instead of to eat ... I'm gonna go pick some at my in-laws' :)

• I had no idea that silver dollars are edible; I had no idea they're in the brassica family!! My MIL loves them dried [for decor]. Two great reasons for me to cultivate them from now on, biennials though they be.

• I didn't know that Cat's Ear isn't just a sort of funny-lookin' dandelion.

• I knew linden is edible. I knew it's a *great* choice for coppicing, which is enough to recommend it for the mindful permaculturist. But she makes linden sound delicious. I really really want a linden tree now. I didn't know that linden leaves could be dried and used as a flour substitute. I didn't know its young leaves were tasty enough for raw spring salads. I didn't know you could tap the sap for a sweet refreshing drink.

• Now I know that pineapple weed is another name for wild chamomile; this clears up some confusion.


I learned 4 stars' worth of information. I wish there were more color photos, or better botanical diagrams, or something that better showed the significant botanical differences OR otherwise improved ID certainty (there's a center section of color photos). The greyscale images have too little contrast. Most of the featured plants are really easy to ID, and written descriptions are helpful and clear, so it's not big safety issue, but it's the one thing I'd like to see changed. I would *definitely* buy this one if it was all color.

[Ava Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough introduction to the art and science of wild eats. Covers the basics of foraging in a very straightforward, easy-to-understand manner. Photos are clear, instructions are simple enough for newbies and "city-slickers" to follow, and the tidbits of historical and scientific trivia are quite interesting and entertaining. I love the down to earth style of the writing and the easy to read layout of the pages. A very enjoyable read. Would make a great addition to gift-baskets for organic/raw-food enthusiasts, homesteaders, gardeners, veg*ns, and anyone with an interest in living a more natural, back-to-basics lifestyle.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great, very descriptive, and clear guide to all the edible plants that are probably sitting right out in your yard, garden, or patio. Photos and recipes of all edibles, including color photos of almost every most common plant in the book. Also has a very clear guide to poisonous plants you'll want to avoid. Most all of these plants will be ones you'll already know quite well and will be like "no WAY! That's edible too?! Can't believe I never knew that."

[Josee Philipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all thank you to the author and Goodreads for the copy of this wonderful book. Love how educational this book is and certainly appreciated all the great pictures in it.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture
As someone who is passionate about growing their own food and environmental education, I appreciate the message of this book very much. The Front Yard Forager is written from the perspective that everyone should know the edible plants around them and that parents should pass this information down to their children; this book aims to be their guide.

The Front Yard Forager features 30 common weeds in the U.S., most of which I am familiar with, some of which I knew were edible and a few that I have actually eaten before. Most of the weeds featured grew right near me, or even in my lawn! The information for each plant includes a detailed identification guide, it's usefulness and health information and some great recipes that I can't wait to try!

[Kristina Seleshanko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another foraging book I borrowed from the library that I need to buy to have on hand at home. An excellent book that answered many long time questions for me, including "Is honesty (money plant) edible?" "What's this fuzzy plant that resembles dandelion?" and "Is clover safe to eat?" My only criticism is that most of the photos are black and white, which can make identification more difficult.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren't too many weeds here (although that should have been obvious from the subtitle which I must not have processed). Weed identification is generally well done, however, there were one or two weeds I wasn't sure if I had. I did learn that dead nettles were edible which is good to know. I also learned that Japanese Knotweed is high in oxalates so I will probably avoid that unless there is an emergency.

I docked one star mostly for the limited scope (it feels like there should be more weeds around), but beyond that it is hard to expect much better (a little more identifying help would be nice but not necessarily expected) from a foraging book.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Living in Washington state, my yard and nearby parks were filled with weeds in this book. Unfortunately I moved to the southwest desert shortly after and now the book is irrelevant to the area I live. It's small enough I can take it with me when I travel.

[Devon Thurtle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book over a year ago, and I'm still having fun with it. The descriptions of edible weeds - and particularly the descriptions of what differentiates edible weeds from their inedible and even poisonous relatives - makes identifying the plants simple. It's a great read as well as a great reference, and a great cookbook.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative - gourmet - informative - amazing! This is an intriguing book that challenges my current mode of thinking and encourages me to be more creative and adventurous. It is such a valuable and interesting resource!

(I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.)

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Come Spring, I will never be able to look at my yard filled with dandelions and day lilies and prairie dock the same way again! And, I'm totally digging up the next Queen Anne's Lace plant I see to see if its roots are really just a skinny carrot. Yep.

[Charmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super great! Melany helped me identify a bunch of edible weeds I have right in my yard! I'll be using this book as a regular reference!

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free through the Goodreads giveaway. I never know the weeds I have been trying to kill in my yard I could have been making salad out of!! Who knew?

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well illustrated and useful book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this book in a good reads giveaway. A very interesting and helpful book for anyone into the outdoors.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept craving a hearty helping of greens while reading about all the yummy edible in my yard!