Native Harvests: American Indian Wild Foods and Recipes

by E. Barrie Kavasch

Practical primer on natural foods not only provides recipes for varied Native American dishes but also describes uses of ceremonial, medicinal, and sacred plants. From clambakes to wild strawberry bread, the volume is simultaneously a field guide, cookbook, and useful manual on herbal remedies. 139 black-and-white illustrations; 8 in color.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Native American, Cooking, History, Indigenous

399 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 12, 1979

Reviews

[Carolyn Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, it's not vegetarian, but it's still a lot of fun. Where else are you going to find a recipe for carmelized arrowhead tubors or learn how to make cattail pollen cakes. To read it is to take an imaginative adventure. Making the recipes is another culinary exploration into the unknowns in our own fields and backyards. Still, the more prosaic recipes have my heart. I love the succotash recipe that uses a few tablespoons of nut butter to make a creamy sauce over the corn and lima beans and my beloved loves the recipe for wild rice with hazelnuts and blueberries.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a naturalist and forager, I absolutely love this book! It is not just a collection of recipes from various Native American tribes, but a piece of history on the tribes, the foods they consumed, and the feasts they made at certain celebrations. While it is not nearly detailed enough to serve as a foraging reference alone, it is an incredibly good, and I'd say essential at this point, companion to your more detailed field guides. If nothing else, it'll make you appreciate the plant life around you.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched and very informative.
My daughter had a unit in school on Native Americans and I picked this up because I'm interested in all things foraged and wild edibles. We made several recipes - the cornmeal pancakes were a bit interesting and overall crunchy - made me wonder if we had the right cornmeal. I loved the bit about ash being a seasoning and a cleanser as I take activated charcoal for medicinal purposes. Such a informative and interesting read!

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps more of a resource and reference - loved the focus on indigenous north american plants. the recipes are less about modern cooking ideas and more about the plants themselves. I would need more help with identifying plants but a great reference.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the earlier texts on this topic, and I am sure there are better ones now. But I still gleaned some interesting information here.

[Dan Laubach]

So pumped to try out these recipes. So much useful and wonderful information. Seems like a good book to keep on hand for frequent referencing.

[Dori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book alot. It is well written and very informative, and I look forward to trying some of the recipes.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this and can't wait to get my hands on more books by the author, especially The Medicine Wheel Garden

[Kitchen Tourist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike many other Native American cookbooks, this one begins with an understanding of the plants and moves to recipes later. It includes many plants you probably won't find at any grocery stores, though they may be available at farmer's markets, specialty providers online, or perhaps growing in the wild near you.

As a cookbook, there aren't as many illustrations as I usually like, but the recipes I tried were simple and absolutely delicious. I enjoyed some of them so much I'm thinking about trying to grow some of the ingredients myself.

The biological specimen illustrations are helpful, as are the descriptions of which seasons these ingredients would naturally occur in and the processes traditionally used to preserve or prepare them. It does include a chapter on poisonous plants and plenty of warnings about exploring without proper knowledge.

I was surprised to see how many things I've seen growing wildly here in Chicago could actually be edible - goldenrod tea, anyone?

[Linda Munro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure that anyone can truly claim they have read a recipe book, which is what this was. Although by looking cover to cover, I did find some interesting recipes and actual recipes ussed for medicinal purposes. I have actually tried a couple of recipes that I have tried and enjoyed; next I will be trying some of the old-time cures; hey, you never know where you might find something that really works without giving you a ton of side affects!

[Mills College Library]

641.5997 K219n 2005