The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival

by Katrina Blair

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit.  More than just a field guide to wild edibles, it is a global plan for human survival. 

When Katrina Blair was eleven she had a life-changing experience where wild plants spoke to her, beckoning her to become a champion of their cause. Since then she has spent months on end taking walkabouts in the wild, eating nothing but what she forages, and has become a wild-foods advocate, community activist, gardener, and chef, teaching and presenting internationally about foraging and the healthful lifestyle it promotes. 

Katrina Blair’s philosophy in The Wild Wisdom of Weeds  is sobering, realistic, and ultimately optimistic. If we can open our eyes to see the wisdom found in these weeds right under our noses, instead of trying to eradicate an “invasive,” we will achieve true food security. The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is about healing ourselves both in body and in spirit, in an age where technology, commodity agriculture, and processed foods dictate the terms of our intelligence. But if we can become familiar with these thirteen edible survival weeds found all over the world, we will never go hungry, and we will become closer to our own wild human instincts―all the while enjoying the freshest, wildest, and most nutritious food there is. For free!

The thirteen plants found growing in every region across the world dandelion, mallow, purslane, plantain, thistle, amaranth, dock, mustard, grass, chickweed, clover, lambsquarter, and knotweed.  These special plants contribute to the regeneration of the earth while supporting the survival of our human species; they grow everywhere where human civilization exists, from the hottest deserts to the Arctic Circle, following the path of human disturbance. Indeed, the more humans disturb the earth and put our food supply at risk, the more these thirteen plants proliferate. It’s a survival plan for the ages.

Including over one hundred unique recipes, Katrina Blair’s book teaches us how to prepare these wild plants from root to seed in soups, salads, slaws, crackers, pestos, seed breads, and seed butters; cereals, green powders, sauerkrauts, smoothies, and milks; first-aid concoctions such as tinctures, teas, salves, and soothers; self-care/beauty products including shampoo, mouthwash, toothpaste (and brush), face masks; and a lot more. Whether readers are based at home or traveling, this book aims to empower individuals to maintain a state of optimal health with minimal cost and effort.    

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

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2014

Reviews

[Joe Higashi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was extremely disappointed in this book. I imagined a large book that only covered 13 edible weeds would go into great detail about the different varieties you might encounter, the range they cover, how to identify them, pictures of plants at different stages of growth, and possible look-alike plants. However, the author did not have the knowledge or patience to write that book, so she wrote this one.
Instead of useful information, she filled half the book with bragging about her farm/commune/whatever and overwrought pseudo-spritual ramblings. Half of this book could have been rough cut, and another quarter could have been cut by careful editing.
The identification sections are severely lacking. There are, at best, only a few pictures of each plant, and they are often kind of useless. A couple of the chapters are on plants that have hundreds of distinct looking varieties (e.g. amaranth, lambsquarter) but all the book has is two pictures of couple of varieties that look completely different. This is NOT a good book for learning to identify these plants!
However, the remaining quarter of the book is marginally useful. I did learn about a couple of plants I was able to identify (with some outside help), and I suppose the recipes and medicinal information might be of use to some people.

[Saiisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is for the weedeaters :) I loved the Great Spider Myth that Katrina Blair's started off the book with, and then the in-depth information about her 13 essential weeds, including the diet and medicinal benefits, when and how to pick and process them, and the recipes at the end of each chapter. And the best part of it (for me) was that I have all 13 of them at my little nest in the forest!

[Serge Pierro · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend recently commented on the fact that growing outside my apartment was a patch of Dock… and it was edible. After trying it I discovered how delicious it was and became fascinated by the concept of foraging local plants. I was lent this book to gain an understanding of the various local weeds and their nutritional and medical uses. While the section on the plants themselves serves as an excellent introduction to each of the species, the rest of the book is written in a "new age" manner that detracts from the useful information in the main section of the book. It's hard to take someone serious when they said that as a youth the plants "spoke to her" and blah, blah, blah.

Each of the chapters devoted to the weeds begins with a photo of the weed. Unfortunately the photographs just weren't very good and I would have preferred clearer photos and ones that showcased the important aspects of the plant in question. Even knowing what some of them looked like, the photos didn't match what I was familiar with. This is a somewhat "dangerous" approach to someone just starting out with foraging, as there are many plants and it could be easy to harvest the wrong ones, unless you have an experienced forager with you. Having said that, the information contained within the chapters is a good start to get a feel for the benefits of each of the plants. Though the recipes seemed to be "hit or miss".

A good first book on the subject matter - IF you skip the "silly sections" that don't pertain to the weeds themselves.

[Victoria Haf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro se lo regalaría, para empezar, a todos los vagabundos, porque yo encuentro casi todas las 13 plantas de camino a mi trabajo. Aunque probablemente todas tengan un sabor amargo a planta, esta señora hace que se antojen sus recetas. A veces resulta demasiado hippie feliz como cuando hace "canciones" y "raps" pero en general trae buena información y definitivamente es un must read para los que se están preparando para un apocalipsis zombie.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the three books I checked out on this subject, this one was my least favorite. Not because it doesn't have wonderful photos and great information (it does!) but because I wanted more of a field guide and this is more about positive living and recipes and backyard stuff.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I don't look at "weeds" in the same way. They are evolutionarily successful and hey - they're edible!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/10 would get a copy for inevitable collapse of society

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blair writes first about her background and how she lives in and views the natural world, then devotes a chapter to each of “13 Essential Plants for Human Survival,” which are amaranth, chickweed, clover, dandelion, dock, grass, knotweed (polygonum aviculare), lambsquarter, mallow, mustard, plantain, purslane, and thistle. Food, medicinal, and beauty recipes are included. “The Earth’s Principal Rivers and Their Tributaries” on page 12 was one of my favourite parts of the book. She speaks a lot about seeing problems as resources and about creating abundance, and about the life force and “wild intelligence” of wild plants becoming part of us when we ingest them. Equal parts woo-woo with practical, useful information. I'm more open to growing and eating (non-sprayed) weeds now than I was before I read it.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

While most people think of weeds as useless intrusions into our lives and gardens, the author shows that they can be beneficial to our health. No, really. I read her book, and tried to eat Purslane with every salad I had. It tastes better than kale, and is cheaper (free). In Northwest Indiana, you can harvest it everywhere. I picked it when I go on walks, wash it carefully when I get home. Slice it up and put it in salads. First, there is a verbal description of the weed, color pictures, history, edible uses, health benefits and medical uses. There are also recipes. Cautions are included.

If you are concerned about EMPs or doomsday scenarios, then when the grocery stores are closed, you may have access to free, healthy and ubiquitous food.

[Naj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not the target audience for this book. I don't believe raw foods are inherently superior (cooking makes many nutrients more bio-available; I see it as a splendid bit of human technology!) I also don't go in for theories like body alkalinization, which is entirely counter to what we know about pH homeostasis in the body. Evidence-based approaches to traditional herbalism are possible, and I'd really rather see more of them.

That said, this book is extremely thorough in its treatment of the weeds discussed, so if someone who's vegan and/or prefers raw foods is looking for a resource on beginning foraging (and doesn't mind winnowing out some of the more outlandish alternative medicine claims) then it might be a good choice.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

a look at 13 common and useful "weeds" - some that I have used frequently and others I am less familiar with. Even those I know - there was a lot of uses that I was unfamiliar with. A great reference to come back to.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the book since it covered plants you typically don't see covered. She went into a good dive on the history and use of all 13 plants and gave some interesting sounding recipes. Book will differently left on the reference shelf.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fact filled yet homey in its execution. This description and deep dive into 13 ‘weeds’ that are available on all continents but Antarctica is very informative and includes recipes and additional references.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to feed Andre so many weeds

[Clivemichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful enthusiastic encouragement to explore the wild weeds. Personable and accessible narrative includes some imaginative recipes requiring fairly exotic additions.

[sylvia forrester · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much about weeds and I now appreciate their usefulness.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting, but did everything need to be raw? Would have loved a single recipe that involved heating to over 117 degrees lol

[Joseph Gendron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that one doesn't "finish"; I will continue to use it as a reference and a guide for years to come. Katrina Blair has gifted us with her down to earth wisdom and humble and hopeful approach to living on the planet and utilizing the plants that are often overlooked, under-utilized and often seen as …. weeds! I learned so much and am eagerly anticipating the spring when I can begin to identify more of these plants in my environment and can begin to utilize them in my kitchen and medicine pantry. I am even going to order seeds for some of these so I can plant them in and around my garden. There is now abundant lambs quarters and purslane and I am looking forward to introducing amaranth and dandelion. I will also be searching out the dock, mallow and thistle that have niches in the landscape as I grow in appreciation of our wild world with help from the wisdom (and recipes!) Katrina has imparted through this book.

[Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of food, health, and beauty recipes for the 13 weeds (superfoods!), plus the author's practices. I don't think I'll go foraging, but I'd love it if any CSAs around here included those items, as the author's does.

[noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

eat your weeds

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

So neat, because weeds are a lot easier to grow than vegetables!

[Sandy D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half spirituality, half brief essays about 13 edible weed species, with recipes.