Self-Sufficiency: Foraging for Wild Foods (IMM Lifestyle Books) Learn How, Where, & When to Find Herbs, Fruits, Nuts, Mushrooms, Seaweeds, & Shellfish, Plus How to Gather, Store, & Prepare Your Finds

by David Squire

Learn how to harvest a bounty of wild edible foods with this comprehensive introduction to foraging! Foraging for wild food is growing more and more popular as people become increasingly interested in eating not only organic food, but also local fresh food uncontaminated by chemicals—free! You'd be surprised at the bounty of wild foods you can find practically on your Some native plants, some escapees from ancient gardens, and all delicious. Most of these foods are within easy reach—however, you've got to know what you're looking for, where to go, and when. Enter Foraging for Wild Foods ! Arranged in a directory of categories divided into wild plants, herbs, fruits, nuts, mushrooms, seaweeds and shellfish, this book has all the information you need to help you identify a wholesome and natural food store right outside your back door. Alongside clear illustrations, you'll also find hints on how to gather, store, prepare and eat your foraged bounty, plus advice on seasonality. Author David Squire has a lifetime's experience with plants. He studied botany and gardening at Hertfordshire College of Horticulture and at the Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Wisley, Surrey. Throughout his gardening and journalistic career, David has written more than 80 books on plants and gardening. He also has a passionate interest in the uses of native plants, whether for eating and survival, or for their historical roles in medicine, folklore and customs. 'A really excellent introduction to foraging—the perfect beginner's book providing enough ID, background and general foraging information to get anyone started.'
—GALLOWAY WILD FOODS

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Gardening, Food

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

David Squire studied botany and horticulture at the Hertfordshire College of Horticulture and at the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley, England, where he gained the Wisley Diploma in Horticulture. For several years he worked as sub-editor, writer and reporter for two well-knownmagazines, before moving to book publishing with an international publishing house.

David has written more than fifty books and contributed to several major gardening part-works. His books have been sold throughout the English speaking world-Britain, North America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand- as well as translated into several other languages.

Reviews

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some better identification would be helpful especially with the illustration of plants. Ver helpful & interesting guide however.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty presentation, but would probably need to be localized to be of any real use. Mushroom section seems so useless as to be a liability to the publisher and would most likely end you up with a belly full of charcoal, if you're lucky.

[Isabel Hinen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just scanned through this rather than giving a thorough read over every page, but I guess I wasn't totally pleased with it. The problem was, it was SUPER unclear whether many of the plants can be found wild in the United States or not. There would be a history of where the plant originated from, followed by a vague "can be found in some of North America." Which doesn't help me much. So, I would really have liked a clear breakdown of where the plants can be found wild, or whether they have to be cultivated.

[Mackenzie Laurin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didnt find this book very helpful, mainly because it is extremely unclear as to which zone the plants listed actually grow in. This book may be more valuable to people living in coastal North America.

[Pam Keevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, clear and informative guide to anyone who has ever wanted to pick a few wild salad leaves, harvest some hedgerow fruits or autumn nuts.

[Attabey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic, I wish the author included pictures and a map of where you must likely to find the plants, etc.

[Lauren Fulner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, a great companion guide to other books about wild edibles.

[John Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good basic info on edible wild plants.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are better than photos. More Eurocentric in its species. Less useful for someone in the U.S. upper Midwest. Still, kind of precious.