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Eating Wild in Eastern Canada: A Guide to Foraging the Forests, Fields, and Shorelines
From fiddleheads to spruce tips, wild food can be adventurous and fun—with the right guide. In Eating Wild in Eastern Canada, award-winning author and conservationist Jamie Simpson (Journeys through Eastern Old-Growth Forests) shows readers what to look for in the wilds and how and when to collect it.
Grouping foods by their most likely foraging locations—forests, fields, and shorelines—and with 50 full-colour photographs, identification is made accessible for the amateur hiker, wilderness enthusiast, and foodie alike. Includes historical notes and recipes, cautionary notes on foraged foods' potential dangers, and interviews with wild-edible gatherers and chefs. While gathering wild edibles may be instinctive to some, there is an art to digging for soft-shelled clams and picking highbush cranberries, and Simpson joyfully explores it in this one-of-a-kind narrative guidebook.
184 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2018
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110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 10, 2022
ready to go full brian (hatchet) mode in the woods this summer
July 20, 2022
A great beginners guide! Now I want to start foraging for wild food and taking the courses mentioned in the book... Thanks for that Jamie haha my schedule wasn't too busy already at alllll.
December 13, 2018
This book is an enjoyable read with lots of color photographs, great information and personal anecdotes you only get from foraging books where the author truly loves his or her local wild foods. While I'm not in Eastern Canada, a lot of the wild foods in the book extend to my area (Minnesota) and I am eager to look for others when we vacation at the coast next time.
Plants, fungi and creatures included in the book include:
Fungi: black chanterelle, chaga, chanterelle, chicken of the woods, lobster mushroom, etc.
Trees, shrubs and forest plants: conifer tips and teas, acorns, elderberries, staghorn sumac, etc.
Fields, marshes, rivers and bogs: cattails, dandelion, stinging nettle, wild roses, Japanese knotweed, etc.
Sea plants: juniper, sea spinach, beach peas, glasswort, etc.
Seaweeds: dulce, kelps, sea spinach, etc.
Sea life: razor clams, mussels, sea urchins, etc.
There is very limited information about most of these wild foods. There is a photograph and a short description for most, with a few suggestions of ways to eat them. I'd suggest seeking out books with more details about foods you really want to get to know. My own foraging books about acorns and elderberries contain well over a hundred pages on each of these so of course you'd get more information and recipes there, but this book is an excellent guide to what's out there that you'd like to find and forage.
All in all, I found this an enjoyable read that would be a great resource for anyone living in Eastern Canada and NE coastal states in the U.S.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.
Plants, fungi and creatures included in the book include:
Fungi: black chanterelle, chaga, chanterelle, chicken of the woods, lobster mushroom, etc.
Trees, shrubs and forest plants: conifer tips and teas, acorns, elderberries, staghorn sumac, etc.
Fields, marshes, rivers and bogs: cattails, dandelion, stinging nettle, wild roses, Japanese knotweed, etc.
Sea plants: juniper, sea spinach, beach peas, glasswort, etc.
Seaweeds: dulce, kelps, sea spinach, etc.
Sea life: razor clams, mussels, sea urchins, etc.
There is very limited information about most of these wild foods. There is a photograph and a short description for most, with a few suggestions of ways to eat them. I'd suggest seeking out books with more details about foods you really want to get to know. My own foraging books about acorns and elderberries contain well over a hundred pages on each of these so of course you'd get more information and recipes there, but this book is an excellent guide to what's out there that you'd like to find and forage.
All in all, I found this an enjoyable read that would be a great resource for anyone living in Eastern Canada and NE coastal states in the U.S.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.
February 8, 2021
Endlessly fascinating. A must for any hiker, camper, food nerd or hungry person.
January 7, 2019
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Eating Wild in Eastern Canada is a tutorial guide to general foraging with a specific focus on maritime climates and species. Released 23rd May 2018 by Nimbus publishing, it's 184 pages and available in paperback format.
Author Jamie Simpson is a lawyer, activist, and wild food expert with years of experience in foraging in the areas he talks about in the book.
Eating Wild is written clearly in layman's language and is easily accessible for the average reader. The book is built up logically with common sense safety instructions (if you aren't absolutely sure that what you're about to put into your mouth is edible, don't). The author also cautions against over-harvesting, a vitally necessary reminder everyone needs to hear.
One thing I loved about the layout was that the chapters aren't sorted into an herbal (as most field guides are), but grouped together in zones. Chapter 1 includes the species to be found in forest and zonal areas, Chapter 2 discusses wet environments like bogs, marshes, rivers, Chapter 3 covers seashores and brackish areas, etc. There's a serviceable bibliography and index at the back of the book. Scattered throughout the text, there are recipes which run the gamut from mild to adventurous. Included in each chapter is an interview or short bio with a restaurateurs or other forager.
The photography is excellent, clear, and supports and explains the text well with regards to which parts of the various plants, fungi, etc are usable and at which time of the year. There are also a number of good photos of finished dishes scattered throughout the book.
This isn't a replacement for a good specific field guide. It's a supporting text, lavishly photographed and with some good recipes.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Eating Wild in Eastern Canada is a tutorial guide to general foraging with a specific focus on maritime climates and species. Released 23rd May 2018 by Nimbus publishing, it's 184 pages and available in paperback format.
Author Jamie Simpson is a lawyer, activist, and wild food expert with years of experience in foraging in the areas he talks about in the book.
Eating Wild is written clearly in layman's language and is easily accessible for the average reader. The book is built up logically with common sense safety instructions (if you aren't absolutely sure that what you're about to put into your mouth is edible, don't). The author also cautions against over-harvesting, a vitally necessary reminder everyone needs to hear.
One thing I loved about the layout was that the chapters aren't sorted into an herbal (as most field guides are), but grouped together in zones. Chapter 1 includes the species to be found in forest and zonal areas, Chapter 2 discusses wet environments like bogs, marshes, rivers, Chapter 3 covers seashores and brackish areas, etc. There's a serviceable bibliography and index at the back of the book. Scattered throughout the text, there are recipes which run the gamut from mild to adventurous. Included in each chapter is an interview or short bio with a restaurateurs or other forager.
The photography is excellent, clear, and supports and explains the text well with regards to which parts of the various plants, fungi, etc are usable and at which time of the year. There are also a number of good photos of finished dishes scattered throughout the book.
This isn't a replacement for a good specific field guide. It's a supporting text, lavishly photographed and with some good recipes.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
November 22, 2018
a fun introduction to learning to forage in the maritimes, whether in the forest, on the beach, or in the city. Jamie Simpson is a great writer and storyteller but this book is an entry point only - no substitute for a field guide.
like a lot of nimbus books the editing is not great. some of the pictures are backlit and grainy. the layout / graphic design is unprofessional in spots. some foods get a three-page detailed entry, with advice, scientific facts, recipes, and anecdotes, while others just get a few short sentences. why treat on them at all, if the photo ends up bigger than the text?
all in all this book is a nice local supplement to more comprehensive foraging guides. a good winter read to get me daydreaming about spring, but when spring comes i'll need a different book to take into the woods.
like a lot of nimbus books the editing is not great. some of the pictures are backlit and grainy. the layout / graphic design is unprofessional in spots. some foods get a three-page detailed entry, with advice, scientific facts, recipes, and anecdotes, while others just get a few short sentences. why treat on them at all, if the photo ends up bigger than the text?
all in all this book is a nice local supplement to more comprehensive foraging guides. a good winter read to get me daydreaming about spring, but when spring comes i'll need a different book to take into the woods.
January 1, 2020
This book was a fun and informative read. Though at times I wished there was more detailed information, the book is great for what it’s meant to be
January 10, 2020
Catch me popping conifer tips in the springtime
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October 4, 2020Very cool little reference guide.
April 11, 2021
Awesome book with great pictures
August 28, 2022
some entries are lowkey irresponsible but idk what to expect from this type of thing
March 13, 2024
Compact guide. Can toss in my bag to use when I'm hiking.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews