Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants

by Bradford Angier

This illustrated guide to North American wild edibles has been a nature classic for over thirty years. In this new edition, David K. Foster revises Bradford Angier's invaluable foraging handbook, updating the taxonomy and adding more than a dozen species. Scientific information for a general audience and full-color illustrations combine with intriguing accounts of the plants' uses, making this a practical guide for modern-day foragers.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction, Nature, Survival, Food, Plants, Science

Hardcover

First published November 30, 1973

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book! It gave me ideas, not just for foraging, but for plants I might want in a permaculture food forest.

If parts of the plants are poisonous, or only safe to eat if prepared a certain way, this book tells you that.

[Terence Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to North American edible plants. More than a few are common enough to pop up in a badly maintained backyard Queens, NY! Each entry begins with the botanical name and a list of alternate names, and then has three sections: Description (physical peculiarities, different appearance throughout the seasons and life-stages, differences from similar plants), Distribution, and Edibility (what you can eat and how you can prepare it). The "Directory of Wild Foods" at the beginning is a useful index of all the alternate names.

I must disagree with a lot of the other reviewers: I thought the illustrations were outstanding. Much more useful, in fact, than photographs. Clear, large, showing the plant at different stages of development, showing seeds, buds, flowers, and roots all at the same time. Find me a single photograph that can do that!

Maybe the Edibility sections could have been less vague; they presume a fair degree of familiarity with wild food preparation.

[Robert Lewter · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many things out there to eat that I didn't know about. Timing and preparation have a lot to do with it. Where you are at is also a big factor. This book covers a lot of all of that. Hail Bradford Angier.

[M.C. Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this between books one plant at a time or when I found I had a short amount of time not to get involved in anything. A nice little guide to have to know more about plants then just their name and benefits from them.

[Michael Stogsdill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, well illustrated and easy to use while hiking!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reference; not entirely portable sized.
Drawings; prefer photographs.

Excellent reference that helps one steer clear of mix-ups. I would augment the drawings with actual photos for those plants that might be confused with something more dangerous.

You may be familiar with some of these plants, commonly called weeds, that may grow in your own yard!

If you have health conditions and/or prescription medications, please consult a doctor before using herbs, plants, fruits, etc.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good guide with thorough descriptions and uses for each plant. I like the color illustrations. Would be better with color photographs for in the field.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. I wish the illustrations were actual pictures rather than drawings.

[Nor Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good info but only sketches no pictures

[Marilynn Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

one of the better illustrated guides...