Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager

by Langdon Cook

Foraging is not just a throwback to our hunter-gatherer past; it's a way to reconnect with the landscape. And Langdon Cook is not just your typical grocery cart-toting dad. For him, gourmet delicacies abound, free for the taking if we just open our eyes. As a result, he finds himself free-diving in icy Puget Sound in hopes of spearing a snaggletooth lingcod, armed with nothing more than a "Hawaiian sling." He bushwhacks through rugged mountain forests in search of edible mushrooms. He strings up a fly rod to chase after sea-run trout. He even pulls on the gardening gloves to collect stinging nettles. In wry, detailed prose, he traces his journey from wrangler of pre-packaged calories to connoisseur of coveted wild edibles. Structured around the seasons of the year, each chapter focuses on a specific food type and concludes with a recipe featuring the author's hard-won bounty, a savory stop to each adventure-filled morsel.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Nature, Outdoors, Cookbooks, Memoir, Food Writing

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 7, 2009

About the author

Langdon Cook is the author of The Mushroom Hunters: On the Trail of an Underground America (Ballantine, 2013), which Publishers Weekly called "intrepid and inspired," and Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager (Mountaineers, 2009), which The Seattle Times called "lyrical, practical and quixotic." His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Terrain, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Outside, and The Stranger, and he has been profiled in USA Today, Bon Appetit, Salon.com, and WSJ magazine. Cook lives in Seattle with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for the "food memoir" square on Book Bingo 2016. This book perfectly aligns with my interests in mushroom hunting and other wild foods of the Pacific NW. That said, the writing was a little clunky and there were a few too many fishing chapters for a book about foraging (I was hoping for more plants and less hunting). I didn't necessarily care for Cook's voice, but I did learn a lot about hunting wild flora and fauna in the Pacific NW, and some of the recipes included look delicious.

[Mel Gillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably wouldn’t recommend this book, unless you’re interested in foraging memoirs as a genre. The book is about 3/4 fishing and only 1/4 plants + mushrooms, and the humor can be dated and a little rough. CWs for fatphobia in particular.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book about living from the land. The author shares his experiences fishing, hunting, digging for clams, farming and finding mushrooms. He also shares recipes and stories of friends in the field. This is a good book about foraging.

[jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book collects the adventures of a modern, Seattle-dwelling dude who chases wild food. He doesn't discuss extensively why he does it, and thus avoids endless ranting about local foods or back-to-nature smugness. Since I've been fascinated by free, public food sources lately, this quickly rose to the top of my "must read" list. The story is divided into seasons, and each season has its own bounty, complete with recipes, anecdotes and punch lines. By the end of the last mushrooming forage story, the reader has also sort of experienced the life of the author - there is a burgeoning romance with a girl, then they move in together, eventually, she is pregnant. He has a job, but leaves it. Friendships wax and wane and age.

Cook highlights the typical northwest foods one expects, certainly, but also goes a step further. Through razor clams, geoducks, salmon, dungeness crabs, steelheads, morels, chanterelles, squid, some kind of crazy fish, dandelions, nettles, huckleberries, and more, Langdon shares natural history, human history, some cooking and storage advice, and his own funny, fascinating adventure tales of each meal. His voice is clear and authoritative, but also accessible and engaging. This has some biology for a science-minded person to appreciate, but most readers could keep up.

i am a pretty devout vegetarian, and normally I have a problem with reading about the slaughter of animals (yes, even happy, wild crabs and squid and fish because I have a big bleeding heart, ok?), but the reverence, respect and compassion that the author exhibits for the creatures is evident. It's hard not to respect someone who dives off a public beach to try (and fail and try again) to harpoon an ugly fish for his dinner. I felt like the author's animal consumption was reasonable and balanced, even if it's not a choice I could make myself.

This author is also a blogger and I have a long history of disappreciating blog-to-book transformations. In this case, however, I heard about the book, read it, and THEN found out the guy has a blog (which I have since read enthusiastically). And, for once, I think the book is much, much better than the blog. It's not regurgitated stories. The book doesn't discuss that he has a blog - so it's definitely not about his blogging process and journey (cough julie and julia cough cough). So, anyway, that was a pleasant feature and surprise of this book.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Langdon Cook's book is divided into four sections, one for each season. Within each season, he shares several chapters, each one focusing on a specific item he forages for, with anecdotes on the process, historical facts, and stories about the goofy characters he comes across in the foraging realm.

It was really refreshing reading a book that was both incredibly informative and chock full of humor. Cook ends each chapter with a recipe, and they were all mouth watering (and a bit terrifying, for the effects on the gall bladder after eating said meal).

Cook covers some of the more commonly lusted after items: morels, huckleberries, crabs, and shrimp, and also touches on more unique items such as fiddleheads, dandelions, nettles, and Lingcod.

He's careful to warn at several occasions throughout the book of the dangers of eating foraged food that you're not entirely sure of the identity. I only wish he shared the names of more resources/field guides for the readers to be aware of, as his book alone does not help the reader ID any of these plants.

[Andrew Chin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Information is great for someone looking to get into foraging in the PNW and not knowing where to start. The prose I could do without. The characterizations of real people seem flat, especially the incidental encounters with BIPOC foragers and fishers. Inspired me to try dandelion bread but the recipes could be more interesting.

[Martha Silano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storytelling, memorable characters, and tons of info on wild foods and foraging.

[Sky]

Well, add this to my pile of "nature/food writing by dudes who seem like they might be jerks in real life" books - I only managed three chapters before I gave up. He just... seems kind of like a jerk!! The way he describes people is not very kind! Especially how he weirdly hones in on people's racial identities!!

I also feel like it's time to give up on Seattle foraging books for a while or something. I don't think I can deal with any more "I'm a bro who moved to the Pacific Northwest and ~discovered~ that nature exists and I will forage it!!" books.

Finally, I feel like a lot of the point of this book was to impress people with the variety of foraged things near Seattle which... great? But I already knew all these things! :/ I grew up there! It was very much a "East Coasters you don't even KNOW what you're missing!!!" vibe. Not my jam, at all.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

With his trademark wit and knack for great storytelling, Cook brings you right along on his fishing, mushroom-picking, berry-picking, oyster harvesting and crab hunting adventures, then provides a recipe to try on your own freshly caught critters. (I tried the recipe for lingcod, a fish I had previously not known about, but found available at my local Farmer's Market the day after I read that chapter!) He also enlightens the reader with natural history and environmental issues related to each species. Cook's enthusiasm for foraging, good food, writing and life in general exude from the page. That's good sauce for any reader.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book - This is the first book I've read by Langdon Cook and I look forward to picking up another one of his. This book makes me want to get out into the woods and find my own food. That way of live has become so appealing to me lately and I can't get enough of reading about it - The stories Landon tells transports you right to the location and time and the details allow you to really know what it smells and tastes like! Highly recommend for the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. #mayernikkitchen

[Charlotte Fatal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently been really into these food forager books. I love reading about the different things you can go out and get to eat. I love that the focus is in the PNW and it's nice to recognize the places mentioned. Mostly entertaining but at times long winded. Hopefully one day I'll go out and forage a meal for myself.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, though not as polished as his more recent works. I'm just waiting with my phone in hand for him to call me up and invite me on one of his adventures!

I'd go for 3.5 stars if I could.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid prose. Not a deep book. Much more about fish than I was looking for.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast read, and a fun one for anyone who lives in the Pacific Northwest and is interested in what edible items may be caught in the water or harvested on land here. It is well written and each chapter ends with a recipe. Hence, four stars. And here are the reasons I deducted a star. First, this author loves butter, salt, bacon, and lots more non-vegan, non-vegetarian items, so the recipes don't offer much to someone who'd prefer to eat in moderation, without meat, or more cleanly, or without great lashings of beer to accompany every meals. Second, the author drops enough hints about himself to make it pretty clear he is basically a yuppie who made enough money at his workplace (or inherited enough) to indulge his preference to be outside. There is noticeable othering whenever he talks about homeless people or people of color at the locations where he gathers his food items. He seems to think his wife's Polish-Italian heritage is terribly exotic. Third, I could not help but notice the lack of women in the picture when the author discussed his great adventures to gather food -- except some apparent participation by his wife and some guests in mushroom gathering at the end. For that matter, back in the kitchen, the role of women seems to be, at best, as sous chefs. With all the beer and huge banquets the author describes, this is really a book by a bro for the bros, in my opinion.

[Traci · Rating 2 out of 5]

This flowery self-indulgent memoir left me rolling my eyes at Cook so often that it took me forever to finish it. The book does have some great surface level information about the types of foraging opportunities available in the Pacific Northwest, but only enough to pique your interest to prompt more research. Cook includes a lot of information about his friends and odd little conversations that he clearly thinks were clever or funny, but those sections slow down the book and never hit their mark. Worth the read only if you want a shallow overview of foraging in the Pacific Northwest.

[David Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follows Langdon's outdoor culinary adventures and pursuit of fine foods that can be found with a little knowledge and a willingness to look and dive and dig where others might never take the time to explore. My favorite part, besides the description of the wonderful banquet spread hosted at a small log cabin in the final pages is the recipes he includes at the end of each chapter. I use the beer battered fish recipe all the time and the crab cakes I made following his instructions turned out wonderful.

I'm inspired after each chapter and it feels lovely to know that there is so much at our fingertips if we just hunt and forage for it.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. After coming back from a 120 mile backpack, the vast majority of time spent eating blueberries and huckleberries on the trail, then reading Langdon Cook's insider account of foraging in the Pacific Northwest was inspirational.

Growing up around here, it was nice to have nods to certain places, like Point Wells (I go diving there too!) the locks and other Seattle area notables.

I can't wait to start foraging on my own. The tides look great in another week, so maybe I can try jigging for squid on my own.

[Wendy Feltham · Rating 4 out of 5]

After following Langdon Cook's blog for some time, I loved reading this book. It's a wonderful introduction to the complexity of foraging in Washington state, and a perfect introduction for me, a transplant to this new environment. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor, open mind, and ability to share his insights about food, ecosystems, and people. Now when I notice dandelions growing by the road, or slurp a fresh oyster at the local restaurant, I remember his adventures, and appreciate that he produced this collection.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

After years of seasonally harvesting nettles, berries, crab, occasional clams and salmon, my interest in foraging reached new heights after stumbling into a patch of morel mushrooms. This led to many hours spent carefully poking around the woods not far from my home where I went on to discover the golden forest flowers known as chanterelles. It was fun to read the firsthand stories of another forager, told with humility and humor, sprinkled with history and each chapter capped with a recipe.

[Rrshively · Rating 2 out of 5]

These 2 stars do not mean "next to bad", but that this book was really Okay. I had exppected it to be more about gathering than hunting and fishing. I had also hoped for illustrations. This is not really a guide as to how one would go about living off the fat of the land, but rather Langdon's adventures in doing so. These adventures are engaging to read although very much from a guy's point of view.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though every weekend of the fall mushroom season has me out in the woods and winter is a much needed break - reading this in the middle of winter has me excited and wanting to get back out into the forest. There are some great foraging tips in this book from clamming to picking huckleberries, but I think Cook's love and appreciation of wildlife and ecosystems is a stronger pull to keep you reading to the end.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a quick, easy read, full of praise for the "eat local" concept without a lot of preachiness, and well-balanced between facts about the foods at hand and personal stories to give you a connection to the material. Bonus points for being Northwest-focused (Western Washington, particularly), since I'm a sucker for anything that personally relates to me.

[Danny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has some cool insight into food foraging, though it's centralized around the west coast and therefore not quite as useful as I'd hoped. It did get me to start seeing differently when walking/running around town. I know where three or four public-land apple trees are in my neighborhood, two of which I've used to make cider.

[Sheila Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, but not quite what I'd been hoping for. Thought it would contain more how-to's and recipes. So, I confess, I only skimmed it. (More thorough readers will probably give a higher star rating.) I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes included though, like Stinging Nettle Soup (at last - a use for those nasty things!)

[ChaCha Ala Mode · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are foraging ideas in this book that I had never considered. Before I moved to Seattle, I would read about these awesome things that people who lived in Seattle did. I was always jealous, now I have those same opportunities, and this book is telling me about great things I should have done outside the city. Sigh! Oh and he does give recipes.

[Patty Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finish this book still reflecting on one line early on; "Foraging at the dawn of the twenty-first century is a weird mix of opportunity and regret." Indeed. If you love wild places and the nourishment they provide, its a reality that haunts you. Don't let that stop you from reading this book however. This is a fun romp in the woods, more fun and informative than maudlin.

[Melissa Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It made me consider the wild edibles of the Pacific Northwest in a new way, as foods for which I could actually forage instead of merely buying them in the grocery store. Highly recommended for its imagery and wit.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

not what I was expecting, but still pretty interesting!

The only chapter relevant for me was for dandelions, which I promptly put to use by making his dandelion petal bread. I also sauteed a few bitter greens and made a tea from the roots.

[Patrick Cauldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun read with a mixture of narrative and useful information. While overall I'd say this book is mostly a collection of stories about exciting outdoor adventures relating to foraging for food, there are some useful nuggets of information for the perspective forager as well.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored the authorial voice here. Cook was an approachable, fun friend who invited me along on his trips- that's how I felt, reading this. I enjoyed all his adventures immensely, and had vicarious fun with him. I want him to write a memoir now, please.