Gather Ye Wild Things: A Forager's Year

by Susan Tyler Hitchcock, G.B. McIntosh (Illustrator)

First published in 1980, Gather Ye Wild Things is not a field guide in the strictest sense but rather a meditation on some of the most common and useful plants in North America. The volume's fifty-two brief essays- each focusing on a particular species or subject during a season in which it is likely to come to the would-be gatherer's attention- touch on culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic uses for wildlings.

Genres: Nature, Gardening, Food

182 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Susan Tyler Hitchcock is an American author, editor, and former educator whose work spans memoir, biography, cultural history, and science writing. With a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia, she began her career in publishing in the 1970s and taught humanities to engineering students at UVA for a decade. Her first book, Gather Ye Wild Things, launched a prolific writing career that includes Coming About, a memoir of a family sailing journey, and Frankenstein: A Cultural History, which explores the enduring legacy of Mary Shelley's monster. Hitchcock has also written acclaimed biographies of figures such as Mary Lamb and Karen Horney.
Since 2007, she has served as a senior book editor at National Geographic, developing titles focused on nature, science, and culture, and contributing her own writing to many of them. Her editorial work includes Geography of Religion, co-edited with John L. Esposito, which received praise for its balanced, richly illustrated approach to world religions.
Hitchcock's writing is distinguished by its depth of research, narrative clarity, and ability to make complex topics accessible to broad audiences. Whether chronicling personal adventures, exploring literary history, or guiding readers through scientific landscapes, she brings curiosity, insight, and humanity to every page. She lives in rural Virginia, where she gardens, explores nearby forests, and continues to write and edit. Her book Into the Forest, published by National Geographic, reflects her deep connection to the natural world and her continued passion for storytelling.

Reviews

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this out of the library in hardback, and now need to own a copy. This is a book that can be read straight through as an armchair book, or used as a reference/suggestion for the wild plant enthusiast.
The sketch illustrations are excellent and show why sketches are often more useful than photos for plant identification.Admittedly, some of the safety information can be dated by now, so I'd want to double-check it (Note that periwinkle (vinca) is no longer considered safe for internal consumption). I would also check the status of endangered/threatened plants before I gathered.

If you have already read Hitchcock's Wildflowers on the Windowsill, on growing wild plants indoors, some of this will be repeated information. Certainly if you are a reader of books on wild edibles and foraging, some of this will be familiar, but the author's take on it is worth reading.

I really enjoyed the 52 short articles (divided more or less calendar-fashion), and the recipes and tips they contain.
-yarrow-laced creamy salad dressing
-making terrariums with wild plants
-recipes with chickweed/that chickweed can be found in winter
-basement winter gardening (root sprouting)
-wild sunchokes
- eating day lilies
- tea from cleavers
- wild spices
- wild pears and apples
- how to cultivate praying mantises
- using soapwort
I thought she did an especially good coverage of Lamb's-quarters and purslane, two edible weeds that I have latched onto myself; though I found her instructions for identifying true wild strawberries confusing.
The bibliography is also full of promising citations.

[Sandy D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for browsing - and has some interesting recipes.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interestering book about gathering wild food. I think she accentuates the positive and fails to properly inform the reader of the negative aspects of foraging, viz., some of these plants can be poisonous if poorly prepared or have evil lookalikes. She does give a recipe for each plant which I think is very helpful.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet vintage read for foragers, arranged by season. Each plant has a little essay about it and a simple illustration. It is not an ID book or a definitive guide, just fun reading to inspire you to dig deeper into the plants.