Newly released Second Edition of FORAGING WILD EDIBLE PLANTS OF NORTH AMERICA

WHY I WROTE MY BOOKS

“Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America”

NEW SECOND EDITION JUST RELEASED

 By Christopher Nyerges

[Nyerges is the author of many foraging books, including “Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America,” “Guide to Wild Foods,” and others.  He has also been teaching ethnobotany for many years, in the field and classroom.  Information about his books and classes is available from  www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com. 

 The cheapest way to get a copy of the latest FORAGING WILD EDIBLE PLANTS OF NORTH AMERICA  is through Amazon. The retail is $24.95, and you can also get an autographed copy at  www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com. 

 Since my youth, I have been extremely interested in the ethno-botany of native Americans, and how food was obtained before modern agriculture.  I learned that in Southern California, “passive agriculture” was practiced where native plants were tended to get maximum production.  I put my notes in order and in 1978, my first book, “Guide to Wild Foods,” was released.  That book led to a request by Stackpole books to write a recipe book based upon my first book.

 Of course I said yes.  I included the plants that are most common over most of North America, and began compiling all my recipes, as well as testing new ones.  In addition, I added various stories about cooking on the trail, and the types of gear and condiments you should always carry if you want a good meal.  Then I spent considerable time trying to come up with catchy names for the various recipes.  The result a year later was “Wild Greens and Salads.”  The book sold a few thousand copies a year and was never re-printed after the first edition.

 Thirty years later, I started writing foraging books for the Falcon Guides.  They were aware of my previous cook book, and wondered if I could revise it with full color photos and lots of new information.  Of course, I said yes.

 I worked for another year to update the text, to delete some plants and to add new ones.  Also, I once again spent considerable time coming up with catchy names to the recipes, usually recalling the first time I tried the recipe.  This is somewhat ironic too, coming from a guy who hardly uses recipes, and generally just follows the basics of cooking that was taught to me by mother.  For those who wonder if there is actually any food value to plants found in the wild, there is a chart at the end of the book detailed the nutritional analysis of many of the wild foods in the book, based upon the USDA’s “Analysis of Foods.”  You’ll be amazed that wild foods are generally more nutritious than much of what you buy at the supermarket.

 This revised book was released in 2016, “Foraging Edible Wild Plants of North America,” focusing primarily on leafy greens for salads, soups, and other dishes. 

 Now, in 2023, the second expanded edition includes the wild nuts and berries that are found widely in North America, not just in a given locale.

 I was really happy with the latest result, and the way the color photos turned out.  It’s 228 pages full of wild recipes, and various ways to use wild foods, their nutritional value, and the ways to process the plants, with lot of new full color photos of every plant.  The books has lots of interesting recipes.  Those of you who have come to my wild food classes know the ways I prepared wild foods, so many of the recipes in this book will seem familiar. 

 This was a very enjoyable book for me to write, full of photos showing people preparing the various wild food dishes.  

 Some of the recipes’ names incorporate some memory of when I first came up with that recipe: Chardon Crepes (from when I lived in Chardon, Ohio), Big Bend Breakfast (a cattail dish my brother and I cooked up in Texas), the David Ashley Special (a salad of wild greens devised by David, and I wonder if David even remembers this?), Crisptado Fantastico (my unique chickweed tostada), and many many more.

 The 2023 second edition includes a section on berries, and a section of nuts and seeds, with plenty of recipes for those who are challenged in the kitchen.  It also includes a feature about Enrique Villasenor, the ambassador to the Prickly Pear, and a feature about how Euell Gibbons influenced me.

 EARTH BREAD

Perhaps my favorite recipes are the Lamb’s Quarter recipes, because I use that plant nearly every day, both the leaf and seed. It’s a relative of the now-popular quinoa.  

 Lamb’s quarter can be made into salads, soups, stews, and even bread when you use the seed.  You might like my Earth Bread made from the seeds. From the reviews of those who have tasted it, some like it, some do not.

 According to the book, “I’ve served this Earth Bread to many foragers and have had mixed responses. A few people did not like it and said it tasted like dirt. There have also been ecstatic responses from people who found the bread ‘virile,’ ‘deliciously wholesome and amazing,’ and ‘primitive.’”  You’ll have to try it for yourself and see what you think.