There are hundreds of fascinating, delicious wild vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, and herbs growing in our neighborhoods, backyards, parks and forests that we overlook and disregard. Many are easy-to-recognize renewable resources you can easily collect and enjoy, with no harm to the environment. Many are the same prolific "weeds" we unsuccessfully try to destroy. When you know what they are and begin to use them, youíll discover that they are tastier, as well as more nutritious, than anything you can buy, and theyíre completely free.

This book is will introduce you to the world of foraging and nature. We cover the most common, useful wild plants of the continental United States (with the exception of subtropical Florida, which has a different, specialized flora) and Southern Canada, with the basics of what you need to know to identify, collect, use, and appreciate them. My years as a naturalist draw on pertinent science, nutrition, folklore, and personal experiences to put the plants in context.

Since our focus is on the best, most practical, common, and widespread wild edible plants, many species you may find in other field guides are omitted. Wildflower, tree, and mushroom field guides in the bibliography that will help you to identify a wide range of non-edible and marginally useful species. This book covers the choice edible species in full detail.

Many marginally edible plants just arenít worth your effort: Iíve waded through frigid, muddy ponds to collect the tender, young, unfolding leaves of water lilies (Nymphaea species) After washing off the mud, cooking them, and serving them for dinner, I discovered that this "vegetable" tastes just like the mud it grows in. Later on, I found that some of my field walk participants, inspired by other sources, had similar experiences.

I once dried the leaves of skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) in my food dehydrator for a week, again following recommendations elsewhere, then added them to a pot of chili. Chili should be hot, but this brew was something else. After tasting one spoonful, the calcium oxalate crystals that should have been dissipated by drying began piercing my tongue, like thousands of microscopic needles. After half an hour of drinking and spitting out water, jumping up and down, and cursing the author, I flushed the entire concoction down the toilet. Subsequently, a friend rendered this plant harmless by drying it for six months, but then it tasted like paper. This plant, and edibles that require hours of preparation for a few bites, are omitted.

I've been using many plants for food and home remedies since the late 1970ís, and Iíd like to share my favorites with you. However itís beyond the scope of this book to cover the thousands of purely medicinal, non-edible plants that also grow in our midst. We concentrate only on the delicious wild foods you can sink your teeth into. Also, we donít cover mushrooms, because youíd need a whole book do them justice. Fortunately, there are many wonderful mushroom books on the market.

Most works on edible wild plants include recipes where healthful wild plants are adulterated with refined and processed foods containing artificial chemicals. It's easy to make fantastic-tasting, nutritious meals without any of these. A large portion of this book is devoted to recipes and the ideas behind them, so youíll learn to create all-natural wild meals yourself.

This book includes many detailed pencil drawings that clarify the plantsí identifying characteristics, and all their parts, as they appear throughout the seasons. Beginners seek out color photos, but these have disadvantages: Because leaves are green, and flower colors can be described, color mainly raises a bookís price. This limits you to one view per plant, usually when itís in flower, even when different stages are edible. Photos also contain extraneous details absent in good illustrations. Youíll learn more from the greater number of excellent pencil illustrations we provide.