Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat Kindle Edition

The physical paperback is 9" high x 7" wide and 1/2" thick with 223 pages not counting the "Resources" and index.The first 2 chapters covers basic gear, habitat, and manners when on other people's property.The chapters that follow are organized by greens; fruits and flowers; nuts and seeds; roots, tubers, and rhizomes; plants with many edible parts; and 5 easy to identify mushrooms. Within these chapters, the plant sections are ordered alphabetically by common name.The plant sections of the book begin with icons showing the season when the plant can be harvested. After the common name and the scientific name (Genus and species) it gives ...o What it is: native or invasive and very high level info.o Where to find it: gardens, yard, woods, sun or shade (no map).o Edible parts: leaves, roots, flowers, fruit.o The Details: mostly generic info that could not be used to positively identify the plant. It only occasionally gives details like number of flower petals, whether or not the leaves have teeth or lobes. Since most of these plants are garden or yard varieties, the author assumes the reader is already familiar with all of these details. Identification is mainly by a normally generous large main photo, often with multiple other photos showing the fruits or roots, or other plant parts.o How to Harvest: what parts to harvest and when to harvest.o How to Eat It: raw or cooked, how to cook, and other ways to prepare it.o When a plant has a "sound-alike" name or a "look-alike" cousin, then it may have a section describing similar plants to avoid.Most of the specific plant sections are 2 pages long, but a few are 4 pages.The last chapter is about "Preserving Advice and Basic Recipes".The cons of the book are ...- When the plant happens to be a large tree, the main photo is less effective since the reader can't see enough detail to distinguish the shape and other features of the leaves and bark. Usually the other photos help to fill in this gap, but this was not the case for Cornelian Cherry and Black Walnut. The Mayapple photo showed a large patch from a distance so its basic leaf shape could not be distinguished from the mass of greenery.- I disagreed with the author's claim that "No milkweed parts should be eaten raw." I've eaten the flower buds and small pods and found them delicious and slightly sweet, and not bitter without cooking.Other than these last 2 points, I found the book accurate and very informative. I prefer Samuel Thayer's books, but this book by Ellen Zachos covers many other plants without having to search far and wide to find many of them, and her writing style is friendly and engaging.

This book is absolutely amazing! The author provides all the information you need to identify and use wild plants, herbs, flowers, mushrooms, trees, berries, fruits, etc. Each plant has several photos for identification and the author also describes each plant in written detail too. She provides a plethora of uses for each plant, as well as how to use it. There's even a few pages instructing how to grow your own mushrooms! I first rented this book from the library and loved it so much I had to buy my own copy! The author is very detailed and thorough. There are so many plants that are edible or medicinal right in our own backyard. You just have to know what to look for, when and where to look for it, and this book teaches just that! I definitely recommend this book to fellow foragers! The photographs are gorgeous and the book is jam packed with great information! The author even provides recipes for some of the plants! My family and I have used this book on hikes, in our backyard, and when foraging! It's an overall awesome book and wonderful reference guide!

I like this book a lot but I am finding that I need to look up the plants on the internet to get a better idea of identification.

Awesome book. Wasn't sure what to expect until it arrived. Loved how it covered plants people never think about but grow everywhere for decoration and and useable food sources. Was the first guide that made me comfortable to forage for very specific mushrooms and cook and share them with others. So much fun! Highly recommend this book.

Ordered a second copy immediately after receiving the first one. Gave to family. This really is a clear, helpful guide, and even though my wife has been wild harvesting for decades, there were several things she was delighted to learn from this book. Highly recommend.

I have a few books on foraging and this one is great. I am new to foraging and really need clear and concise information. This book is great because it has pictures and deals with familiar plants. It is GREAT for a beginner like me. A seasoned forager will probably find this book redundant or of no use but for someone new to foraging it is a gem. I had NO idea you could eat Hosta. I have them growing in my flower beds and had no idea I could thin them out by eating the leaves. If you are new to foraging, GET THIS BOOK. It has clear photographic pictures and descriptions. It is a great place to start.

Very informative book, but most of the herbs and plants in it, I'll never see. I was looking for something with more plants in my area. Also the stuff you do with most of them, I won't do either. A little on the complicated side.

My mind is blown! Such a great book. Just read the whole thing and will use it often for reference. I thought I would be bored, but I couldn't put it down. I need to get a dehydrator. I had no idea that you could eat day lillies or that you HAD to cook milkweed before eating, or that dogwood trees had fruit to eat... I mean - wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Love this book. Very sturdy. Beautifultra pictures and Good explanation of each flower and useful purpose. A lovely summer read in the garden.

A bright and well written book. Very readable. It is an American book but alot of the information is useful for British foragers.

Good reference out in the field when hiking or camping and deciding to enjoy nature unconnected.

Not a bad book, lots of different trees I didn't know had edible parts...haven't been able to match up any of the berries in my area but im still very amateur

All the basic suburban forageable plants are well covered and photographed.Definite aid and a valuable addition to any foragers library.