Sources for Identifing Edible Plants

There are a few books specifically written for Northwest plants, but many other sources are very useful here in Washington also. Some of my favorites on identification of edible, medicinal and poisonous plants are the following sources:

A few good Books to check out (alphabetically listed):

All That the Rain Promises, and more…A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms, by David Arora
Backyard Harvest, by Marjorie Blanchard
Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West, by Muriel Sweet
Deadly Harvest – A Guide to Common Poisonous Plants, by John M. Kingsbury
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, by Kershaw
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, by Gregory L. Tilford
Edible Wild Plants – A North American Field Guide, by Elias and Dykeman
Edible Wild Plants and Herbs – A Pocket guide, by Alan M. Cvancara
Edible Wild Plants and Useful Herbs, by JimMeuninck
Feasting Free on Wild Edibles, by Bradford Angier
Nasco Field Guide to Edible and Useful Wild Plants of North America, by Myron C. Chase
Gather Ye Wild Things – a Forager’s Year, by Susan Tyler Hitchcock
How to Live Through a Famine, by Dean L. Rasmussen
Mountain Flowers of the Cascades and Olympics, by Harvey Manning
Mushrooms of North America, by Roger Phillips
Northwest Coastal Wildflowers by Visalli and Ditchburn and Lockwood
Northwest Foraging – A Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest, by Doug Benoliel
Northwest Weeds – The ugly and Beautiful Villains of Fields, Gardens, and Roadsides, by Ronald J. Taylor
Plants of Power – Native American Ceremony and the Use of Sacred Plants, by Alfred Savinelli
Plants of The Pacific Northwest Coast, by Pojar and Mackinnon
The Complete Outdoorsman’s Guide to Edible Wild Plants, by Berndt Berglund and Clare E. Bolsby
The Edible Wild – A complete cookbook and guide to edible wild plants in Canada and North America, by Berndt Berglund and Clare E. Bolsby
The Rocky Mountain Wild Foods Cookbook, by Darcy Williamson
Western Edible Wild Plants, by H.D. Harrington
Wild Berries of the West, by Betty B. Derig and Margaret C. Fuller
Wild Harvest, by Terry Domico
Wildflowers of Mount Rainier by Laird R. Blackwell
Wildflowers of Washington, by C. P. Lyons

Three specific Videos:

Trees, Shrubs, Nuts and Berries, (VHS video) by Jim Meuninck and Dr. Jim Duke
Edible Wild Plants, (VHS video) by Jim Meuninck and Dr. Jim Duke
Cooking With Edible Flowers and Culinary Herbs, (VHS video) by Jim Meuninck, with Debra Nuzzi and Mikulyuk and Hampstead

A few good Websites to check out:

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/Appb.php
http://wnps.org/landscaping/herbarium/index.html
http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/index.html
http://www.troutworld.com/plants/index.htm
http://plants.usda.gov/
http://www.geocities.com/surviveinthewild/plants.html
http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/plants.html
http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/newsletter.html (not free)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_plant_stems

Thinking of Eating Your Way Through the Woods?

Spring has Sprung and the Northwest’s wild edibles are now found in abundance.

For a nice Spring salad, try mixing Siberian Miner’s Lettuce, with Miner’s Lettuce, young Dandelion leaves, Wood Sorrel or Red Sheep Sorrel and some Clover. Add a vinegar and oil salad dressing. This combination tastes great. Later, as the berries ripen, they can be added for additional flavor.

Sorrel is sometimes referred to as sour grass. This is due to the oxalic acid salts found in the plant, so you do not want to over eat too many at any one setting. Also, Dandelion plants that are mature and receive a lot of sunlight produce bitter leaves and roots, which must be boiled first to rid the milky bitterness from the plant. Once boiled it makes a good pot herb however.

‘Tis the season’ to learn what is edible and not, but do so with another Prepper that has some experience in identifying what is edible and what is poisonous. There are some look-a-like types of plants that are deadly if you eat the wrong plant. Always rule on the side of caution.

Two such deadly look-a-likes are Camas (the wild onion) with the blue flowers and the “Death” Camas with the white flower. Their flowers are in bloom now for about two more weeks. Only pick Camas when in bloom. Another plant to be cautious with are Queen Anne’s Lace (the wild carrot) and it’s deadly look-a-like, the Poison Hemlock plant, which is non-forgiving and deadly. Without a knowledgeable guide, avoid both of these, Camas and Queen Anne’s Lace.

While speaking of avoiding getting poisoned, mushrooms are an especially non-forgiving fungi. Do not take chances with any mushroom. Even experienced “shroomers” occasionally make a mistake, so rule only on those mushrooms with absolute positive identification. Books with photographs are helpful, but should not be considered sufficient for positive identification. There are many, many poisonous look-a-likes. When in doubt, leave it out (of your pot and/or your stomach)! Do not even try to do a taste test for good mushrooms. Poison does not always taste bad, mushrooms or otherwise.

There are many good books at the public library on edible and poisonous plants. Also check out your favorite book store on the subject.

I make it a goal to learn a few new plants each year. Over the last twenty plus years in Washington State, I have learned to identify about 50 edible plants. Each year, I renew my plant knowledge to help me grow more confident in locating habitat for my favorites.