7 Must-Read Foraging Books To Lower Your Grocery Bill
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Here is a short list of some foraging books and field guides that have served me well over the years.
Sam Thayer’s Legendary Foraging Books
Sam’s plant foraging books are an absolute must-have. They include plants that can be found all over the US, so you will definitely find some that grow in your region. I really love that each book contains a foraging calendar with estimates for peak season timing, as well as when plants are coming in and out of season. I highly recommend getting all three. You will not regret it.
Here are the books to get:
Mountain States Foraging by Briana Wiles
This book includes identification and harvest guides for over 115 wild and favorable edibles. Each plant has its dedicated chapter including great photos, identification tips, ethical harvesting guidelines, and ideas for eating and preserving it
It has been one of my go-to books for speeding up my foraging knowledge since I moved to Montana. Most of the species are found in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and northern Nevada.
Foraging the Mountain West by Tom Elpel
Tom Elpel is another great resource for wild food foraging. He has authored several books about botany, survival skills, and sustainable living. This book includes a ton of great information on wild edibles that grow out West. It also goes into survival skills like fishing without a pole, and hunting without weapons. If you study this book and apply the knowledge you gain from it, you will find yourself with more food in the freezer!
Botany In A Day by Tom Elpel
This is another amazing book by Tom Elpel. Most foraging books will focus on specific species. But in reality, if one plant species is edible, then other species in the same plant family are edible as well. This book will teach you how to look for patterns among plants, which will help you identify more in less time. If you use this book properly, you can cut years off from the foraging learning process. Not only does it include information about over 100 plant families, but it also tons of genera including edible and medicinal uses relevant to thousands of individual species.
All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms
I got this book recently and am impressed with the information in it. It has less information per species compared to the other books on my list. But it’s great as a small pocket guide. It is geared toward the Western Mushroom Forager but includes species that can be found in many other parts of the US. It features over 200 edible and poisonous mushrooms. My favorite part is the pictures with checklists of their features. This makes it really helpful when identifying a species in the field.
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