Best Foraging Reference Book(s)

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Best Foraging Reference Book(s)

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sueshells

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 690
Location: North Bucks

Posted: Sat May 05, 12 6:42 pm Post subject: Best Foraging Reference Book(s)
I would like to start foraging for things other than blackberries and sloes but I'm a bit of a coward. Would be grateful for recommendations of good books with nice clear pictures. I have "Food for Free" but it is an old paperback copy so the pics aren't up to much.

Katieowl

Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 4317
Location: West Wales

Posted: Sat May 05, 12 6:48 pm Post subject:
The River Cottage hedgerow book is good, but I think I prefer the ones with botanical illustrations over photographs to be honest. I've got this one EdibleWildPlants which is a reprint of an 80's one with a different name... It has good recipes in too. Kate

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35934
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat May 05, 12 7:00 pm Post subject:
I've got the tiny version of food-for-free and the pics are colour - it's working well for me. I saw a copy of this at a friend's house this afternoon and was impressed: here

sueshells

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 690
Location: North Bucks

Posted: Sun May 06, 12 9:26 pm Post subject:
Thanks for the responses - I will expand my book collection and, hopefully, my foraged food selection.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45690
Location: yes

Posted: Sun May 06, 12 9:56 pm Post subject:
rev keeble for plant id jordans for shroom id mears for plants , rc shrooms n fish wiseman ,most edible stuff

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35056
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun May 06, 12 10:11 pm Post subject:

Keeble was our local vicar a long time back. I have a couple of editions of his book - nice pictures but very out dated.

Fitter, Fitter & Blamey 2003 is the one to get for general plant id - but also out of print and v expensive

(This book should NOT be out of print

)

You can get editions of their previous book more cheaply, which was the one that I used for decades and am still fond of, even though I apreciate the newer version is superior. Much more information and the maps are very useful too.

Rodger Phillips for Mushrooms

Not sure about books specifically about foraging - you need to know what you can't eat too.

sueshells

Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 690
Location: North Bucks

Posted: Mon May 07, 12 9:45 pm Post subject:
Gosh - the 2003 edition is expensive! One to look out for on my charity shop travels - although if I found it I would have to try to justify keeping it rather than selling it. I can usually manage that, however. The previous (cheaper) one, on the other hand, might do for a beginner.

Luath

Joined: 03 Dec 2009
Posts: 761

Posted: Tue May 08, 12 12:30 am Post subject:
One of the newer ones which is quite good to my mind is a wee paperback by David Squire -'Foraging', in teh self-sufficiency series ISBN 978-1-84773-772-4, £7.99 rrp. Good for beginners, covers edible wildplants, popular wauside kitchen herbs, wild fruits, wild nuts, mushrooms, truffles and other edible fungi, seaweeds and shellfish. Nice liitle book.

sarahloo

Joined: 01 Jun 2007
Posts: 125
Location: Reading, Berkshire

Posted: Tue May 08, 12 2:25 pm Post subject:
My best advice would be to borrow as many as possible from the library and have a good browse. The more foraging books you read the better you'll be at identifying things - you always need more than one photo to get used to what a plant looks like

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