Talk about going back to our roots (pun intended)! The Forager’s Harvest is quite the read. From front to back, the author takes extensive care to demonstrate his knowledge on the harvesting of wild plants.
The author, Samuel Thayer, is clearly experienced. As he points out in “The Purpose and Organization of this Book” section, there is no college degree that exists for this particular subject. There are no experts in this field because there are no standards to be held to. He calls out what is wrong with other plant foraging books, pointing out their flaws, noting that there is misinformation being spread through some of the highest praised versions of these sort of guides. People research by reading other books, not by going out and actually gathering, cooking, and consuming these plants that they write about. By not having first hand experience with the plants themselves, they can’t even verify the information they are spreading because they have no field experience! It really shows. Thayer claims to do what no other author of this genre does and that is actually eating these plants thousands of times throughout his life, documenting the plants at different stages of their growth, and making it known at what stages different parts of the plant can be harvested to begin with. He provides stories dating back to when he was a young boy, tells of all the research he has done on his own, and provides evidence through his own experiences. Beyond that, he talks about the history of foraging for our own food and draws attention to the fact that it has been done for the majority of the time that humans have been around. Only recently have we ‘strayed from our roots’ and find ourselves dependent on packaged foods we get at the store (except maybe farmers and, of course, food forgers).
Thayer’s passion for wilderness and the gratitude and appreciation he expresses towards nature is refreshing to read. I feel that way myself a lot of the time and it’s nice to read through the lenses of someone who feels the same. He gives all credit for good food not to humans, but to God’s green Earth. We’re just here to recognize its beauty!
The closest thing I’ve ever personally come to harvesting my own wild plants is stealing a few blackberries from an empty lot in North Carolina one summer when I was thirteen. They were growing along and up a mountain bank on bushes surrounded by some of the biggest bumblebees I had ever seen. It looked like no-mans-land and after collecting a good amount, I took them back to my family’s cabin and my mother made a jam out of them to accompany homemade shortbread cookies. The next day going back for some more, I found a small rope going across the area they were in and that was the end of my journey. Besides that, the next closest thing to any foraging experience is picking strawberries or blueberries from a farm where you pick them and then buy them by the pound! I’ve never tried to forage for my own plants or collect various weeds to garnish or accompany meals like Thayer and others have. It is certainly a cool way to interact with nature that a lot of us have given up!
I thought the book was fantastic. It is simple enough to understand for a beginner food forager (myself) and the way it is laid out is easy to follow. Personal stories, history, the importance of it, safety, how, when, and then specifics about each plant that is presented. The parts of this book that I really enjoyed were the opening sections as well as all the pictures of the plants that were shown once he dove into the different types. With so many pictures, the plants prove easy to identify- especially since it shows the plant growth cycles through different seasons of the year. Another useful bit of information is the timing calendar that Thayer included on pages 76-77 that shows when plants are coming into or out of season as well as their peaks at different times of the year for the different species. He also covers how to prepare the plants once you harvest them and how to store them for future use. There is a glossary in the back that defines obscure plant terms and also includes drawings that identify various leaf shapes, parts of the plants, and underground parts too. The index is extensive and helps to accurately locate information from the book.
My one complaint is that there aren’t that many plants (comparatively to other guides to harvesting wild plants), however he made it clear that this is the first of many in a series which I am looking forward to buying as well! I can appreciate that he chose quality over quantity.
I suppose the true sign of a good book is in whether or not you would recommend it to others, and let me tell you- I would most definitely recommend this book to another person! In fact, I already have! Not even halfway through the book and I found myself eagerly telling one of my friends about it, insisting that she borrow my copy as soon as I finished reading it. The reason I wanted to tell her about it is because she is a huge plant person and I knew she’d appreciate the fondness and passion of which the author writes this book. I feel like the targeted audience here is mainly outdoor enthusiasts although, this book is written in a way that even beginners or people interested in dipping their toes into the subject will appreciate. Plant people, food people, campers, and just regular people too will get something out of this book.
General information about this book includes: title: The Forager’s Harvest, author: Samuel Thayer, place of publication: Wisconsin, published by: Forager’s Harvest Press, published in: 2006, length of book: 360 pages, paperback price: $22.95, ISBN-13:978-0-9766266-0-2; ISBN-10:0-97-66266-0-8.
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Brilliantly done by someone who loves foraging
When an author loves his topic, it shows in the book.Samuel Thayer has been foraging for decades, he loves it, and it shows.Rather than create a generic book that is a million miles wide and a inch deep, Samuel focused on just 32, very common plants, and then, he went into terrific detail about when and where to harvest and how to prepare your foraged goods.This is honestly the best book on foraging I have picked up in 25 years.The book is loaded with pictures and illustrations too.I love this book, and I think that you will too.
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refugeewurzel
Brilliant day out book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2014