92 books like Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America

By Samuel Thayer,

Here are 92 books that Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America fans have personally recommended if you like Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival

Matthew and Julie Author Of Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies

From my list on practical herbalism and foraging.

Why are we passionate about this?

As writers, we believe that if you have something wonderful to say it needs a beautiful book to say it in. In writing six books together, in the area of herbal medicine and foraging, we have been lucky to find publishers who share our beliefs. How it works is that Julie is our qualified herbalist and a photographer, layout, and typesetting specialist, while Matthew is a professional editor, writer, and compulsive compiler of bibliographies and indexes. Our USP is that we insist each plant deserves a recipe or two, and that we feature many forgotten wild plants from the old herbals that we love to bring back to life.

Matthew's book list on practical herbalism and foraging

Matthew and Julie Why did Matthew love this book?

We value this book because it is alone in giving equal weight to the foraging (for eating) and medicinal values (for health) of thirteen super-abundant survival plants.

We love its breezy but informed tone, its original recipes, and its underlying serious ecological purpose. What we found somewhat irritating was the twee little verses that introduce each plant: these are groan-worthy! But that’s the only and slight criticism, and we love to follow Katrina for fun and very well-informed foraging!

By Katrina Blair,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Wild Wisdom of Weeds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is the only book on foraging and edible weeds to focus on the thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents a complete food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit. More than just a field guide to wild edibles, it is a global plan for human survival.

When Katrina Blair was eleven she had a life-changing experience where wild plants spoke to her, beckoning her to become a champion of their cause. Since then she has spent months on end taking walkabouts in the wild, eating nothing but what she…


Book cover of Wild Food

Matthew and Julie Author Of Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies

From my list on practical herbalism and foraging.

Why are we passionate about this?

As writers, we believe that if you have something wonderful to say it needs a beautiful book to say it in. In writing six books together, in the area of herbal medicine and foraging, we have been lucky to find publishers who share our beliefs. How it works is that Julie is our qualified herbalist and a photographer, layout, and typesetting specialist, while Matthew is a professional editor, writer, and compulsive compiler of bibliographies and indexes. Our USP is that we insist each plant deserves a recipe or two, and that we feature many forgotten wild plants from the old herbals that we love to bring back to life.

Matthew's book list on practical herbalism and foraging

Matthew and Julie Why did Matthew love this book?

This book is our go-to reference for any new wild food plant and still our favourite food foraging book of all, even though it’s over 40 years old. It has the best photographs (often of the author’s amazingly set-up food shots), the biggest range of worldwide edible wild plant foods (including mushrooms and seaweed), and the most informed, comprehensive text.

It is the book all foragers aspire to have written and we are very grateful to Roger for having done it so well already!

By Roger Phillips, Jacqui Hurst (photographer),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Wild Food as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Earthwise Herbal, Volume II: A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants

Matthew and Julie Author Of Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies

From my list on practical herbalism and foraging.

Why are we passionate about this?

As writers, we believe that if you have something wonderful to say it needs a beautiful book to say it in. In writing six books together, in the area of herbal medicine and foraging, we have been lucky to find publishers who share our beliefs. How it works is that Julie is our qualified herbalist and a photographer, layout, and typesetting specialist, while Matthew is a professional editor, writer, and compulsive compiler of bibliographies and indexes. Our USP is that we insist each plant deserves a recipe or two, and that we feature many forgotten wild plants from the old herbals that we love to bring back to life.

Matthew's book list on practical herbalism and foraging

Matthew and Julie Why did Matthew love this book?

We think this is Matthew’s masterwork, forming the most thorough and sensitive contemporary herbal in English. When we say ‘sensitive’ we are referencing Matthew’s intuitive understanding of a herb’s specific qualities, or virtues.

He combines this feeling for a plant’s individuality with a thorough knowledge of the way it has been favoured in traditional herbal medicine and how he has used it himself, quoting from cases arising in his long clinical experience. A proponent of ‘drop dosing’ or using the least amount of herb necessary, he is often surprising, sometimes controversial, but always well-informed and elegant in his work.

By Matthew Wood,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Earthwise Herbal, Volume II as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Stalking The Wild Asparagus

Matthew and Julie Author Of Backyard Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies

From my list on practical herbalism and foraging.

Why are we passionate about this?

As writers, we believe that if you have something wonderful to say it needs a beautiful book to say it in. In writing six books together, in the area of herbal medicine and foraging, we have been lucky to find publishers who share our beliefs. How it works is that Julie is our qualified herbalist and a photographer, layout, and typesetting specialist, while Matthew is a professional editor, writer, and compulsive compiler of bibliographies and indexes. Our USP is that we insist each plant deserves a recipe or two, and that we feature many forgotten wild plants from the old herbals that we love to bring back to life.

Matthew's book list on practical herbalism and foraging

Matthew and Julie Why did Matthew love this book?

We love Euell Gibbons, the man and book that began it all a lifetime ago! Stalking the Wild Asparagus spurred the rise of foraging and ecological awareness in sixties America, and remains relevant today.

The book is folksy, personal, and inspirational but also remains scientifically accurate, and as a born teacher Euell is careful to define the limits of which foods you can gather and safely eat. It’s a miracle it was published, and we should be immensely grateful to David Mackay Co. of New York for going for it back in 1962–and giving themselves a bestseller.

By Euell Gibbons,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stalking The Wild Asparagus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Nearly sixty years ago an unknown writer named Euell Gibbons (1911-1975) presented a book on gathering wild foods to the New York publisher David McKay Co. Together they settled on the title, Stalking the Wild Asparagus. No one expected that this iconic title would become part of the American language, nor did they anticipate the revival of interest in natural food and in environmental preservation in which this book played a major role. Euell Gibbons became an unlikely celebrity and made many television appearances. Stalking the Wild Asparagus has sold the better part of half a million copies since the…


Book cover of The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America: Nature's Green Feast

Thomas J. Elpel Author Of Foraging the Mountain West: Gourmet Edible Plants, Mushrooms, and Meat

From my list on gourmet wild food foraging.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, I spent summers and weekends with my grandmother, who introduced me to wild food foraging. Grandma Josie and I harvested purslane and lambs quarters weeds from her garden, dandelions and meadow mushrooms from the pasture, and watercress from a nearby spring. On daily walks we gathered peppermint, yarrow, and other wild herbs for tea. She cooked on a wood stove and kept a pot of tea warm at all times. Grandma nurtured my interest in wild plants, wilderness survival, and self-sufficiency. Inspired by her, I built my own stone and log house, teach survival skills and botany, and I still cook on a wood stove just like she did. 

Thomas' book list on gourmet wild food foraging

Thomas J. Elpel Why did Thomas love this book?

The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants is the only book to list all edible species (about 4,000 plants) that have been used as food by humans on the vast North American continent. The book contains a comprehensive account of each species, including etymology, geographical location, uses of each part, history of the uses, composition, medicinal uses, possible toxicity, endangered species, and much more.


Author Francis Couplan, Ph.D. blended scientific expertise with thirty-five years of personal experience consuming edible plants. By relating to the senses and to the pleasure of discovering amazing new tastes and flavors, the book encourages the reader to develop new relationships with nature. The book also includes traditional Native American cooking techniques and uses for plants which the author recorded while living with various tribes around the country.

By Francois Couplan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Discusses edible plant species, including etymology, location, uses of each part, history of the uses, medicinal uses, and possible toxicity.


Book cover of Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide

Mark Warren Author Of Wild Plants and Survival Lore

From my list on nature education and survival skills.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child I was drawn to the forest by its aesthetics. I felt as if I were wandering through a masterpiece painting. As I grew older, I wanted to know more about the many working parts of nature. I quickly learned this: If I wanted to know nature intimately, I needed to know what the Native Americans knew. After years of study and honing skills, I undertook seasonal, self-imposed “survival trips” in remote areas of the National Forest. As an adult I served as a naturalist for the Georgia Conservancy, wilderness director for High Meadows Camp, and as director of my own wilderness school – Medicine Bow – in the Appalachian Mountains.


Mark's book list on nature education and survival skills

Mark Warren Why did Mark love this book?

Putting a wild plant into one’s mouth must be preceded by positive identification. This book’s text and photos offer guidance and recipes. It doesn’t try to cover a huge number of plant species, but the plants that are included are covered in more detail than in most plant books. The introduction alone, in my opinion, is worth the price of this book.

By Thomas S. Elias, Peter A. Dykeman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Edible Wild Plants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Already a huge success in previous editions, this must-have field guide now features a fresh new cover, as well as nearly 400 color photos and detailed information on more than 200 species of edible plants all across North America. With all the plants conveniently organized by season, enthusiasts will find it very simple to locate and identify their desired ingredients. Each entry includes images, plus facts on the plant’s habitat, physical properties, harvesting, preparation, and poisonous look-alikes. The introduction contains tempting recipes and there’s a quick-reference seasonal key for each plant.

“Season-by-season guide to identification, harvest, and preparation of more…


Book cover of The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

Leda Meredith Author Of The Skillful Forager: Essential Techniques for Responsible Foraging and Making the Most of Your Wild Edibles

From my list on foraging free wild edible plants and mushrooms.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started foraging when I was a toddler and my Greek great-grandmother took me to a park to gather dandelion leaves. I read foraging field guides almost incessantly (still do). Eventually, I got a certification in Ethnobotany and went professional. I love teaching and sharing my passion for wild foods through my books, workshops, and videos. One of the most rewarding moments for me is when a student realizes that something I’ve just identified as a safe and delicious edible is a plant that grows all around them. It’s a game-changer. They can’t go back to seeing any plant as “just a weed."

Leda's book list on foraging free wild edible plants and mushrooms

Leda Meredith Why did Leda love this book?

Like all of Sam’s books, this one is a gold mine of detailed, in-depth information about the plants he features in it. His information is beyond trustworthy: he is so familiar with his subject that it is as if he is inviting you to get to know some of his best friends (the plants). My copy is dog-eared and field-stained from all the use I have put it to.

By Samuel Thayer,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Forager's Harvest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A guide to 32 of the best and most common edible wild plants in North America, with detailed information on how to identify them, where they are found, how and when they are harvested, which parts are used, how they are prepared, as well as their culinary use, ecology, conservation, and cultural history.


Book cover of Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate

Thomas J. Elpel Author Of Foraging the Mountain West: Gourmet Edible Plants, Mushrooms, and Meat

From my list on gourmet wild food foraging.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, I spent summers and weekends with my grandmother, who introduced me to wild food foraging. Grandma Josie and I harvested purslane and lambs quarters weeds from her garden, dandelions and meadow mushrooms from the pasture, and watercress from a nearby spring. On daily walks we gathered peppermint, yarrow, and other wild herbs for tea. She cooked on a wood stove and kept a pot of tea warm at all times. Grandma nurtured my interest in wild plants, wilderness survival, and self-sufficiency. Inspired by her, I built my own stone and log house, teach survival skills and botany, and I still cook on a wood stove just like she did. 

Thomas' book list on gourmet wild food foraging

Thomas J. Elpel Why did Thomas love this book?

John Kallas has rebranded foraging from 'alternative roughage' to 'five-star dining.' No other wild foods book has this kind of in-depth text, mouth-watering recipes, or eye-popping pictures of culinary delights, such as wild spinach pizza, pickled purslane, and homemade marshmallows.


Edible Wild Plants is rich with photographs, giving the reader the tools to be successful early and often at identifying, gathering, and dining on these plants. Based on the experiences of John Kallas, a lifelong, full-time wild food researcher, teacher, and author, it catapults a novice into many early triumphs, provides plenty of new useful and practical information for the seasoned professional, and offers naturalists a resource from which to teach wild food concepts. In no time, readers go beyond just tasting to incorporating these foods into regular meals.

By John Kallas,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Edible Wild Plants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Wild spinach about 7 feet tall and fully mature. Well-fed wild spinach is well-branched and produces a huge quantity of seeds when mature. The leaves are still edible at this stage but are reduced in quality, taking on a somewhat off-flavor. According to research on other mature plants, the leaves on these older plants retain most of their nutrients and phytochemicals as long as they are still green."

Imagine what you could do with eighteen delicious new greens in your dining arsenal including purslane, chickweed, curly dock, wild spinach, sorrel, and wild mustard. John Kallas makes it fun and easy…


Book cover of Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat

Leda Meredith Author Of The Skillful Forager: Essential Techniques for Responsible Foraging and Making the Most of Your Wild Edibles

From my list on foraging free wild edible plants and mushrooms.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started foraging when I was a toddler and my Greek great-grandmother took me to a park to gather dandelion leaves. I read foraging field guides almost incessantly (still do). Eventually, I got a certification in Ethnobotany and went professional. I love teaching and sharing my passion for wild foods through my books, workshops, and videos. One of the most rewarding moments for me is when a student realizes that something I’ve just identified as a safe and delicious edible is a plant that grows all around them. It’s a game-changer. They can’t go back to seeing any plant as “just a weed."

Leda's book list on foraging free wild edible plants and mushrooms

Leda Meredith Why did Leda love this book?

Every forager I know (myself included) doesn’t just gather truly wild plants. We also harvest neglected fallen fruits and cultivated plants that were planted as ornamentals but are also great food. In this book Ellen focuses on the latter, introducing us to the tastiness of hostas, daylilies, and many other garden plants that most people think are just eye candy.

By Ellen Zachos,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Backyard Foraging as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Foraged food is surprising in its flavour, unusual texture, fresh colour and nutritional value. As more people become familiar with the idea of finding food in the woods, lakeside, or on their favorite hiking trail, they begin to notice the world around them in a new way. Now it's time to discover the many surprisingly edible plants found in backyards, lawns and parks. Foraging doesn't have to be hard or scary. Backyard Foraging brings foraging home to the neighbourhood. There's the lawn full of sheep sorrel, chickweed, dandelion and pineapple weed. Vacant lots host edibles like sumac, purslane, or Japanese…


Book cover of Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants

Thomas J. Elpel Author Of Foraging the Mountain West: Gourmet Edible Plants, Mushrooms, and Meat

From my list on gourmet wild food foraging.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, I spent summers and weekends with my grandmother, who introduced me to wild food foraging. Grandma Josie and I harvested purslane and lambs quarters weeds from her garden, dandelions and meadow mushrooms from the pasture, and watercress from a nearby spring. On daily walks we gathered peppermint, yarrow, and other wild herbs for tea. She cooked on a wood stove and kept a pot of tea warm at all times. Grandma nurtured my interest in wild plants, wilderness survival, and self-sufficiency. Inspired by her, I built my own stone and log house, teach survival skills and botany, and I still cook on a wood stove just like she did. 

Thomas' book list on gourmet wild food foraging

Thomas J. Elpel Why did Thomas love this book?

Christopher Nyerges has been leading Wild Food Outings since 1974, and his Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants is packed full of stories and advice based on personal experiences. For example, he is one of a growing number of people who eat poison oak/poison ivy to build and maintain immunity to it. (Eating poison ivy requires caution, since an adverse reaction could cause your throat to swell shut. Read this book first!) Nyerges describes his own positive experience with eating poison oak, and he offers tips for those without immunity to treat their symptoms. Nyerges lives and teaches in Los Angeles, and the book covers the key edible and poisonous plants of the southwest. 

By Christopher Nyerges,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An array of abundant wild foods is available to hikers, campers, foragers, or anyone interested in living closer to the earth. Written by a leading expert on wild foods and a well-known teacher of survival skills, Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants is more than a listing of plant types—it teaches how to recognize edible plants and where to find them, their medicinal and nutritional properties, and their growing cycles. This new edition features more than 70 plants found all around the United States along with more than 100 full color photos plus handy leaf, fruit, and seed keys…


Book cover of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival
Book cover of Wild Food
Book cover of The Earthwise Herbal, Volume II: A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants

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Interested in edible wild plants, herbal medicine, and North America?

Herbal Medicine 18 books
North America 70 books