Favorite books of wild plants

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Patchouli

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What books are your favorites to use and why?
Are there any you take with you out in the field? Do you always take your camera so you have the record of what you saw, picked, cut, pulled, etc?
 
South Carolina wild flowers.
Herbs.
Edible wild Plants.
Wildflowers of Eastern America.
Venomous Animals & Poisonous Plants.
I have others some where.
 
"Foraging the Rocky Mountains" is my favorite though I have several print books on foraging along with a couple dozen E-books on foraging. I also have several books just on plant identification too, like "Southern Rocky Mountain wildflowers".
 
When I've got no internet and I'm out in the wilds, I can't look it up on my phone. I have a few Audobon Society North American field guides to various things, those thick small books with the color plates in the first half and text in the second half, which are great to have but they do fall apart quickly when well-used.
I have this one: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/334109.A_Field_Guide_to_Medicinal_Plants_and_Herbs
And need this one: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show...d_Guide_to_Western_Medicinal_Plants_and_Herbs

this is the author's website http://www.stevenfoster.com/
 
I also use the Audubon Field Guides along with a number of others. I really like the Tom Brown Survival Guides, with one Book dedicated to Edible, Medicinal and utilitarian Plants.
 
I posted some of my favorites on post # 19 in this thread: https://www.homesteadingforum.org/t...le-medicinal-plant-id-method.3072/#post-70223

I will repost it here:

Friends, please be careful where you get your wild edible & medicinal plant information. The sad thing is, many articles, books, websites, and forum posts are worn-out repetitions of what some authors have read on the internet and in other books...and believe it all to be true.

The unforgivable thing is that some of the parroted misinformation can be downright dangerous.

I can help you find sources with good reputations. I will come back later with more in this thread, but for now here are some excellent books to try. (Sometimes you can save a bundle with Amazon's used books...but be aware of the seller's ratings; if they have poor ratings leave them be, and just get the book new straight from Amazon.)

Note: These two books were the very first ones I learned plant identification from many years ago, but now they are also available for other regions as well. (Peterson's are the "gold standard" and are best-selling field guides of all time!)

I prefer the older versions of the first book listed here, which include detailed drawings of critical identification features. But, I also like the newest version for more detailed usage information.

Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition (Peterson Field Guides) 3rd Edition by Steven Foster and James A. Duke

From the Amazon description page: "Medicinal plants are increasingly well regarded as supplements and sometimes as alternatives for prescription drugs. Steven Foster and James A. Duke have used recent advances in the study of medicinal plants and their combined experience of over 100 years to completely update the Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. The clear and concise text identifies the key traits, habitats, uses, and warnings for more than 530 of the most significant medicinal plants in the eastern and central United States and Canada including both native and alien species. Seven hundred plus images, the organization-by-color system, and simplified warnings make identifying medicinal plants fast and easy.
Sponsored by the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute."




Edible Wild Plants: Eastern/Central North America (Peterson Field Guides) Paperback – September 1, 1999

by Lee Allen Peterson and Roger Tory Peterson

"More than 370 edible wild plants, plus 37 poisonous lookalikes, are described here, with 400 drawings and 78 color photographs showing precisely how to recognize each species. Also included are habitat descriptions, lists of plants by season, and preparation instructions for many different food uses."


As companion books to the critically important Edible Wild Plants book, I recommend any of Samuel Thayer's books for detailed information and uses of selected plants.

Although I have been a wildcrafter for decades and have TONS of books on the subject, I have learned lots more from Thayer's books. I highly recommend all three! I guarantee that he will make you fall in love with the idea of eating wild edibles.

Beginners and experienced wildcrafters will like Samuel Thayer's Nature's Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Wild Edible Plants. He covers 41 plants in this edition, including tons of important information about acorns.

His book, The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants, covers 32 plants.

His latest book, Incredible Wild Edibles, covers 36 plants and is very good, too.


It took me a long time to commit much of the info that I learned from books into "muscle memory," meaning actual use. I highly recommend that you start slow with basics such as fool-proof acorns, hickory nuts, mulberry, etc. Learn how to use them in your everyday diet (I love my acorns!).

Take your time getting to know your wildlings. Observe the plants in all phases of growth. Make SURE that the plants fit the Peterson's Field Guide descriptions EXACTLY. "Close enough" won't cut it, and this kind of thinking can fool you into believing that a poisonous look-alike is safe.

Do not rush the process but get started with learning this new skill ASAP. Don't wait for hard times because, as you can imagine, that will be the worst time to learn survival skills.
 
Yes, I saw that post. I mentioned and linked the two books by Steven Foster you also mentioned and linked!
I am well aware of dangers of misidentification and was just looking for more books! Like I need more books.
Thanks, @Grizzleyette___Adams
I know I get frustrated when people make major mistakes with plants too.
I haven't seen the books by Samuel Thayer and will be on the lookout for any.
 
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