The Forager's Cookbook: Identify & Prepare Edible Weeds & Wild Plants

More than a recipe book, more than a foraging book, more than a guide to herbal medicine. Discover 90 exciting recipes showcasing weeds that are delicious, nutritious, medicinal, too good to waste—and free!
Why should we eat our weeds? Because they are delicious, adding a palate of new flavors in everyday cooking. They are also nutritious and too good to waste. Weeds are actually more nutritious than most of the vegetables we grow or buy. They often have deep roots that loosen the soil and bring minerals up from far below. Weeds can help cover the soil, keep moisture in it, and preserve its fertility. They offer a second crop among our other plants, for free, and are often available in the late winter and early spring when our vegetables are yet to get going. When it's time to weed, the edible weeds can be eaten. Why throw perfectly good food on the compost heap?

With weeds, as with all wild plants you may be planning to eat, proper ID is essential. Rule number one is eat only what you are sure of. In this book, Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal have provided clear photographs and other written identification details for twenty-two common weeds. They also give guidance on how to harvest safely and responsibly. And you'll find ninety delicious recipes highlighting your foraged goodies. Recipes include:

• Chickweed Pesto
• Daisy Tea
• Dandelion Flower Jam
• Elderberry Vinegar
• Orache Tart
• Ground Ivy Hot Cross Buns
• Hogweed Paella
• Mugwort and Mushroom Soup
• And more!

Julie Bruton-Seal is an herbalist, iridologist, and craniosacral therapist. A Fellow of the Association of Master Herbalists (FAMH), she is also a photographer, artist, jeweler, graphic designer, cook, and gardener. Her parents are the well-known wildlife filmmakers and photographers Des and Jen Bartlett.

Matthew Seal is a writer and editor and the coauthor of Backyard Medicine, Home Remedies, and Herbalist's Bible.