This indispensable handbook of techniques will be a key addition to every forager's library. Highlighting the best techniques for getting the most out of each and every type of wild edible, readers will learn the most effective ways to harvest, preserve, and prepare all of their foraged edibles.
The Skillful Forager goes beyond simply identifying wild edibles. It is your guide to the best techniques for working with any edible wild plant in the field, kitchen, or campsite. Although it will include detailed identification information for over 40 wild edibles that have a wide distribution, those species profiles will serve as examples of techniques that can be applied to hundreds of other edible plants.
All of the ingredient sections will include advice on the best ways to prepare that type of wild ingredient (shoots, leaves, berries, etc.), as well as information on the best ways to preserve that type of foraged ingredient. It will also highlight seasonal culinary combinations such as bread made with dried mulberries in the spring and roasted black walnuts in autumn. Each example plant within the different sections will be given a full field guide entry, including a clear guide to the identifying characteristics of that plant. But it will also be pointed out that the sustainable harvesting techniques and preparation methods for that individual plant apply to all plants within that category.
High quality photos from the author's own collection will illustrate the book as well as some from the collections of friends and colleagues. Additional photographs will be taken by the author for the book, and these will include images depicting the harvesting and preparation methods described in the book.
Industry Reviews
"This is a book that needed to be written--an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to be more than an armchair forager." --Hank Shaw, author of Hunt, Gather, Cook
"Identification is the first task of the forager, but what comes next? It turns out, almost everything. How does one select the best berries, the tenderest greens, the freshest mushrooms, and gather them in an ecologically responsible manner? What is the most practical way to clean, crack, or pit them? How can they be stored? In The Skillful Forager, Leda Meredith answers just these questions, laying out the basic skills that she has perfected through decades of gathering wild plants and using them in the kitchen. She leaves readers with a set of practical, simple, healthy, and delicious recipes that can be adapted to a variety of ingredients, wild or domestic--just the way that real home cooks cook everyday food. Because to Leda, that's what foraged food is." --Samuel Thayer, author of The Forager's Harvest
"In The Skillful Forager, Leda Meredith doesn't just describe some of her favorite wild edibles, she lays the groundwork for you to become a better forager. Leda covers recommended plants and mushrooms, safe and mindful harvesting, and wraps it all up by describing multiple cooking and preservation techniques we all can use to make the most of our harvests. The Skillful Forager takes you from field to table with excellent information, inspiring ideas, and lots of fabulous flavor." --Ellen Zachos, author of Backyard Foraging
