First off, a huge thank you to Trackers Earth and John Kallas for their presentation on Wednesday. It was insightful and just in time for our early spring.
John Kallas of Wild Food Adventures gave us a look into what it takes to harvest wild edibles. He stressed the importance of choosing a proper identification book, gave us a taste of how to identify a few edible plants, and shared a few of his recipe ideas. Trackers Earth organized the event and provided the venue.
Let’s begin!
Choosing the right identification book
It is important to choose a proper identification book. If the descriptions or photographs are not thorough enough, the book could leave you in a dangerous situation.
Some things you want to look for:
- quality over quantity
- culturally/historically established foods
- photographs of the different stages in a plant’s life
It can be challenging to confidently identify an edible plant and there are many that have poisonous lookalikes. Take your time when identifying plants and if you’re ever hesitant ask an expert. It could save your life.
John Kallas has a great book entitled: Edible Wild Plants. This is a great place to start and will provide you with many opportunities for foraging this spring. He also includes great recipes for your wild edibles!
My next post will talk about a few of the wild edibles that are found in the Pacific Northwest.