Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains [Paperback]

H. D. Harrington (Author), Y. Matsumura (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0826303439 | ISBN-13: 978-0826303431 | Publication Date: June 1, 1974

This book is an excellent listing of the edible plants of the Rockies. It provides recipes for the preparation of beers and wines, jams and preserves, the cooking of greens and the preparation of dyes, as well as brief histories of the plants' uses by historic and prehistoric peoples. The book contains drawings of the plants in their flowering or fruiting state and lists them by common name as well as scientific name for ready reference.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Botanical listing of edible plants, recipes and ethnobotanical information, wilderness survival manual, with a chapter on poisonous plants.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press (June 1, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826303439
• ISBN-13: 978-0826303431
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #961,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Our Rocky Mountain Euell Gibbons...., January 2, 2009

By 

David C. Young "David C. Young, LCSW" (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains (Paperback)

I grew up in the midwest eating wild plants, often as walking munchies, occasionally as more serious food. I learned my plants well enough so that when I moved from the countryside into Chicago, I continued my munching and upped my edibles as a "starving" graduate student.

After I moved to Colorado, I began learning the local plants and using them for food. During the wild growing season -- May - October at 8,000 feet on Pikes Peak -- I've gathered quite a bit near our cabin, mostly for little add-ons to breakfast or lunch.

If you're only going to buy one book on Rocky Mountain edible plants, this wouldn't be my choice. That would be Linda Kershaw's Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies (see my review). But Harrington's book would definitely be my second choice. It's based on considerable personal experiences and quite a bit of knowledge & research. Unlike Kershaw, Harrington gives good & detailed directions on different ways to prepare these plants and honest evaluations about taste results. Unlike some of the other reviews, I find that Harrington includes a fair number of native plants -- I suspect over a hundred. Admittedly, there are a LOT more edible plants out there. But how many people are going to learn to find, recognize & fix more than that? I strongly suspect Harrington includes the major edible plants. Certainly he include the ones I'm most likely to use. In spite of its name, the book also includes what I think of as eurasian plants, including the common dandelion, purslane, wild oats, etc.

The biggest drawback, for me, are the black-&-white pictures. The drawings are good, but when I don't KNOW the plant, I prefer pictures or drawings in color. So I take along a guidebook, such as Guide to Colorado Wildflowers: Mountains (Guide to Colorado Wildflowers. Vol 2. Mountains) or Plants of the Rocky Mountains. But hey, if you're really interested in food plants, you need to be interested in plants. So get some local guidebooks.

This book covers the whole state of Colorado, and spreads south a bit into New Mexico, north into Wyoming and maybe beyond, as well as into the western edge of Utah. Beyond that, I suspect many plants will still be found, but it probably won't be as comprehensive. The writing can get a bit dry, occasionally "scholarly", but it's definitely straightforward and not-at-all difficult to read. And the "scholarly" parts are easy to recognize & skip if you want.

I find Harrington a quite useful addition to Kershaw. Anyone really interested in actually eating edible plants from the central Rockies will likely find the book quite valuable. I recommend it tastily.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Should have added color?, September 16, 2007

By 

Donald R. Scott "DRS" (CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains (Paperback)

Good information, just black and white sketches of the plants! I did learn some of what I originally wished to glean from the book, but Color and clarity is what is needed in the mountains. The choice between problematic and edible plants can be subtle. Not worth the chance as a field decision assistant.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Our Rocky Mountain Euell Gibbons...., January 2, 2009

By 

David C. Young "David C. Young, LCSW" (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Edible Native Plants Of The Rocky Mountains (Hardcover)

I grew up in the midwest eating wild plants, often as walking munchies, occasionally as more serious food. I learned my plants well enough so that when I moved from the countryside into Chicago, I continued my munching and upped my edibles as a "starving" graduate student.

After I moved to Colorado, I began learning the local plants and using them for food. During the wild growing season -- May - October at 8,000 feet on Pikes Peak -- I've gathered quite a bit near our cabin, mostly for little add-ons to breakfast or lunch.

If you're only going to buy one book on Rocky Mountain edible plants, this wouldn't be my choice. That would be Linda Kershaw's Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies (see my review). But Harrington's book would definitely be my second choice. It's based on considerable personal experiences and quite a bit of knowledge & research. Unlike Kershaw, Harrington gives good & detailed directions on different ways to prepare these plants and honest evaluations about taste results. Unlike some of the other reviews, I find that Harrington includes a fair number of native plants -- I suspect over a hundred. Admittedly, there are a LOT more edible plants out there. But how many people are going to learn to find, recognize & fix more than that? I strongly suspect Harrington includes the major edible plants. Certainly he include the ones I'm most likely to use. In spite of its name, the book also includes what I think of as eurasian plants, including the common dandelion, purslane, wild oats, etc.

The biggest drawback, for me, are the black-&-white pictures. The drawings are good, but when I don't KNOW the plant, I prefer pictures or drawings in color. So I take along a guidebook, such as Guide to Colorado Wildflowers: Mountains (Guide to Colorado Wildflowers. Vol 2. Mountains) or Plants of the Rocky Mountains. But hey, if you're really interested in food plants, you need to be interested in plants. So get some local guidebooks.

This book covers the whole state of Colorado, and spreads south a bit into New Mexico, north into Wyoming and maybe beyond, as well as into the western edge of Utah. Beyond that, I suspect many plants will still be found, but it probably won't be as comprehensive. The writing can get a bit dry, occasionally "scholarly", but it's definitely straightforward and not-at-all difficult to read. And the "scholarly" parts are easy to recognize & skip if you want.

I find Harrington a quite useful addition to Kershaw. Anyone really interested in actually eating edible plants from the central Rockies will likely find the book quite valuable. I recommend it tastily.