Customer Reviews

Edible and Poisonous Plants of Northern California (Outdoor and Nature)

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James Wiltens has carefully chosen 60 or so of plants found in Northern California that can easily be identified by beginning naturalists and botanists as edible or poisonous plants. Each plant covered in the book includes information about where to find it, how to prepare and eat it (or avoid it), as well as interesting trivia about some of the species. Wiltens has also included a drawing of each plant, noting its key identification features. Be sure to read Wiltens' introduction, covering the do's and don'ts and safety of flower collecting!

This is an interesting introduction to various weeds and plants (not mushrooms) that you can forage for anywhere from common suburbia to the backcountry trails. I enjoyed it, and Wiltens' illustrations are clear black-and-white field sketches. The book has no photographs, but in plant identification, photographs only tell part of the story and don't let you highlight or emphasize a particular feature of a plant, like the "tiny hairs" that the observer must identify to know the difference between an edible tasty plant and hemlock. It's not comprehensive-- Wiltens even says as much in the introduction, insisting that readers should positively ID against three different field guides (though without recommending any reputable ones), and being a slim volume means it's good for carrying in a backpack, but can't provide all the details. I think a section on common preparations would have made the volume more concise, instead of breaking it down and repeating instructions for leaching for each plant needing it (for instance).