Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places (Paperback)

by Steve Brill (Author) "There are hundreds of fascinating, delicious wild vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and herbs growing in our neighborhoods, backyards, parks, and forests that we overlook..." (more)
Key Phrases: sow thistle flowers, waterleaf flowers, groundnut flowers, North America, United States, The Indians (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not So Wild) Places shows readers how to find and prepare more than five hundred different plants for nutrition and better health, including such common plants as mullein (a tea made from the leaves and flowers suppresses a cough), stinging nettle (steam the leaves and you have a tasty dish rich in iron), cattail (cooked stalks taste similar to corn and are rich in protein), and wild apricots (an infusion made with the leaves is good for stomach aches and disgestive disorders).

More than 260 detailed line drawings help readers identify a wide range of plants -- many of which are suited for cooking by following the more than thirty recipes included in this book. There are literally hundreds of plants readily available underfoot waiting to be harvested and used either as food or as a potential therapeutic. This book is both a field guide to nature's bounty and a source of intriguing information about the plants that surround us.

About the Author
"Wildman" Steve Brill's nature tours of New York City's Central Park are widely attended in the spring and throughout the summer. He is an educator, broadcaster, and naturalist based in New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; 1 edition (May 20, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688114253
• ISBN-13: 978-0688114251
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,424 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #4 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Botany
  #10 in	Books > Science > Biological Sciences > Botany
  #11 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

120 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slightly Disappointed, October 16, 2003

By	DigitalSorceress (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

On the whole, this book is interesting and informative, but I was slightly disappointed with the logical layout. The information in the book is fairly detailed and interesting, but is presented in a narrative manner. The book takes a season/habitat based approach... I guess I was expecting a more trait-based heirarchical listing system. Something that would facilitate taking an unknown plant and quickly looking up the answers to "what is it? is it edible? is it medicinal? if so, what are the details"

The approach also tends to give details on a few interesting / especially good flavored or nutricious plants and then gives a names-only grocery list of "Edible and medicinal plants" and then one of "For Observation only"

So, in summary, if you know a bit about general plant identification and your focus is on what's available for the season and habitat, this book is a valuable resource, but if you're looking for a field identification and classification tool, this is probably not the best choice.

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the top 10 herb books in print., June 28, 1999

By	Charles Garcia (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a professional herbalist and herbal teacher I have over two hundred herbals and field guides at my disposal. Steve "Wildman" Brill leads the field in combining an herbal and edible plant field guide, which is readable, comprehensive, and most important ACCURATE. His final chapter of recipes will make most readers want to head into the backcountry just to find the proper edibles. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for the beginner or the professional herbalist.

79 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, January 12, 2007

By	Daniel Remer "DJR" (Nicasio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While the author seems like a nice guy, I found this book to be an expensive rip. Aside from the fact that it is printed cheaply on thick newsprint, the author should have named it, "Plants I like in Central Park". It is clear that he has spent little time west of the rockies, let alone west of Central Park where most of his endearing anecdotes originate.

The author continually makes unsupported statements about "Indians or native americans'" use of plants "for female reproductive problems". Give me a break. What is a reader supposed to do with that so called knowlege?

The book is too big to be a field guide, and so disorganized that it is very hard to extract useful information. The biggest fault, however, is that it really only pays lip service to the western half of the USA, and it should have stated so in the title.

I'm going to try to sell mine asap.

dan