"Food Plants of the Sanoran Desert includes not only plants such as gourds and legumes but also unexpected food sources such as palms, lilies, and cattails, all of which have provided nutrition to desert peoples. Each species entry lists recorded names and describes indigenous uses, which often include nonfood therapeutic and commodity applications. The agave, for example, is cited for its use as food and for alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, syrup, fiber, cordage, clothing, sandals, nets, blankets, lances, fire hearths, musical instruments, hedgerows, soap, and medicine, and for ceremonial purposes. The agave entry includes information on harvesting, roasting, and consumption - and on distinguishing between edible and inedible varieties.".

Winner of the Society for Economic Botany’s Mary W. Klinger Book Award The seemingly inhospitable Sonoran Desert has provided sustenance to indigenous peoples for centuries. Although it is to all appearances a land bereft of useful plants, fully one-fifth of the desert's flora are edible. This volume presents information on nearly 540 edible plants used by people of more than fifty traditional cultures of the Sonoran Desert and peripheral areas. Drawing on thirty years of research, Wendy C. Hodgson has synthesized the widely scattered literature and added her own experiences to create an exhaustive catalog of desert plants and their many and varied uses. Food Plants of the Sonoran Desert includes not only plants such as gourds and legumes but also unexpected food sources such as palms, lilies, and cattails, all of which provided nutrition to desert peoples. Each species entry lists recorded names and describes indigenous uses, which often include nonfood therapeutic and commodity applications. The agave, for example, is cited for its use as food and for alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, syrup, fiber, cordage, clothing, sandals, nets, blankets, lances, fire hearths, musical instruments, hedgerows, soap, and medicine, and for ceremonial purposes. The agave entry includes information on harvesting, roasting, and consumption—and on distinguishing between edible and inedible varieties. No other source provides such a vast amount of information on traditional plant uses for this region. Accessible to general readers, this book is an invaluable compendium for anyone interested in the desert’s hidden bounty.

Sonoran Desert Food Plants is specifically designed for the outdoor enthusiast who is in need of a concise, no-nonsense booklet instructing on the collection, preparation, and utilization of 58 regional edible plants. Essentially: find it, gather it, and eat it. 120 color photos, 58 Arizona location maps, common and scientific names, preparation and toxicity issues, and concise medicinal and related ethnobotanical uses serve as accents making Sonoran Desert Food Plants a useful resource for any Arizona resident. The following plants are covered (49 indigenous to the Sonoran Desert/Uplands and 9 non-native yet abundant): Agave, Amaranth, Arizona Jewel Flower, Asian Mustard, Barrel Cactus, Beargrass, Biscuitroot, Bluedicks, Bowlesia, Canyon Walnut, Catclaw, Cattail, Chia, Cholla, Desert Hackberry, Desert Hollygrape, Desert Lily, Devil's Claw, Elder, Feather Tree, Flameflower, Graythorn, Ground Cherry, Hedgehog Cactus, Horse Purslane, Ironwood, Jewels of Opar, Jojoba, Lambsquarters, Lemonade Berry, London Rocket, Mallow, Mariposa lily, Mesquite, Miner's Lettuce, Monkey Flower, Paloverde, Papalo, Pellitory, Pincushion Cactus, Poreleaf, Prickly Pear, Purslane, Saguaro, Sow Thistle, Texas Mulberry, Thistle, Tumbleweed, Watercress, Wild Gourd, Wild Lettuce, Wild Oats, Wild Rhubarb, Wild Sunflower, Wolfberry, Yellowshow, Yucca (Fruit), and Yucca (Stalk).

This is an account of what food grows wild, how it is used, and by whom. Considered inedible or exotic by some, the Native Americans have harvested these foods for thousands of years.

The Sonoran Desert, a fragile ecosystem, is under ever-increasing pressure from a burgeoning human population. This ecological atlas of the region's plants, a greatly enlarged and full revised version of the original 1972 atlas, will be an invaluable resource for plant ecologists, botanists, geographers, and other scientists, and for all with a serious interest in living with and protecting a unique natural southwestern heritage. An encyclopedia as well as an atlas, this monumental work describes the taxonomy, geographic distribution, and ecology of 339 plants, most of them common and characteristic trees, shrubs, or succulants. Also included is valuable information on natural history and ethnobotanical, commercial, and horticultural uses of these plants. The entry for each species includes a range map, an elevational profile, and a narrative account. The authors also include an extensive bibliography, referring the reader to the latest research and numerous references of historical importance, with a glossary to aid the general reader. Sonoran Desert Plants is a monumental work, unlikely to be superseded in the next generation. As the region continues to attract more people, there will be an increasingly urgent need for basic knowledge of plant species as a guide for creative and sustainable habitation of the area. This book will stand as a landmark resource for many years to come.

Eat Mesquite and More celebrates native food forests of the Sonoran Desert and beyond with over 170 recipes featuring wild, indigenous foods, including mesquite, acorn, barrel cactus, chiltepin, cholla, desert chia, desert herbs and flowers, desert ironwood, hackberry, palo verde, prickly pear, saguaro, wolfberry, and wild greens. The recipes--contributed by desert dwellers, harvesters, chefs, and innovators--capture a spirit of adventure and reverence inviting both newcomers and seasoned experts to try new foods and experiment with new flavors. More than a cookbook, this guide also encourages a renaissance of "wild agriculture," one that foregrounds the ethical harvesting and selection of wild foods and the re-planting of native food sources in urban and residential areas without imported water or fertilizers. It contains stories of significant individuals, organizations, and businesses that have contributed knowledge, products, and innovation in the planting, harvesting, and use of wild, native desert foods. Additional essays reveal the poetry of the foraging life, how to plant the rain, and medicinal uses and ethnobotanical histories of desert plants. Many of the food plants included in this cookbook--or close relatives of them--can be found or grown in the other deserts and drylands of North America and South America. As such, this book becomes a template for harvesting and cooking throughout the Americas. Universally, its concepts and approach can help communities everywhere collaborate with their ecosystem, while enhancing the health of all.

Covers 50 common wild Sonoran Desert food plants ; describes edible and medicinal uses for each.