A state of significant plant diversity, California is home to more species than any other. Weather, elevation, and latitude all play parts in the region's floristic dynamism. For the wild edible plant enthusiast, this means a variety of sustaining forages are to be had, however, they are not all found in one place. With Wild Edible Plants of California (Volume 1), the reader has access to not only the where, but too, the what and when of California's wild edible bounty.Covering the state's most essential forages, preference has been given to plants that are abundant and/or have more caloric/nutritional/traditional value than other edibles. Well-suited for the backpack, cargo-pocket, or glovebox, the publication's form is a 64-page booklet. Over 160 color photos and a state/county location image for every profile assists the reader in plant identification. Aside from the main focus of how to use and prepare each wild edible, additional sections include medicinal uses (if applicable), cautions, and special notes. A sustenance rank, choice edible part/ season indictor, and general index all serve to increase the publication's usefulness.

The diverse geography of Texas overflows with edible plant species. From elderberry to amaranth and dandelion to cactus, Foraging Texas guides you to 92 edible wild foods and healthful herbs of the state. This valuable reference guide will help you identify and appreciate the wild bounty of the Lone Star State. Foraging Texas provides all of the information you need about wild foods in the state: Detailed descriptions and full-color photos of edible plants Tips on finding, preparing, and using foraged foods Recipes suitable for the trail and at home Botanical terms and diagrams complete with an illustrated bibliography Distribution maps for every plant

Originally published: Practical guide to edible and useful plants. Austin, Tex.: Texas Monthly Press, c1987.

Designed as a light-weight and field-portable reference booklet, Wild Edible Plants of Texas, highlights the Lone Star State's most important edible wild plants. To the point and understandable, this guide best suits the prepper or outdoor enthusiast in need of a salient introduction to the field. No fluff. Just the facts. Each of the 62 entries are comprised of the following sections: Range and Habitat, Edible Uses, Medicinal Uses (when applicable), Cautions, and Special Notes. Both common and scientific names are listed. Over 100 color photos assist in identification and in many cases showcase each plant's choice edible part. Every profile is assigned a Texas-only location map and a seasonal guide on the best harvesting time. A general index is included as are a dozen photos of the state's poisonous plants. Some of the entries have a greater-than Texas range, however many are uniquely Texan and hail from a specific region. West Texas' Chihuahuan Desert, the Hill Country of the Edwards Plateau, the Plains of the Panhandle, and the Piney Woods and Swamplands of the state's Coastal Plain all are botanically represented. Plant List: Agave, Algerita, Amaranth, Arrowhead, Bastard Cabbage, Black Cherry, Blackberry, Bumelia, Cattail, Cholla, Dayflower, Devil's Claw, Dewberry, Dock, Dwarf Palmetto, Elder, Flameflower, Graythorn, Ground Cherry, Hackberry, Hickory, Indian Strawberry, Jewels of Opar, Kudzu, Lambsquarters, Lemonade Berry, London Rocket, Lotus, Madrone, Mallow, Mesquite, Mulberry, Nettle, Oak, Passionflower, Pawpaw, Pecan, Pennywort, Persimmon, Pokeweed, Prickly Pear, Purslane, Redbud, Rusty Blackhaw, Sorrel, Sow Thistle, Spring Beauty, Sugarberry, Thistle, Turk's Cap, Walnut, Wild Gourd, Wild Grape, Wild Oats, Wild Onion, Wild Plum, Wild Sunflower, Winecup, Yaupon Holly, Yellow Nutsedge, Yucca (Fruit), and Yucca (Stalk).

Fully revised and updated, Edible Wild Plants highlights ninety of the most common and sought-after edible plant species in North America. Detailed illustrations and descriptions make it easy to identify plants in your backyard and beyond. Organized by family for easy identification, this is the essential source when you’re out in the field.

"A dazzling display of humanistic erudition, wit, and practical culinary advice. Ballerini's living herbarium reinitiates modern readers living in the concrete manswarm into the joys of foraging, gathering, and savoring herbs, flowers, and berries. Its wide-ranging historical context, a veritable documentary of poets and chroniclers of past and present, is a learned celebration of nature's bounty. Practical and flavorful recipes for each plant transport the 'weeds' from the field to the palate and enhance a narrative enriched by splendid complementary footnotes."—Albert Sonnenfeld, Series Director, Arts of the Table "Weeds indeed. A guide as witty as he is erudite, Luigi Ballerini has given us a remarkable compendium of the wild greens, along with their flowers and fruits, that people have foraged and eaten for millennia. Once the food of the poor, such ingredients are now in high demand. Gathering greens both familiar—such as mint or borage—and obscure—milk thistle and wallrocket—Ballerini draws upon a diverse cast of authors to attest or dispute their real or alleged medicinal powers. Just as important, he never neglects to suggest how they taste or to present fine recipes so that we can savor them for ourselves."—Carol Field, author of The Italian Baker "The scholar and poet Luigi Ballerini has given us a mouthwatering treasure of inventive Italian recipes for foraged wild plants adapted for the American locavore kitchen (including ten for borage alone, as well as nettle and purslane frittatas, and prickly pear risotto). This elegantly illustrated volume is peppered with humor and tastefully seasoned with a wealth of cultural, historical, and scientific sources and information. A Feast of Weeds is food for both the palate and the mind."—Jean-Claude Carron, University of California, Los Angeles