Author: Jim Meuninck
Illustrator/Photographer: Not Listed
So this is officially the best of the three different edible plant books I’ve reviewed. It’s funny, I didn’t purposely review them in order, but it ended up being that way. I couldn’t find a single thing I didn’t like about this book. The only downsides are that it’s heavier than the other two, and not as region specific, but that is good news for any readers who don’t live in the Pacific Northwest.
Here are all the pro’s, and there are a bunch:
The structure of the book itself is really well done. It is nicely divided by region and type of area, eastern forest, wetlands, meadows etc. Each individual plant entry includes well organized sub sections including traditional and modern medicinal uses, recipes, gardening tips, precautions and information about toxicity, wildlife and veterinary issues and uses. Semi-gloss means semi-water resistant.
Even though the book is primarily for medicinal purposes it has a lot of information about which plants are edible and ways to prepare them. As far as the medicinal uses go it also discusses how to prepare different remedies, including recipes but also descriptions of how to make tinctures, poultices, decoctions etc. It has really excellent photos, and provided photos of poisonous counterparts alongside the correct one, increasing the probability of correct identification. I also straight up love the information on wildlife and veterinary uses! Yes, I totally want to know what plant I can use to suture my dog! Unfortunately I forgot to write it down so I’ll have to wait till I actually purchase the book instead of borrowing it so I can look through and bookmark the page.
$9.49+ Via Amazon
