Foraging the Mountain West… Book Review

Foraging the Mountain West… Book Review

“Foraging the Mountain West” by Thomas Elpel and Kris Reed. This is a very daunting undertaking and they have pulled  it off very well. The vast area that is covered is on its own a huge task and had to be a labor of love , mix that with the knowledge and we win. You the reader /student reap the reward of what this treasure has to offer. Covers the Rocky Mountains , west to the Sierra Nevadas, north to the Cascades, and emcompassing everything fro the valley bottoms to the mountain tops .

 Too hot , too cold, too windy, too wet, too dry , and too smoky , reflects the realities if the forager, a first field guide that fills that role. Uses a pattern-based approach to help you along the way.For instance there are about 55 species of gooseberries in North America, so  rather than featuring one or two species as separate entries they combine all gooseberries and currants in one description , with photos of multiple species to show the range of variation. and empowers  you to to recognize other species anywhere in North America.

 The book is overloaded with all color photos of excellent quality. Some could be a bit larger but all in all more han very good. Delves into foraging as a lifestyle and includes hunting and and the how to of preparing all the foods. Covers gleaning as well to add to your larder. Has a section called is it legal and covers road kill, dumpster diving and other methods of procuring food. Not only covers hunting but fishing as well.

 The chapter Hunting 101 Sticks rocks and spears is an added bonus for  many of us.

 I cannot recommend this work highly enough and Im not going to belabor you with all the fine things this work is offering , it is really a master of information for anyone who is interested in any  of the forms of foraging , this work covers it all. It richly deserves any and all platitudes. Learning how to harvest and being able to celebrate the abundance that nature has to offer is at your fingertips. The what,  where, when , why and how to gather the wild is waiting for you. As it says from the book “will help you dream in winter, cleanse in spring, forage in summer , and gorge in fall”. Dont let this book sit on a shelf or a table . Get out and use it. For those in California combining this book with Christopher Nyerges’ book “Foraging California” you have no excuse except to get  out and eat. Have fun.

 Tom Elpel is the author of “Botany in a Day” , “Participating in Nature” , among other fine work. His series the “Art of Nothing:” is a rare glance at what one can achieve once armed with the skills and knowledge put to use.

By Dude McLean, on November 26th, 2014