Personal Information:
Leesa Joiner
ljoATmidmaine(dot)com
Southwestern Maine
41 years old
Female
5'7" (1.7 M)
150 lb. (68 kg)

Product Information:
Peterson Field Guides
Edible Wild Plants
Eastern/Central North America
by Lee Allen Peterson
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/
Price $19.00
(the book is not available directly from Petersons)

Background:

      My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one day hikes, to two week trips.  My experience hiking began with my father, when I was about 6 years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. During cold weather, I backpack, hike, snow shoe, cross-country ski, go ice fishing and winter camp with friends and family.  Although I am not an lightweight backpacker, I am trying to `lighten up' and even have converted to using a hammock while camping.  I enjoy both looking for wild edible plants while hiking and  eating well while outdoors.  Sometimes these two 'hobbies' are intertwined.

Review:

    One of the things I enjoy about hiking is looking at plants along the way.  I have recently become interested in edible wild plants.    This book has been a huge help in identifying edible plants. It contains information on 370 plants, including 400 clear line drawings and 80 color pictures.   The descriptions of each plant include information on habitat, parts of plant that are useful, uses and preparation suggestions.  The book is divided into 5 main categories: Flowering Plants, Woody Plants, Miscellaneous Plants, Finding Edible Plants and Food Uses.  There is also information on Poisonous Plants, Conservation and Maps of areas covered.  
     It is easy to cross-reference plants- for instance, if you come across a tall, loosely branched plant with yellow flowers on the roadside, you could look in the section about flowering plants.  You would then turn to the subsection on yellow flowered plants.  You then can scan through the drawings until you find the plant that most resembles what you found.  There you could read the description and decide if it fits the information given.  The description would then tell you that you had found Sweet Yellow Clover, whose young leaves can be used like spinach, either fresh in salad, or cooked for a short time.  The seeds can be used as a seasoning and the dried, crushed leaves can be used as a vanilla like flavoring.  The plant provides protein, which would make it useful on a hike.
     Another useful method of searching, is to look at the section that describes the area you are hiking.  If you were to look in the section on Boreal Woods, such as found around the Upper Great Lakes, and Northern New England, you would find information on plants common to those areas.   The information is divided then by season.   The listing of plants is then cross-referenced back to the main description.  
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A sample entry-Mints
Mentha spp.
Familiar aromatic plants with square stems,   paired leaves and small lipped flowers clustered in leaf axils or terminal spikes. A variety of aromatic mints throughout our area: all are potential teas: 4 species shown.  Use: Tea, flavoring. the fresh or dried leaves make an excellent tea when steeped in hot water for 5-10 minutes.   They can also be used to flavor jellies, sauces, dressings, drinks. - Summer    Flowers-June- October
found- wet places, meadows, stream banks.   Throughout our area
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    When we first received this book, we were able to identify plants in our woods, and make a salad just from what we gathered.   We have since learned to identify and learn the uses of many edible plants.  We have made Cattail pollen pancakes (which are very high in protein), cooked the young shoots like asparagus and in dutch oven casserole type dishes.   Nettles, while difficult to handle, the leaves are a great addition to soups, and make a very nourishing tea.   The leaves of many plants are good for a quick refresher on the trail.  Wintergreen is especially good, as are any of the mints.   We commonly use sorrels, chickweed, pineapple weed and daylily buds.  I have used this book in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, eastern Massachusetts and northeastern Ohio.  
     This book provides very clear identification information and warnings regarding poisonous look-alikes.   I highly recommend it.  The only negative comment would be that it is paperback and the cover is not going to last much longer!