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tdt1989's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Great little pocket guide for free food. Take it with me everywhere, this and the mushroom guide.
astrangewind's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
I am a lover of informational textbook-like guides with full-page illustrations, so it's natural I'd gravitate toward Food for Free. Each plant, mushroom, and animal covered in this book has its information provided in short vignettes, to include helpful identification hints and relevant recipes or eating suggestions. These vignettes are further broken up with photos, making this book very ADHD-friendly; it's something I can read and enjoy even when I have just 5 minutes of free time. I do appreciate that Mabey assuages fears of foraging not by claiming that it's 100% safe, but by instead providing a reliable, scientific approach to such fears. Although Mabey writes about species in Britain, many of the species in the book can be extrapolated to, at the very least, North America, with some imagination. (For example, his recipes and information on acorns are relevant to other species of oak as well, not just British ones.)
However, I wouldn't call this a complete guide, as the subtitle may suggest. In each section, identification details are included in bold before moving on to other information, but it is difficult to visualize these details when they are written. Yes, photos are included for most species included in this book, but Mabey does make a point that a forager should not use these photos as a sole identifier. Mabey even writes at some point that this book should not, in fact, be used as a complete guide to foraging at all.
Mabey includes several poisonous species, as well, and I believe that all of them are included because of their similarity to other edible species. These species are marked very clearly and obviously as "poisonous." These inclusions make sense, given that a beginner forager could make a serious & deadly mistake, but the organization of them is confusing. Some of the poisonous species are included on the same page as edible species, and so are their photos; as the photos are not captioned, and are only referenced in the species' paragraphs, it can be hard to differentiate which photo belongs to which species at first glance. On these pages, it can also be unclear whether the non-poisonous species are actually edible; in some cases, no information on that is provided.
As an informational book with a lot of interesting information, weird recipes, and pretty pictures, this book knocks it out of the park. Before reading, I was hoping for sound foraging or identification information, but unfortunately, that's not what this book provides, even though its subtitle suggests that.
However, I wouldn't call this a complete guide, as the subtitle may suggest. In each section, identification details are included in bold before moving on to other information, but it is difficult to visualize these details when they are written. Yes, photos are included for most species included in this book, but Mabey does make a point that a forager should not use these photos as a sole identifier. Mabey even writes at some point that this book should not, in fact, be used as a complete guide to foraging at all.
Mabey includes several poisonous species, as well, and I believe that all of them are included because of their similarity to other edible species. These species are marked very clearly and obviously as "poisonous." These inclusions make sense, given that a beginner forager could make a serious & deadly mistake, but the organization of them is confusing. Some of the poisonous species are included on the same page as edible species, and so are their photos; as the photos are not captioned, and are only referenced in the species' paragraphs, it can be hard to differentiate which photo belongs to which species at first glance. On these pages, it can also be unclear whether the non-poisonous species are actually edible; in some cases, no information on that is provided.
As an informational book with a lot of interesting information, weird recipes, and pretty pictures, this book knocks it out of the park. Before reading, I was hoping for sound foraging or identification information, but unfortunately, that's not what this book provides, even though its subtitle suggests that.
constantin's review against another edition
5.0
It is fascinating to consider how many things you can simply pick up and eat in the wild.
I am thinking of buying a second copy of this pocketbook to have in my bag for every time that I go out in the woods, just so I can pick up some of the things mentioned and try them out.
A great thing about this book is that it does not only tell which things are edible but also provides full detailed recipes on how to cook them. From basic soups to Elizabethan style candy!
I am thinking of buying a second copy of this pocketbook to have in my bag for every time that I go out in the woods, just so I can pick up some of the things mentioned and try them out.
A great thing about this book is that it does not only tell which things are edible but also provides full detailed recipes on how to cook them. From basic soups to Elizabethan style candy!
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