Wild Plants Books

The Emperor Wears No Clothes: The Authoritative Historical Record of Cannabis and the Conspiracy Against Marijuana

Jack Herer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The final word on marijuana and hemp ecology 5 out of 5 stars.
23 of 24 people found this review helpful.

Although some of the historical data can be called into question, the essential claims of this book remain unrefuted by the disinformation campaigns of the anti-marijuana lobby. Herer shatters cannabis myths; he shows, with hard data that: pot has absolutely no toxicity to human tissues; pot has anti-carcinogenic properties; the tar, although greater in proportion than tobacco, is completely water-soluble; smoking marijuana shortly after having a stroke prevents the swelling of the brain -- and consequently much of the brain damage and loss of function associated with strokes.

Great Legalization Pot Book 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful.

This is a very good legalization pot book and was one of the first to really break through the scene. There is lots of facts here to get through and lots of oddball type stories that you will enjoy. This is what makes the book unique. All these strange but true stories about hemp.

Some here are asking questions about the whole conclusions that Jack Herer draws. The truth is that he is confused about the difference between government modified Hemp, unmodified hemp and Drug based cannabis cultivars. If you really want to know more about those differences then you need a grow book. I recommend The Cannabis Grow Bible by Greg Green for that. It has an Issues section in the back that deals with these topics of question. But remember Jack Herer wrote this book in an era of information suppression and so it was hard to find out everything that he wanted to know.

This book has spawned countless other legalization books. Yes it does appear almost cartoonish or tabloidish but the facts are all here. In the end it is a very good book about pot laws and political corruption which asks all the right questions.

No one has ever died from using cannabis. That is not a bad fact to know at all.

Editorial Review:

Jack Herer has updated his authoritative history of hemp's myriad uses and of the war on this plant, just as it has become high-profile news, with supporters such as Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson. Herer thoroughly documents the petrochemical industry's plot to outlaw this renewable source of paper, energy, food, textiles, and medicine. Photos, illustrations & charts. 10 tables.

Stalking The Wild Asparagus

Euell Gibbons

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Forager at Work 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I was always interested in survival and eating wild foods and I tried several (with indifferent results) during my boy scout days. Thus, it was that "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" was a revelation to me when I first encountered it as a young man. Somebody else in the world was interested in eating wild plants! Quite a few somebodies, it developed, because this book ran through a lot of printings and Euell Gibbons became a folk hero and TV star.

Gibbons identifies and discusses the culinary virtues of about 50 different wild plants and animals. Among the familiar plants he identifies are dandelions, cattails -- the "supermarket of the swamp" -- and daylilies. He tosses in a few animals worthy of pursuit and ingestion by the modern day hunter/gatherer: bluegills, turtles, frogs, and carp. One is immediately impressed that Gibbons knows what he is talking about. He tells you what you need to do with the plant or animal, gives you a recipe or two for its preparation, and adds a bit of personal experience and folklore about the plant. He even gives you menus for wild-food feasts.

There is something of the primeval in the attraction of children to gathering their own food, even if is only raspberries growing beside a road. For a few, such as Gibbons, it becomes a lifelong passion. His strength as a writer is infectious enthusiasm. I usually find nature writers to be preachy and sanctimonious. Gibbons isn't. He seems impervious to the thought that he might be considered as crazy as a loon (not one of the animals he proposes for eating). He can say with a perfectly straight face, "Let's go nutting."

"Stalking the Wild Asparagus" has found a permanent place on my bookshelf and due recognition as a nature classic.

Smallchief

Editorial Review:

Euell Gibbons was one of the few people in this country to devote a considerable part of his life to the adventure of “living off the land.” He sought out wild plants all over North America and made them into delicious dishes. His book includes recipes for vegetable and casserole dishes, breads, cakes, muffins and twenty different pies. He also shows how to make numerous jellies, jams, teas, and wines, and how to sweeten them with wild honey or homemade maple syrup.

Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide

Thomas Elias, Peter Dykeman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A 'must' for people interested in edible wild plants 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

My only regret about this book is that it isn't longer!

The plants are organized by season, and every plant has a small map to show what regions it grows in. There is a very nice, good sized picture of each plant, and most of them are in color. Information is also provided about harvesting, how to prepare the plant, and poisonous look alikes, if any.

The plants are listed by their common names, but the latin names are listed as well. Plants can be located by either name in the index.

If you are interested in edible wild plants, this book is a great value for a reasonable price.

Editorial Review:

“Season-by-season guide to identification, harvest, and preparation of more than 200 common edible plants to be found in the wild....Hundreds of edible species are included....[This] handy paperback guide includes jelly, jam, and pie recipes, a seasonal key to plants, [and a] chart listing nutritional contents.”—Booklist. “[Five hundred] beautiful color photographs...temptingly arranged.”—The Library Letter

A Dyer's Garden: From Plant to Pot: Growing Dyes for Natural Fibers

Rita Buchanan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great for re-enactors 4 out of 5 stars.
47 of 48 people found this review helpful.

I particularly recommend this book as a visual source for historical re-enactors.

Too often there are descriptions of what dye-plants were used to color garments, but, no examples of what those colors would look like. This book provides clear, vivid color photos on a whole range of dye-plants grown during pre-medieval, medieval, Colonial, and later times. Additionally, it shows the same dye used on different fibers, sometimes with different mordants (fixers). Fiber samples include linen, wool, silk, and cotton.

I recommend this book to people interested in making clothing from "modern" material...it gives them the best opprotunity possible to try to find close color-matches. Alternately, it provides solid information to dye cloth by hand.

Also, the low price can't be beat!

Editorial Review:

Touching on the history and nature of dye plants, this comprehensive guide walks readers through a garden season from design to planting to harvesting for the dyepot, discussing 18 dye plants in detail.

Sunflowers

Joe Pappalardo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Air & Space magazine editor Pappalardo forms a touching relationship with a preternatural plant.

The author's self-confessed obsession with sunflowers, coupled with an inquisitive mind, combine in a book about the plant's history and cultural impact that's full of interesting asides and little-known facts. Pappalardo gives credit to some of the lesser-known names who have championed the colorful flower's many and varied uses. He charts the sunflower's discovery and gradual integration into various industries, outlining some historical instances in which these flowers have reared their pretty heads. One indelible image, from the German invasion of Russia in 1941, shows opposing tanks cutting down great swathes of sunflowers as they lumber into battle in the fields of Kursk. Pappalardo even makes a connection between sunflowers and the activities of Osama bin Laden, who owned a company in the Sudan that controlled most of the country's exports of sunflower-related products. These stories neatly counterbalance chapters on the plant's history, which introduce characters such as Charles Heiser, the "godfather of sunflower research"; Vasilii Stepanovich Pustovoit, whose breeding and manipulation of sunflower seeds helped give them greater oil content, thus laying the foundations for a lucrative industry; and Peter the Great, who may or may not have been responsible for introducing the plant to Russia, thus dramatically influencing its future economy. In fact, Russia is central to all sunflower-related activity, according to the author, who spends a large portion of the book examining the evolution of the country's sunflower-oil industry. Fans of Mark Kurlansky's Salt (2002) should find much to enjoy here; Pappalardo demonstrates a similar dramatic flair as he makes a strong case for the sunflower's grip on humanity.

Enjoyable and eye-opening. Kirkus Reviews

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Best of the Bunch 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs is the best of the bunch. It gives a bounty of information on each of the many herbs listed: origin, uses, cultivation, lore, and much more. The illustrations, both drawings and color photos, are superb. The book does contain errors; it says, for example, that sassafras extracts are carcinogenic. But on the whole this book excels.

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book has almost every herb you can think of with sugesstions on how to grow them and use them. It's awesome.

Bset Herb Book. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I love this book. Not only does it tell you all about the herb it tells you what food it go's well with. I bought this book for my daughter when she started to grow her own herbs.

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A truly informative herbal book. The uses for herbs are endless. I enjoy the quick reference this book provides.

BEST all-round reference, on herbs! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I have been in the herb plant business for 28 years, and find this to be the best general reference for herbs, especially for customers. I took it to farmers markets, where I was a vendor, and customers could look up recipes, cultural intructions, soil and growing tips, plus the wonderful color pictures. This book has always held a prominant spot in my herb books library. Sidebars--such as "chefs' tips","soil requirements",etc. One of the best publications from Rodale Press. (Multiple contributors.)

Editorial Review:

How to grow herbs, design herb gardens, cook with herbs, make herb dyes and herb medicines--it's all here. This extensively researched A-to-Z encyclopedia describes more than 150 herbs and their uses.

Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally

Robert Kourik

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

good introduction to plant root growth 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Roots Demystified: Change Your Gardening Habits to Help Roots Thrive, by Robert Kourik.

A good introductory book to the growth of tree, shrub, and plant roots. Has some material on other things that grow in the soil that interact with roots, and some basic soil science, including a brief chapter on fungus and symbiotic relationships. There are sections on vegetables, shrubs, and trees, how their roots grow and differ, with good planting and care advice. If you have other books with sections on roots, there is little new here. If not, it is a good book to start with. It has a good reference section of current books that we can actually purchase or borrow.

I have read the book, and thumbed through it several times more, and I am still not sure what the author's recommendation for changing my gardening habits to is, there does not seem to be a conclusion or summary. I think, I may be wrong, that he recommends double digging if the soil is poor or compacted, then move on to compost, mulch, and shallow tilling only.

The book is recommended by John Jevons, the "Grow Biointensive" double digging proponent, and it often mentions Ruth Stout, the no dig no work gardening advocate of thick mulching. He draws on the work of John Weaver in the 1920's and 30's, which is good, as Weaver's books are not readily available.

All in all a good book, easy to read presented with a dry sense of humor, solid information, a book I may go back to read again for inspiration, and a bit of reference.

Editorial Review:

Roots Demystified, explains simple solutions about growing healthy roots and, thereby, healthier plants. The book explores the subterranean part of every gardener’s world, revealing how roots really grow while dispelling myths such as where most gardeners apply water, mulch, and fertilizer or compost. This is the first and only book in print for gardeners with such an extensive number of illustrations of garden and orchard roots. The roots covered are: lawns, prairies, shrubs, vegetables, fruit trees, and native and ornamental trees. Practical tips for how a gardener might use this new information to create more abundant vegetables, better lawns and sturdier trees and shrubs are offered with each of the 70 illustrations. Roots Demystified also describes several ways to garden without turning the soil—no-till and surface cultivation—a plus for aging baby-boomers.

Economic Botany: Plants in Our World (McGraw-Hill International Editions)

Beryl Brintnall Simpson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Comprehensive 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

This book is a comprehensive introduction to the botany of economically important plants. Approximately half the book is devoted to food plants, with separate chapters for temperate fruits, tropical fruits, grains, legumes, and vegetables. In each of these chapters, a basic botanical description is provided for each major crop as well as snippets of information about this history or culture usage of the crop. The remainder of the book covers non-food uses of plants, with chapters devoted to spices, herbs, and perfumes; vegetable oils and waxes; hydrogels, latexes, and resins; medicinal plants; psychoactive drugs and poisons; stimulating beverages; alcoholic beverages; fibers, dyes, and tannins; wood, cork, and bamboo; ornamental plants; and economically important uses of algae. The text, especially in the later chapters, also explains how the plants are processed to form the finally product and includes numerous diagrams as well as pictures. The book includes suggested readings, a glossary, and an index, but it does not have study questions. The authors note that they saved money by not using any color photos, since they are so readily available on the Internet, but it would have been nice to point readers to specific sites to view such pictures if they so wished.

Overall, the text is fairly complete, although there are a few omissions and sloppy errors. For example, I was quite puzzled over lack of coverage of the entire ribes family in the temperate fruits section. Perhaps currants and gooseberries aren't well known in the US today, but they were in the past, and they are certainly important in Europe. In the vegetable section, the authors note that spinach is a good source of folic acid and they suggest that "It may have been the folic acid . . . as well as the iron that helped give Popeye his energy." Unfortunately, they didn't critically examine spinach as a source of iron; it is well known today that many other vegetables have much more iron and that the iron in spinach is not as readily absorbable as that found in other vegetables. Such cursory treatment will ensure that readers who are not aware of the limited value of spinach as a source of iron will continue to be misinformed. Rather than treating such subjects so briefly, it would have been better to set the facts straight. In addition to these minor problems, there were a few strange typos that should have been caught, especially in a third edition, such as "Uzbeckistan", and mis-converting Celsius to Fahrenheit "Deciduous trees on the south and west sides . . . reduce temperatures as much as 5 C to 5.5 C (41 to 42 F) inside." Wow! Those are some trees!

Aside from these small limitations, the book might be useful as a textbook for an undergraduate economic botany class. It might also be of interest to garden enthusiasts, although it's rather dry reading.

Editorial Review:

Written for the introductory-level course in Economic Botany, this edition offers more emphasis on key topics like biotechnology and ethnobotany.

OF PLANTS AND PEOPLE

Jr., Charles, B. Heiser

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Editorial Review:

"This book is a fascinating collection of essays about the interactions of plants and people. Twelve chapters deal with individual plants or groups of plants and one with the origins of agriculture....This is a well-written, easily readable text by a leading economic botanist."-Brittonia "Through study of these examples, we gain insight into the probable early stages of plant domestication. Written by an experienced field botanist, in a nontechnical, easy style, this book brings field botany alive."-Library Journal

Wild Edible Plants of New England: A Field Guide, Including Poisonous Plants Often Encountered

Joan Richardson

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