Teaching experience: Over 40 years
Primary region: New England
Website
Website: Eat Wild
Website pages include a bio of Russ Cohen, schedule of edible wild plant walks/courses, foraging articles, recipes and information on the following book.
Book
Wild Plants I Have Known…and Eaten
Written by Russ Cohen, illustrations by Stephanie Letendre
Copyright 2004
Published by Essex County Greenbelt Association
Table of Contents includes:
- Part One – The Basics
- Whetting Your Wild Appetite
- Why Forage?
- Where to Forage
- When to Forage
- Part Two – More Useful Information
- Wild Foods Commercialism
- Wild Edibles for Survival?
- Is It Safe to Eat Wild Foods?
- Other Safety Issues
- Foraging by or with Children
- Conservation Ethics
- Endangered and Invasive Plants
- Wildlife Food Supplies
- A Final Word of Advice
- Part Three – Plant Profiles and Recipes
- Stinging Nettle
- Japanese Knotweed
- Sassafras
- Black Locust
- Groundnut
- Cattail
- Pokeweed
- Milkweed
- Juneberry
- Staghorn Sumac
- Shagbark Hickory
- Autumn Olive
- Jerusalem Artichoke
- Barberries
- Part Four – Tasty Tidbits about More Wild Edibles
- Beach Peas
- Beach Plum
- Burdock
- Calamus
- Carrion Flower
- Catnip
- Chickweed
- Chicory
- Curled Dock
- Dame’s Rocket
- Dandelions
- Day Lilies
- Elderberry
- Evening Primrose
- Ground Cherry
- Jewelweed
- Lambs Quarters
- Mulberry
- Ox-Eye Daisy
- Partridgeberry
- Pineappleweed
- Sheep Sorrel
- Violets
- White Oak Acorn
- Wild Grapes
- Wild Lettuce
- Wintercress
Review: Cohen presents excellent introductory material in Parts 1 and 2. For each plant in Part 3, he provides common and scientific plant names, and proceeds to explain how to identify the plant, harvest it and prepare it for cooking and/or eating. Cohen concludes each chapter with one or two recipes — with detailed cooking instructions — for that plant. The plants within Part 4 each receive briefer treatment without a related recipe. This easy-to-read book includes a bibliography, a New England edible wild plants checklist and rarity ranking, and two charts showing when to pick wild edible plants in New England.
Available from: The Essex County Greenbelt Association office at (978) 768-7241. You can also purchase the book securely over the Web at Greenbelt’s on-line store.