Page 77 - Spring 2019 Journal

All Thumbs Book Reviews
Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants By Samuel Thayer
Forager’s Harvest
With spring just around the corner (at least as I write this review!), my thoughts always turn back to fresh, local foods: what we grow on our farm, what will come into season from other lo- cal farmers and also, what we will forage from our land. There has been a dramatic increase in attention to foraging over the past decade, leading to the resurgence of many previously lesser-known foods—foods like purslane, leeks and many types of mushrooms—but also to the rediscovery of the fact that many so-called “weeds” and other often unwanted plants are actually meals waiting to happen.
Thayer is one of the best at teaching people to appreciate these wild, traditional foods. His book starts off on a humorous note—instead of a disclaimer, Thayer gives us a claimer. In an age where many authors write poorly researched, often shoddily fact-checked works, Thayer stands behind his book 100 percent.
He then moves on to important introduc- tory matters—where and why to forage, along with how to do so responsibly. The latter is a very important matter, as successful native cul- tures that relied on traditional foods were very careful to collect them in ways that preserved and enhanced the food supplies they depended upon. Those who neglected proper harvesting paid a heavy price, and if we are not careful, we run the risk of doing the same (and, in some respects, we are already paying the price). The point is that foraging done right, like farming done right, enhances rather than harms the en- vironment. Thus, anyone getting into foraging needs to learn the rules and methods for differ- ent forageable foods.
One of the main rules is knowing the right part of plants to harvest—namely, the meri- stems. Meristems are where growth occurs in plants, and thus, they are the most edible and enjoyable parts. Meristems govern almost all foraging, so Thayer takes the time to explain what they are, what they look like and why they matter.
From there, Thayer gives an overview of
BOOK REVIEWS IN Wise Traditions
The Weston A. Price Foundation receives two or three books per week, all of course seeking a Thumbs Up review.
What are the criteria we use for choosing a book to review, and for giving a Thumbs Up?
• First and foremost, we are looking for books that add to the WAPF message. Dietary advice should incorporate the WAPF guidelines while adding new insights, new discoveries and/or new therapies.
• We are especially interested in books on the fat-soluble vitamins, traditional food preparation methods and healing protocols based on the WAPF dietary principles.
• We look for consistency. If you talk about toxins in vaccines in one part of your book but say you are not against vaccines in another part of your book, or praise fat in your text but include recipes featuring lean meat, we are unlikely to review it.
• We do not like to give Thumbs Down reviews. If we do not agree with the major tenets expounded in a book sent to us, we will just not review it. However, we feel that we have an obligation to point out the problems in influential or bestselling books that peddle misinformation, and for these we will give a negative review. We also will give a negative review to any book that misrepresents the findings of Weston A. Price.
• If you want us to review your book, please do not send it as an email attachment. Have the courtesy to send us a hard copy book or a printout of your ebook or manuscript in a coil binding.
SPRING 2019
Wise Traditions 75