Herrera - The front yard forager: identifying, collecting, and cooking the 30 most common urban weeds in urban North America

The

Front Yard Forager

The

Front Yard Forager

Identifying, Collecting,
and Cooking the
30 Most Common
Urban Weeds

MELANY VORASS HERRERA

DEDICATION

With tremendous affection and gratitude
to my husband, Carlos Herrera,
for his constant love, support, encouragement,
and wise counsel.

Copyright 2013 by Melany Vorass Herrera

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by Skipstone, an imprint of The Mountaineers Books

Printed in the United States of America

16 15 14 13 5 4 3 2 1

Copy Editor: Kris Fulsaas

Design: Jane Jeszeck, Jigsaw / www.jigsawseattle.com

All photographs by author unless credited otherwise.

Cover photographs: clockwise from top left: Wild Fennel Cookies; wild carrot flowers; the author foraging in her neighborhood

(Photo by Celia Mart Herrera); shotweed.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Herrera, Melany Vorass.

The front yard forager : identifying, collecting, and cooking the 30 most common urban weeds in urban North America / by Melany Vorass Herrera. 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-59485-747-8 (trade paper : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-59485-748-5 (ebook)

1. WeedsUnited StatesIdentification. 2. WeedsNorth AmericaIdentification. 3. Wild plants, EdibleUnited States. 4. Wild plants, EdibleNorth America. 5. Urban plantsUnited States. 6. Urban plantsNorth America. 7. Cooking (Wild foods) I. Title.

SB612.A2V67 2013

581.652dc23

2013005372

ISBN (paperback): 978-1-59485-747-8

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-59485-748-5

Skipstone books may be purchased for corporate, educational, or other promotional sales.

For special discounts and information, contact our Sales Department at 800-553-4453 or .

Skipstone

1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201

Seattle, Washington 98134

206.223.6303

www.skipstonebooks.org

www.mountaineersbooks.org

CONTENTS

This book is not intended as a substitute for professional advice or your own good judgment. Foraging for any foods requires significant care and knowledge. Prevailing rules and regulations should be adhered to in any beach, park, city, county, state, or federal lands that you visit. The publisher and author are not responsible for any adverse consequences resulting directly or indirectly from information contained in this book.

INTRODUCTION: A Passion for Weeds

The fields and hills are a table constantly spread.

Henry David Thoreau

I ve enjoyed foraging for wild foods as far back as I can remember, and Ive long had a fondness for the pleasant countenance of a weed. Though I occasionally found opportunities to combine these interests, I was familiar with only a handful of edible weeds and didnt eat them regularly.

But when Katrina, a category 3 hurricane, hit the Gulf Coast, I read many stories about victims suffering from lack of food, stories often accompanied by photos of people surrounded by edible urban weeds. The stories and photos gave me pause. While I tend not to worry incessantly about natural disasters, I do live in an area prone to major earth-quakes, a couple of which Ive experienced. Geologists tell us the Pacific Northwest is overdue for a massive quake. What would happen if Seattle were cut off from the rest of the world for a couple of weeks, I wondered. Would I be able to take care of myself and my loved ones? And so began my interest in urban foraging.