Description
From the Back Cover
Douglas Deur, a lifetime Northwest forager and specialist in Native American plant traditions, shares his insights and experiences, showing you what to look for, when and where to look, and how to gather in a responsible way. A seasonal guide for foraging year-round Detailed information for safe identification Suggestions for sustainable harvesting Tips on preparation and use
Product Description
“Doug Deur invites us to discover the taste and history of the Northwest.” —Spencer B. Beebe, author of Cache and founder of Ecotrust
The Pacific Northwest offers a veritable feast for foragers, and with Douglas Deur as your trusted guide you will learn how to safely find and identify an abundance of delicious wild plants. The plant profiles in Pacific Northwest Foraging include clear, color photographs, identification tips, guidance on how to ethically harvest, and suggestions for eating and preserving. A handy seasonal planner details which plants are available during every season. Thorough, comprehensive, and safe, this is a must-have for foragers in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.
Review
“Doug Deur invites us to discover the taste and history of the Northwest.” —Spencer B. Beebe, author of Cache: Creating Natural Economies and founder of Ecotrust
“I came to the Pacific Northwest because of the endless bounty of ingredients to cook with. This book opens my eyes to even more of the region’s edible wild treasures.” —Vitaly Paley, chef and owner of Paley’s Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner
“Pacific Northwest Foraging may change the way you see the world.” —Pacific Northwest Magazine
About the Author
Douglas Deur has been gathering native plants his whole life. He serves as a cultural ecologist for Native peoples of the western United States and Canada, documenting enduring plant use practices as well as the rituals, values, and technologies that have shaped traditional resource harvests and traditional understandings of the land. He is an associate research professor in the department of anthropology at Portland State University. He has also served as a senior research scientist in the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit in the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and as an adjunct professor of environmental studies at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. Much of his research is supported by the U.S. National Park Service and is used in the peaceful resolution of land-use disputes, as well as in land-use planning that serves to protect and restore culturally significant natural resources. Doug’s writings have appeared in books, academic journals, and alternative newspapers. With Nancy Turner, he coedited Keeping It Living: Traditions of Plant Use and Cultivation on the Northwest Coast of North America, the first book-length treatment of Native American plant cultivation traditions in the Pacific Northwest.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Preface
Growing up between Portland’s exurban fringe and Oregon’s wind-beaten north coast, I experienced a childhood that played out alongside the deep green backdrop of Northwestern native plants. My earliest memories involve crawling through patches of wild strawberries that my mother had transplanted and tended into a robust backyard groundcover. When, as a toddler, I needed to nap but resisted, my mother walked me through the Douglas-fir and cedar forest behind our home, asking me to identify each plant by name until fatigue set in and I drifted off to sleep, with visions of Oregon grape and wild lilies dancing in my head. We cut trails into the blackberry thicket tangles in summertime to find the biggest and juiciest berries. We scaled mountains, where we gathered wild onions and ate handfuls of huckleberries as we watched ravens and red-tailed hawks ride the thermals below. Academic confirmation of these landscape lessons came from unique venues: special wild food programs
Features
- Timber Press OR