The Wild Foodies of Philly
   In search of the food beneath our feet!

WILD PLANT INFORMATION SOURCES!

Check multiple sources to identify & research the edibility & preparation of wild food sources.  There are differences of opinion and errors in some sources of information, so stay cautious and keep an open mind.

GUIDE BOOKS, WEBSITES, & VIDEOS:

BEST WEBSITES OVER-ALL ONLINE SOURCES:

• Plants For A Future - https://pfaf.org (This is probably the best online source of all uses of plants, worldwide list, compact info, but usually only one photo per plant.)  USES: https://pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=305
• Eat The Weeds, The Green Deane - http://www.eattheweeds.com (Great source of info combined with history of plants plus interesting anecdotes.)
• Wikipedia - has a great deal of good information in (just type in name of plant in general search box). Also check out: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Wild-Edible-Plants & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_with_edible_leaves 

BEST WEBSITES FOR PHOTOS & BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS:

• Foraging Texas - http://www.foragingtexas.com Also author of the Idiot's Guide to Foraging (see below)
• Northern Bushcraft - http://northernbushcraft.com/plants/index.htm
• Edible Wild Food - http://www.ediblewildfood.com/edible-weeds.aspx 
• Eat The Planet - www.EatThePlanet.org (includes bugs and mushrooms)

MORE WEBSITES:

• FreeFoodAndMedicine.com
• Army manual - http://www.readyforanythingnow.com/Survival%20Manual/09.htm and http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/MILITARY/united_states_army_fm_21-76%20-%205_june_1992%20-%20part05.pdf 
• Wildman Steve Brill - https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com
• Hank Shaw - https://honest-food.net/foraging-wild-greens-edible
• John Kallas and Wild Food Adventures http://wildfoodadventures.com
• A Modern Herbal by Mrs. Grieves https://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/comindx.html (lots of info from 1931, drawings)
• http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Plant_Families_Index.html 
   

TOP BOOKS for wild edible plants: Some of these books have recipes that include ingredients that are not the healthiest choice. Also, Foraging.com has a really long list of books

• (My favorite!) Eat The Weeds: A Forager's Guide to Identifying and Harvesting 274 Wild Foods - https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Weeds-Identify-Harvest-Foods/dp/164755179X
• The Forager's Guide to Wild Food by Nicole Apelian - 400 Plants across North America, including mushrooms! https://guidetowildfoods.com/book/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk8OmgIXq8QIVTmxvBB131Q1WEAMYASAAEgJxVvD_BwE
• Idiot's Guide to Foraging - good photos and descriptions - https://www.amazon.com/Idiots-Guides-Foraging-Mark-Vorderbruggen/dp/1615648895
• Northeast Foraging, Leda Meredith, http://ledameredith.com/good-bye-brooklyn-and-hello-northeast-foraging
• Foraging Pennsylvania and New Jersey: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods by Debbie Naha-Koretzky https://www.amazon.com/Foraging-Pennsylvania-Finding-Identifying-Preparing/dp/1493056271/ref=sr_1_1  /  https://wildediblesnjpa.com
• Ancestral Plants, Arthur Haines, http://www.arthurhaines.com/ancestral-plants
• Edible Wild Plants, A North American Field Guide, by Thomas S. Elias and Peter A. Dykeman, 1990 (traditional style field guide with lots of color photos) https://www.amazon.com/Edible-Wild-Plants-American-Natural/dp/1402767153
• Samuel Thayer's books - https://www.foragersharvest.com (fewer photos than A North American Field Guide, but more information)
  • Foragers Harvest
  • Incredible Wild Edibles
• Wildman Steve Brill's books - https://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Store/item86/home
  • Shoots and Greens of Early Spring in Northeastern North America
  • Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants

OTHER BOOKS:

• The Encyclopedia of Edible Plants of North America:1998 by Francois Couplan, (good information, poor drawings, no photos) http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Edible-Plants-North-America/dp/0879838213  http://www.couplan.com/index_eng.htm
• Native American Ethnobotany by Daniel E. Moerman - massive dictionary, lots of information, very repetitive, and no photos or drawings. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/648279.Native_American_Ethnobotany
• Euell Gibbons' books - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euell_Gibbons
• https://commonsensehome.com/wildcrafting-books

VIDEOS:

Alexis Nikole Nelson is a foraging expert who shares tips of the trade through social media.

https://grist.org/fix/this-tiktok-star-makes-foraging-a-fun-and-revolutionary-practice/

• Alexis Nikole Nelson on TikTok 
• Alexis Nikole Nelson on Twitter 
• Alexis Nikole Nelson on Instagram 
• Alexis Nikole Nelson's channel on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi_dU1Q9LVo&ab_channel=BlackForager

COOKBOOKS & FERMENTATION: (under construction)

• Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi; illustrated by Wendy Hollender.www.botanicalartspress.com. http://www.botanicalartspress.com/about-foraging-feasting

• Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz, https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Fermentation-Flavor-Nutrition-Live-Culture/dp/1603586288/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1481989775&sr=8-1&keywords=wild+fermentation&linkCode=sl1&tag=wilfoo-20&linkId=34924cdf740aa87b689639c74bcb7872 

• http://urbanoutdoorskills.com

EDIBLE FLOWERS

MUSHROOMS

OTHER USES --

MEDICINAL PLANT (Wild Foodies link)

FIBER, CORDAGE, BASKETS ETC:

• http://www.wildfoodies.org/Fiber.htm
• http://www.primitiveways.com/cordage_in_North_America.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Fiber_plants  
• http://www.pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=48  
• Baskets from Nature's Bounty: http://www.amazon.com/Baskets-Natures-Bounty-Elizabeth-Jensen/dp/0934026696  
• Miscellaneous: natural toothbrushes from trees - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teeth_cleaning_twig

DYES:

• https://recyclenation.com/2015/04/how-to-make-dyes-paints-from-plants

REPELLENTS:  

• Mosquito repellent:  http://scholarsimpact.com/english/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/011.pdf Also, Chamomile, Pineappleweed, and any Mint.

• There are many plants that have pest repelling properties. You might try planting these in or around your home to keep the mice away: any type of mint, amaryllis, sweet pea, lavender, daffodils, wood hyacinth (or squill), grape hyacinth, alliums, catnip, camphor plant, elderberry, euphorbias, and wormwood.* Oak and bay leaves are also known to repel rodents. Planting any of these outside your home is a good way to deter mice and rats from coming into your house. You may also make sachets out of the leaves of some of these plants to use in drawers and closets, especially mint, bay and lavender. https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/plants-repel-mice/#:~:text=You%20might%20try%20planting%20these,also%20known%20to%20repel%20rodents.