Foraging wild foods is a hands-on journey that requires the right resources. My guidance has come from botanical teachers, field guides, plant keys, and the inspiration from other wild foodies’ experiences. My knowledge of wild foods has come from direct interaction with the plants that live near and far from my home in the Central Colorado Rockies. Here is a list of references I have used in the past, resources I suggest you check out, and plant guides to help you in your identifications.
Elpel, Thomas. Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification. Pony, MT: HOPS Press, 1996.
Elpel, Thomas. Foraging the Mountain West. Pony, MT: HOPS Press, 2014.
Kershner, Bruce. National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America. New York: Sterling Publishing, 2008.
Lesica, Peter. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: Brit Press, 2012.
Marrone, Teresa. Cooking with Wild Berries and Fruits of the Rocky Mountain States. Cambridge, NM: Adventure Publications, 2012.
Moore, Michael. Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West. Santa Fe: Museum of New Mexico Press, 2003.
Morgan, Liz Brown. Foraging the Rocky Mountains: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods in the Rockies. Guilford, CT: Morris Book Publishing, 2013.
Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants: Alaska, Western Canada, the Northwest. Bothell, WA: Alaska Northwest Books, 1989.
Seebeck, Cattail Bob. Best-tasting Wild Plants of Colorado and the Rockies. Englewood, CO: Westcliffe Publishers, 1998.
Seebeck, Cattail Bob. Survival Plants of Colorado. Drake, CO: Cattail Publishing, 2012.
Thayer, Samuel. Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Wild Edible Plants. Birchwood, WI: Forager’s Harvest, 2010.
Thayer, Samuel. The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants. Ogema, WI: Forager’s Harvest, 2006.
Weber, William, and Ronald Wittmann. Colorado Flora: Western Slope. Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 2001.
Williamson, Darcy. The Rocky Mountain Wild Foods Cookbook. Caldwell, ID: Caxton Press, 2011.