Yeah, the garlic is everywhere. I actually live next to Clifty Falls State Park. There's a nature center run by DNR and volunteers as well as plenty of trail area. The main attraction in the park is the steeeeep drop the streams leading to the Ohio have to make down to the Ohio River. This is the main part of the park, but on the eastern end you can, although there are no marked trails, get a feel for what a high, woodland forrest area looks like in Indiana. One of my prominent thoughts yesterday was how nature and animals are connected and grow each other. "Animals like deer worship berries, nuts, and edible greens they can stoop down and reach, while humans, at least in these parts, worship the god of trees / sun (we are tree people, no?) and the hunt / moon as well". Light powers it all and works on so many levels of energy from humans down to tree moss. One thing I was going to ask about was this crazy looking mushroom spawn. In a deer clearing on the hills I noticed a single tree that had these tiny, white toadstool mushrooms ALL OVER the trunk. Most of the other vegetation around that tree had, long ago, been cleared out or something. I was reminded of what Paul Stamets says about mushrooms and their programmed similarity to string theory, because these mushrooms singularity rule seemed to help this tree alone... instead of promoting a healthy ecosystem these mushrooms only let sunlight reach this particular tree and other infected trees in the area where the spore spread. Does anyone know what this fungi is? Also, I noticed that wild strawberries seem even more evasive than the onion plants, but they are still a ways from bearing fruit. Are these berries edible? One final thing I noticed is the abundant ammount of raspberry / blackberry plants! These got me very excited. =) Even if someone can talk about nature doesn't mean they are really interested in getting out and hiking. Basically, the few friends I have are Hanover College Philosophy majors who like to talk about buddha nature and reality but see actually getting out into the woods as a "duty" or "doing their time" rather than a pure enjoyment. I'm sure I will, in good time, come across more people like myself spending time in nature.... For now, I have a few (peterson and others) guides coming in the mail that I think will be very helpful... I can write down dates I first see certain plants coming into bloom and when I start seeing them die off. anyways, thanks for the welcome naturegirl =) /ramble

I've read dozens and dozens of these books, and own a good percentage of the same, so it's no easy answer for me. First of all, I'm not aware of anything out there that is specific to the SoCal Coast. Most are more general or have a regional bias without making that clear in the title. My all-around favorite is without a doubt: Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods, by Thomas Elias, Peter A. Dykeman. It packs loads of information into a manageable sized book, including harvesting methods, nutritional stats, and preparation instructions. It is the only user friendly edibles guide that can really be used anywhere on the continent. A Taste of Nature by Kahanah Farnsworth is a nice little book for the beginning forager with an obvious SoCal bent, and some useful recipes. Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and The Southwest by Delena Tull is another great resource, although it's too big to take in the field with you. I could not give any recommendations under this topic without mentioning Euell Gibbons. His books remain the most accessible, realistic, and interesting to date. His Stalking the Wild Asparagus is a general guide with a Northeast focus, but includes all of the major edibles that are common anywhere. Finally -- I apologize for the length of this, but you've hit on a passion of mine -- you might want to familiarize yourself with the host of temperate and sub-tropical zone weeds and cultivated edibles. When I go to Southern California, my best finds are not native wild plants, but rather naturalized non-natives. In fact I would say that the native flora of Southern, especially coastal, California is one of the poorest for fleshy fruits especially, and edibles in general. BUT, add to this the multitude of introduced plants that produce numerous luscious things and you have a region that is hard to beat for the forager. So I hope you find some books that suit you, and don't be afraid to check out that vacant lot loaded with fruiting olive trees, pineapple guavas, fruiting palms, or the dandelions in your yard, and the weedy mallow coming up in the park.

Try Feasting Free on Wild Edibles by Bradford Angier You should check Peters guides for Edibles & Poisonous plants. The first step in wild edibles is knowing what is poisonous raw & what can be cooked & eaten safely. Example: Nightshade plants, leaves & stems are poisonous. Tomatoes,white potatoes,sweet & hot peppers,egg plants are all in the Nightshade family. As many of you know these plant fruits are safe to eat, well some of the hot peppers are not "safe", but not poisonous.

I'm looking for- alexanders white yarrow stinging nettle ramp (wild leek) white sweet clover yellow sweet clover pepper grass ( cow cress, field penny cress, or poor man's pepper) any others that can do well in northern Vermont I'm hoping to cultivate more wild edibles in my garden as I live in a city and nearly all the wild plants have been removed and replaced with lawn, concrete, and ornamentals. I have some random seeds if someone would like to trade. I have- black eye susan queen anne's lace globe thistle pole bean radish bachelor buttons sage morning glory- dark purple Or you can just send some seeds out of the goodness of your heart. Thank you for reading.