Wild Plants of Eastern Canada: Identifying, Harvesting and Using.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Throughout history humans have turned to plants for food, drink, and medicine. In this multi-faceted work Walker looks briefly at the history of plants, their identification, and culinary uses. The geographic area covered is the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Labrador, including Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

The historical review section of the text touches on the plants likely encountered by various Aboriginal groups and European explorers and settlers, then mentions some of the ways in which these groups utilized plants. There is recognition of the impact settlement and land clearing had on changing the distribution of specific plants, the move of some native plants into cultivated gardens, and the naturalization of some garden escapees. The work explains the First Nations’ “protocol of respect” when gathering wild plants and advocates for harvesting practices that do nothing to endanger biodiversity.

The field guide section of the work introduces 50 wild plants, giving the common and scientific names, range, habitat, description, food and medicinal uses, cautions (if applicable), and potential for use in gardens. The selection includes many familiar plants such as clover, dandelion, day lily, mint, pond lily, marsh marigold, wild grape, strawberry, and horsetail. For each there’s a full-size leaf print, and most are illustrated with a poor quality black and white photo. The text admonishes readers to learn to recognize certain poisonous plants, yet this is the very section of the field guide for which both leaf prints and photos are absent.

Fifty recipes using wild plants complete the work. These include the expected—teas, bannock, raspberry vinegar, salads—plus a few more innovative dishes such as wild pizza, goldenrod crepes, and cranberry ketchup. The recipes list ingredients in both imperial and metric measurements.

The book attempts too much and fails in most respects. The history section, packed with interesting information, is flat and monotonous. The field guide section misses the mark in size—it is not suitable for use in the field—and the lack of clear identification visuals. The brief recipe section, although the strongest part of the work, is too limited in scope to be of serious use and is missing nutritional data and illustrations.