Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples

Patrick Colgan is the executive director of the Canadian Museum of
Nature in Ottawa.

This second edition of Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples, by
well-known ethnobotanist Nancy Turner, reviews general aspects of
coastal botany and ethnography, the physical environment and
seasonality, the First Peoples and their diets, the harvesting and
preparation of foods by women, and related customs. The description of
some 100 plants, arranged by botanical group, is achieved through
helpful text—Latin and English names; information about habitat,
distribution, and aboriginal use—and illustrations. Two appendices
describe non-Native food plants and—especially valuable—poisonous
and inedible species. There are useful references, a glossary, and an
index. The volume is an excellent guide for anyone who is fond of
consuming greens on the wild side.