The Weeder's Digest: Identifying and enjoying edible weeds

`What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson This book is a practical and attractive guide to the many edible varieties of weed. It will appeal to gardeners, botanists, cooks and foragers, and to anyone who wants to control weeds in eco-friendly ways. Weeds have many virtues: They are often valuable to wildlife, including beneficial insects. They can be good for the soil – helping the accumulation of trace elements and acting as hosts for mycorrhizal fungi. Many weeds make interesting and unusual culinary ingredients. The main part of the book provides full details of over 50 edible species, with valuable nutritional information, advice on how to cook them and numerous recipe suggestions, as well as some fascinating historical facts and tips for non-culinary uses. It covers both native and non-native species, including some tiresome invasives, and lists both common weeds, such as nettle, dandelion, chickweed and ground elder, and less common ones, such as brooklime and wintercress. Advice is also given on controlling weeds and identifying those that are harmful if eaten. With The Weeder's Digest on your bookshelf you can put your troublesome weeds to good use, and welcome some plentiful edibles into your kitchen. It includes attractive colour photographs throughout.

Table of Contents:
Introduction PART 1: Know your weeds 1 The good, the bad and the ugly: Characteristics of weeds 2 Achievable weed control: A question of balance 3 A case of mistaken identity: Poisonous plants PART 2: A bouquet of weeds (An A–Z of over 50 edible weed species) Glossary Notes Bibliography

About the Author :
Gail Harland has a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and was a State Registered Dietitian for over 10 years. She is a freelance writer and photographer with a regular poultry column in The Cage and Aviary Birds magazine, and is author of Photographing your Garden and Grow It Yourself and co-author of The Tomato Book.

Review :
"The Weeders Digest is a very well written and enjoyable book. Gail Harland is quite obviously passionate about her subject and clearly lives it. Small tit bits such as how Himalayan balsam can be used as an "Indian preserve known as gulqand, which literally means sweet flowers" indicate she has really done her research. This book would be a welcome addition to the shelf of any forager." Dave Hamilton - forager and author of Grow Your Food for Free - well, almost "The Weeder's Digest is a delightful read, well organised, informative and easy to use, successfully filling the hungry gap between books on gardening and those on foraging with inspiring recipes, cooking tips and relevant words of caution for each plant profiled. A welcome and valuable addition to the library of any new or more experienced foragers, gardeners, cooks and weeders. Highly recommended." -- Fergus Drennan, professional forager and writer