Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Alaska Blueberries to Wild Hazelnuts

by Douglas Deur
June 3, 2014

Our Take

We use this book when in the PNW for extra help on berries and plants. It is organized in alphabetical order for handy reference (remember "stinging nettle", not "nettle") and covers identification, collecting, preparation, sustainability and more.

ISBN 9781604693522, 1604693525
Trade Paperback | 292 pages

Part of the Timber Press Regional Foraging book series, this is for foragers in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Southeast Alaska.

“Doug Deur invites us to discover the taste and history of the Northwest.” —Spencer B. Beebe, author of Cache and founder of Ecotrust

The Pacific Northwest offers a veritable feast for foragers, and with Douglas Deur as your trusted guide you will learn how to safely find and identify an abundance of delicious wild plants. The plant profiles in Pacific Northwest Foraging include clear, color photographs, identification tips, guidance on how to ethically harvest, and suggestions for eating and preserving. A handy seasonal planner details which plants are available during every season. Thorough, comprehensive, and safe, this is a must-have for foragers in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

Douglas Deur has been gathering native plants his whole life. He serves as a cultural ecologist for Native peoples of the western United States and Canada, documenting enduring plant use practices as well as the rituals, values, and technologies that have shaped traditional resource harvests and traditional understandings of the land. He is an associate research professor in the department of anthropology at Portland State University. He has also served as a senior research scientist in the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit in the University of Washington's School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and as an adjunct professor of environmental studies at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. Much of his research is supported by the U.S. National Park Service and is used in the peaceful resolution of land-use disputes, as well as in land-use planning that serves to protect and restore culturally significant natural resources. Doug's writings have appeared in books, academic journals, and alternative newspapers. With Nancy Turner, he coedited Keeping It Living: Traditions of Plant Use and Cultivation on the Northwest Coast of North America, the first book-length treatment of Native American plant cultivation traditions in the Pacific Northwest.

“Doug Deur invites us to discover the taste and history of the Northwest.” —Spencer B. Beebe, author of Cache: Creating Natural Economies and founder of Ecotrust

“I came to the Pacific Northwest because of the endless bounty of ingredients to cook with. This book opens my eyes to even more of the region’s edible wild treasures.” —Vitaly Paley, chef and owner of Paley’s Place, Imperial, and Portland Penny Diner

“Pacific Northwest Foraging may change the way you see the world.” —Pacific Northwest Magazine