Best foraging and wild food books
Wild food is everywhere, and some of it can kill you. Foraging books are only useful if they match where you live, so check our regional pages and buy the guide for your area.
44 books, beginner-friendly first.
All That the Rain Promises and More
David Arora · 1991
Arora's pocket-sized, funny guide to western mushrooms. A lighter companion to Mushrooms Demystified.
beginnerWestern North AmericaPocket-sizeBackyard Foraging
Ellen Zachos · 2013
65 familiar plants from yards and parks that you can eat. A low-risk way to start foraging.
beginnerNorth AmericaCalifornia Foraging
Judith Larner Lowry · 2014
120 wild foods found across California's very different landscapes.
beginnerCalifornia
The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants
U.S. Department of the Army · 2009
A reprint of the U.S. Army's guide to edible and poisonous wild plants. Simple drawings and descriptions.
beginnerNorth America
Edible Wild Plants
James Kavanagh · 2022
A laminated fold-out ID sheet you can carry in a pocket and get wet. A supplement to a full field guide.
beginnerNorth AmericaPocket-sizeWaterproof
Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide
Thomas S. Elias · 2009
A photo field guide to over 200 wild foods across the continent, organized by season. A good first foraging book.
beginnerNorth AmericaField guide
Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants
Bradford Angier · 1992
Bradford Angier's illustrated field guide to wild foods. An older classic that still turns up in survival libraries.
beginnerNorth AmericaField guide
A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America
Lee Peterson · 1978
The Peterson guide to wild foods, keyed by flower color and plant type. Compact and long trusted.
beginnerEastern & Central North AmericaField guide
Florida's Edible Wild Plants
Peggy Sias Lantz · 2014
A guide to wild foods in Florida's subtropical climate, where many northern guides don't apply.
beginnerFloridaForaging California
Christopher Nyerges · 2026
Christopher Nyerges's guide to wild foods in California, from a long-time foraging teacher.
beginnerCalifornia
Foraging New England
Tom Seymour · 2020
A regional guide to wild foods across the New England states.
beginnerNew England
Foraging Pennsylvania
Debbie Naha-Koretzky · 2022
A state guide to wild foods in Pennsylvania.
beginnerPennsylvaniaForaging Texas
Eric M. Knight, Stacy M. Coplin · 2021
A Texas-specific guide to wild foods across the state's many ecoregions.
beginnerTexasForaging the Ozarks
B. O. Brown
A regional guide to wild edibles in the Ozark highlands.
beginnerOzarks (MO/AR)Foraging the Rocky Mountains
Liz Brown Morgan · 2026
A regional guide to wild edibles in the Rockies.
beginnerMountain West / RockiesForaging Washington
Christopher Nyerges · 2024
A state guide to wild foods in Washington.
beginnerWashington
Midwest Foraging
Lisa M. Rose · 2015
115 wild foods of the Midwest with photos and when to find them.
beginnerMidwest US
Mountain States Foraging
Briana Wiles · 2016
115 wild foods of the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain states.
beginnerMountain West / Rockies
Mushrooms of the Northeast
Teresa Marrone, Walt Sturgeon · 2016
A beginner-friendly mushroom ID guide for the Northeast, organized by shape and features.
beginnerNortheast USField guide
Northeast Foraging
Leda Meredith · 2014
120 wild edibles of the Northeast from beach plums to wild greens, with harvest calendars.
beginnerNortheast US
Pacific Northwest Foraging
Douglas Deur · 2014
120 wild foods of the Northwest coast and Cascades, with harvest seasons and notes on Indigenous use.
beginnerPacific Northwest
Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America
Samuel Thayer · 2023
Thayer's compact field guide covering a large number of species, designed for use outdoors.
beginnerEastern & Central North AmericaField guide
Southeast Foraging
Chris Bennett · 2015
120 wild foods of the Southeast, from muscadines to persimmons.
beginnerSoutheast US
Southwest Foraging
John Slattery · 2016
117 wild foods of the desert Southwest, from mesquite to prickly pear.
beginnerSouthwest USStalking the Wild Asparagus
Euell Gibbons · 2020
Euell Gibbons's 1960s classic that started the modern foraging movement. Charming and still useful.
beginnerNorth America
Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan
Teresa Marrone · 2018
A compact guide to wild berries and fruits of the Upper Midwest, including the toxic ones.
beginnerUpper Midwest (MN/WI/MI)Pocket-sizeThe Wild Wisdom of Weeds
Katrina Blair · 2014
Thirteen common weeds you can eat or use as medicine. Weeds grow everywhere, so the skills travel.
beginnerNorth AmericaThe Bushcraft Field Guide to Trapping, Gathering, and Cooking in the Wild
Dave Canterbury · 2016
Canterbury on finding and cooking food in the wild.
intermediate
Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada
Andy MacKinnon, Linda J. Kershaw, Patrick Owen · 2016
A photo guide to wild food and medicine plants across Canada, with notes on toxic look-alikes.
intermediateCanada
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rocky Mountains
Linda Kershaw · 2000
Wild food and medicine plants of the Rockies, with poisonous species flagged.
intermediateMountain West / Rockies
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West
Gregory L. Tilford · 1997
Covers edible and medicinal plants from the Rockies to the Pacific with color photos.
intermediateWestern North AmericaThe Forager's Harvest
Samuel Thayer · 2006
Samuel Thayer's in-depth guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing wild plants. Known for careful, first-hand accounts.
intermediateEastern & Central North America
Incredible Wild Edibles
Samuel Thayer · 2017
The third of Thayer's foraging books, with 36 more plants covered in depth.
intermediateEastern & Central North America
Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast States
Alan E. Bessette, Arleen F. Bessette, David P. Lewis · 2019
Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, a region often skipped by national guides.
intermediateGulf CoastLarge referenceField guide
Mushrooms of the Midwest
Michael Kuo, Andrew S. Methven · 2014
A detailed mushroom guide for the Midwest from the founder of MushroomExpert.com.
intermediateMidwest USField guide
Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest
Steve Trudell · 2009
A Timber Press field guide to Northwest mushrooms with clear photos and keys.
intermediatePacific NorthwestField guideMushrooms of the Southeastern United States
Alan Bessette, Arleen Bessette, William C. Roody · 2021
A thorough ID guide to mushrooms of the Southeast.
intermediateSoutheast USField guide
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
Gary Lincoff · 1994
A classic vinyl-bound pocket field guide to mushrooms across the continent. Durable enough for field use.
intermediateNorth AmericaPocket-sizeLarge referenceNature's Garden
Samuel Thayer · 2010
Thayer's second book, covering more wild edibles in the same detailed, honest style.
intermediateEastern & Central North AmericaPeterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America
Steven Foster, James A. Duke · 2015
Identifies medicinal plants of the East and Midwest with photos and cautions about toxic look-alikes. Pairs ID with traditional uses.
intermediateEastern & Central North AmericaField guide
Peterson Field Guide to Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs
Steven Foster, Christopher Hobbs · 2002
The western counterpart to the Peterson medicinal guide, covering plants from the Rockies to the Pacific. Includes safety notes on toxic species.
intermediateWestern North AmericaField guidePlants of the Pacific Northwest Coast
Jim Pojar, Andy MacKinnon · 2016
A comprehensive plant ID guide for coastal Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska, with notes on traditional uses.
intermediatePacific NorthwestField guide
Mushrooms Demystified
David Arora · 1986
David Arora's huge mushroom identification reference, strongest for California and the West. Serious mushroom foragers treat it as the standard.
advancedCaliforniaLarge reference