Hi folks,
I am looking for reference guides (book or websites), for wild edible plants of boreal forest and taiga/tundra ecosystems. There is a bewildering array of books out there. I think most are written for areas south of where I travel, or tend to cover large regions like all of North America, but I would like to focus on the north.
I am interested in more survival type eating while on a canoe trip or hiking, travelling fast and light, e.g. pick and eat, or boil or roast only once, and not the heavy duty preparation type foods for base camping or for making home preserves. I know there is a wide continuum of preparation methods and durations.
I found this title that appears promising: Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada, (MacKinnon, Karst and Kershaw), although it will cover many areas I will not be travelling:
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Edible-and-Medicinal-Plants-Canada-MacKinnon-Karst-Kershaw/9781551055725-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527Edible+and+Medicinal+Plants+of+Canada%2527published by Lone Pine Publishing. Lone Pine is known for its superb titles and field guides. Nice cover image too. Anyone have this reference?
Does anyone have a personal list, tried, tested and true, of the best common edible species for canoe tripping and hiking in the north? I have short lists of my own, but need to expand them.
I am familiar with some of the old stand by’s like the common cat tail species, which are always high on people’s lists for the north. But I have sometimes seen conflicting or confusing descriptions of how to prepare the various parts of this plant, so I am open to yet more descriptions of cat tail preparation, dandelion, etc. More info is better!