Edible wild plants: wild foods from dirt to plate

514 Pages·2010·25.01 MB·English

by  John Kallas

Edible Wild Plants
Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate
John Kallas, Ph.D.
EDIBLE WILD PLANTS
WILD FOODS FROM DIRT TO PLATE
Digital Edition 1.0
Text © 2010 John Kallas, Ph.D.
Photographs © 2010 John Kallas, unless otherwise noted
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written
permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.
Gibbs Smith
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ISBN: 978-1-4236-1659-7
To John Kardaras, my grandfather, who inspired me to learn, work hard, speak
my mind, and challenge conventional thinking. He loved the outdoors and ate
wild foods as a normal part of everyday life, just as I do today. There are a
million things I wish I could ask him if he were still with us.
Acknowledgments
There are many people who have inspired and supported me over the years, and
that support came in spite of the fact that I was pursuing a nonconventional field
and career that few beyond myself took seriously. Dr. John Beaman, the former
curator at the Michigan State University Herbarium, was a role model and
enabler who gave a young upstart the resources, space, respect, and personal
attention to seriously study the world of edible plants.
Drs. Louis Twardzik and Louis Moncrief, the former Chairs of the Department
of Park and Recreation Resources at Michigan State, both helped me on my
path. It was Dr. Twardzik who encouraged me as young graduate student and
provided me with the opportunity to teach wild foods at Michigan State—the
start of my professional career. It was Dr Moncrief’s challenge for me to do
something to genuinely advance the field of wild foods that led me to go on for
an advanced degree in nutrition.
Dr. Kathryn Kolasa opened my eyes to the importance of cultural foodways and
how much people’s behaviors related to food can tell us about food, humans, and
human ingenuity. It was Dr. Jenny Bond’s unconditional support that helped me
complete my doctoral program with style.
Access to land is an important factor in research and teaching about wild foods. I
want to thank the grounds crew at Michigan State University, specifically the
Beal Botanical Garden, for the unlimited access the staff has given me over the
years; my longtime friends Shari and Daniel Raider, for the continuing access to
their wonderful Sauvie Island Organics Farm; the Portland Parks Department
and the folks at Portland Metro, for helping me actualize our shared mission of
educating the public about the region’s amazing natural resources, particularly
Jim Sjulin, for opening the door for me years ago; Leonard and Therese Tardif,
whose swamp is one of my favorite teaching and research areas; my longtime
friends Kevin and Deb Howard, whose land in the foothills of Mount Adams is
generously offered each year; and all those countless others who have been so
kind to offer their land all over North America to a fellow just trying to learn,
teach, and make a difference.
I want to thank Dawn Lesley-Carper, who purchased the first copy of this book
several years before it was written in a sweet gesture of support. And my brother
Dean, who has always been there if and when I needed him.
For thirteen years, Dana Coffee has generously granted me use of the photograph
of me holding the wild salad. That relatively candid photograph captured me
doing what I love to do—teach. It has served me well over the years and has
become my company logo. Thanks, Dana, for being that great photographer.
My approach to the field of wild foods requires that I be a generalist. I
observationally study plants in the field; read the botanical, historical,
anthropological, nutrition, and food composition literature; interview
practitioners; conduct processing and cooking experiments; and teach my
findings to the general public. And while I can call upon my skills as a scientist
when appropriate, my chosen role is now more of an investigative reporter for
the general public. Other than when I have specific questions I am trying to
answer, I do not have the time to steep myself in a more global understanding of
nutrition research—which is vast and complex, filled with its own controversies.
So I turned to my longtime friends and nutrition professionals Ginny Messina
and Dr. Mark Messina, who gave me valuable input on the nutrition chapter.
This book is better because of their comments and suggestions.
And finally, I want to thank those who have provided me with places to live and
work at prices I could afford. Longtime friends Kaj Gyr and Scott Bandoroff
and, most recently, Donna Violette have been instrumental in making it possible
for me to have this career and to write this book. Without their support, I would
not be where I am today. Thank you all.
Edible Wild Plants
Table of Contents
About the Author
Disclaimer? Yeah, Right!
Preface