‘The Wild Wisdom of Weeds’ by Katrina Blair

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is the first book on foraging and wild edibles to focus on thirteen weeds found all over the world, each of which represents an essential food source and extensive medical pharmacy and first-aid kit.

Author Katrina Blair has spent months on end taking walkabouts in the wild, eating nothing but what she forages, and has become a wild-foods advocate, community activist, gardener, and chef, teaching and presenting internationally about foraging and the healthful lifestyle it promotes. Blair’s philosophy is sobering, realistic, and ultimately optimistic. If we can open our eyes to see the wisdom found in these weeds right under our feet, instead of trying to eradicate an “invasive,” we could potentially achieve true food security.

The thirteen global survival plants featured in The Wild Wisdom of Weeds are: dandelion, mallow, purslane, plantain, thistle, amaranth, dock, mustard, grass, chickweed, clover, lambsquarter, and knotweed. These special plants help to regenerate the earth while supporting our own survival; they grow everywhere where human civilization exists, from the hottest deserts to the Arctic Circle; they are easily identifiable; they are medicinal with minimal preparation; they are ecological succession plants; and, they are commonly free and accessible to anyone living anywhere in the world.

The Wild Wisdom of Weeds is also a book about healing ourselves, both in body and in spirit, in an age when technology, commodity agriculture, and processed foods dictate the terms of our intelligence.