The Forager's GuideWild Food Foraging Guide Get the Book
North American Edition · By Dr. Nicole Apelian, Ph.D.

The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods: Find, Identify and Enjoy 400+ Wild Edibles

Turn every walk, backyard and woodland trail into a pantry. The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods shows you which plants, mushrooms, lichens and seaweeds you can eat, how to tell them apart from dangerous lookalikes, and how to turn them into simple, delicious meals.

  • 400+ North American wild plants in full color
  • A regional map for every plant
  • Poisonous lookalike warnings
  • Harvest timing, preparation and recipes
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  • Only $37, one-time payment
  • 60-day keep-the-book guarantee
  • 3 free bonus books
The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods paperback by Dr. Nicole Apelian on a wooden table
Overview

What Is The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods?

The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods is a full-color field guide to the wild edibles of North America, written by biologist, herbalist and survival instructor Dr. Nicole Apelian. It covers more than 400 plants, along with mushrooms, lichens and seaweeds, and it was made for real people standing in a real meadow with a plant in their hand.

Many plant books read like textbooks. This one reads like a knowledgeable friend walking beside you. Each entry tells you what the plant looks like, where it grows, when to pick it, which parts you can eat, how to prepare it and which lookalikes to avoid.

Its full title says it all: Edible Plants, Lichens, Mushrooms, and Seaweeds, The North American Edition. From the forests of the Pacific Northwest to backyard lawns in the Midwest and the shorelines of the East Coast, the book helps you recognize the wild foods that grow where you live.

The result is a wild food foraging guide that grows with you. Beginners get large photos and simple steps. Experienced foragers get regional maps, traditional-use notes and recipes that make every harvest more rewarding.

Why readers love it

  • Large, sharp photos that are easy to see, even outdoors
  • Plain-English descriptions instead of botany jargon
  • 319 full-color pages organized the same way for every plant
  • A digital copy for your phone or tablet, plus an optional paperback
Hand holding The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods book in a meadow of wild daisies
A field guide made to be used outdoors, right where the plants grow.
The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods resting on an emergency food pantry of canned goods
Wild food knowledge is the one pantry item that never expires.
Food freedom

Why a Wild Food Foraging Guide Belongs in Every Home

Grocery prices keep climbing, and more families want control over where their food comes from. Meanwhile, nutritious food grows for free in lawns, parks, forests and along streams across the continent. Most people walk past it every single day.

Learning to forage changes that. A dandelion stops being a weed and becomes a salad green, a tea and a roasted root for a coffee-style drink. Cattails become a source of tender shoots and golden pollen. Stinging nettle becomes a rich spring soup.

It is also peace of mind. If store shelves empty, if you are far from town, or if you simply want to stretch your budget, knowing which wild foods are safe is a skill nobody can take away from you.

Fresh, free and full of flavor

Wild greens picked minutes before dinner taste brighter than anything that has spent days on a truck. Many wild plants are also packed with natural goodness, and foraging adds gentle exercise and fresh air to every week.

A skill for the whole family

Foraging gets children and grandchildren outdoors, curious and away from screens. Walks turn into treasure hunts, and the kitchen fills with stories about where dinner came from.

What's inside

Inside the Foragers Guide to Wild Foods

Here is what makes this book so easy to use in the field and so enjoyable at home.

Identification

400+ Wild Plants in Full Color

Every plant is shown with large photographs plus close-ups of the features that matter most, such as leaves, flowers and stems. You simply compare what is in your hand with what is on the page.

Location

A Regional Map for Every Plant

A distribution map shows where each species grows across North America, so you can focus on the plants that actually live near your home.

Safety

Poisonous Lookalike Warnings

Some edible plants have dangerous twins. Each entry points out the lookalikes and the details that tell them apart, the most important habit any forager can learn.

Timing

Harvest Times by Season

Learn when leaves are tender, when berries are ripe and when roots hold the most energy, so you pick every plant at its very best.

Kitchen

Preparation Steps and Recipes

From fresh spring greens to breads, teas and preserves, the book shows you how to turn a harvest into food your family will enjoy. A favorite is a simple dandelion bread.

Beyond plants

Mushrooms, Lichens, Seaweeds and Berries

You also get prized mushrooms such as morels and reishi, useful lichens, coastal seaweeds and more than 50 edible berries.

Open pages of the foragers guide to wild foods showing mushroom identification photos and maps
Mushroom pages with large photos and a range map for each species.

Traditional medicinal uses, explained simply

Where a plant has a long history of traditional use, its entry explains how it has been prepared and used over the generations. You come to understand the full value of what grows around you, not just what goes on your plate.

Think of mullein, plantain and elderflower, plants that have been part of home traditions for centuries. The book shows you how to recognize them and how they were traditionally prepared, always with sensible safety notes.

A taste of the plants you will meet

  • Morel
  • Cattail
  • Stinging nettle
  • Lamb's quarters
  • Dandelion
  • Mullein
  • Reishi
  • Gooseberry
  • Elderflower
  • Plantain
  • Wild lettuce
  • Earth almond
  • Amaranth
  • Alfalfa

And hundreds more, from backyard greens to forest fungi.

Get All 400+ Plant Entries Now
Sample entry

How Every Entry Works: A Look at a Real Page

Every plant follows the same easy layout. Once you can read one page, you can read them all. Here is how the alfalfa entry is organized. This consistency is what makes the guide so quick to use in the field.

AlfalfaMedicago sativaFabaceae
Range map
A small map of North America shows where the plant grows.
Flowers
Color, shape and size, so you can confirm a match at a glance.
Leaf
Leaf arrangement, edges and texture, the details that rule out lookalikes.
Edible parts
Exactly which parts are food. For alfalfa: leaves, shoots and flowers.
Key medicinal use
How the plant has traditionally been used.
Warning
Who should avoid the plant and what to watch out for.
Harvest and eat
When to pick it, how to prepare it and how to enjoy it.
Inside pages of The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods showing the alfalfa and amaranth entries with photos and range maps
The alfalfa and amaranth pages, each with photos, a range map and full details.
Getting started

How to Start Foraging With This Wild Food Foraging Guide

You do not need any experience. Follow these four steps and you will be enjoying your first wild harvest sooner than you think.

  1. Check your map

    Flip through the range maps and list the plants that grow near you. Start with five or six common, easy species such as dandelion, plantain and cattail.

  2. Learn the look at home

    Study the photos, identifying features and lookalike section from the comfort of your chair. Notice leaf shape, flower color, stems and smell.

  3. Match in the field

    Take the paperback or your phone on a walk. Compare every feature, not just one. If even one detail does not match, leave the plant where it is.

  4. Harvest and enjoy

    Pick in the right season, clean your harvest well and follow the preparation notes. Try a small portion first, then grow your confidence one plant at a time.

Your foraging year at a glance

Spring

Young dandelion greens, stinging nettle tops, cattail shoots and the first morels of the year.

Summer

Lamb's quarters, plantain leaves, elderflowers, gooseberries and dozens of ripening wild berries.

Fall

Amaranth and plantain seeds, dandelion roots, earth almond tubers and late-season mushrooms.

Winter

Cattail roots, evergreen mullein leaves and hardy lichens for the patient forager.

Exact timing varies by region, altitude and weather. Each entry in the book gives the best harvest window for that plant.

Portrait of Dr. Nicole Apelian, Ph.D., author of The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods
Dr. Nicole Apelian practicing wilderness skills in a forest
Dr. Apelian teaches the same skills she has used to live off the land.
The author

Meet Dr. Nicole Apelian, Ph.D.

Few authors have lived what they teach the way Dr. Nicole Apelian has. She is a biologist, herbalist, survival skills instructor and mother who has spent decades learning from the land and from the people who know it best.

  • B.Sc. in BiologyMcGill University
  • M.Sc. in EcologyUniversity of Oregon
  • Ph.D.Prescott College, earned during fieldwork in Botswana

In Botswana she worked as a biologist and ethnobotanist and spent years with the San Bushmen of the Kalahari, one of the oldest foraging cultures on Earth. Much of the hands-on knowledge in this book traces back to that time.

Many readers first met her on the History Channel survival series Alone. She was one of the first women chosen for the show and lasted 57 days on Vancouver Island in Season 2, then returned for Season 5 in Mongolia. You can read her cast profile on History.com.

What makes her such a good teacher is that she explains things the way she learned them, outdoors and hands-on. Her writing is warm, practical and free of jargon, so even complete beginners feel confident turning the pages.

She is also co-author of the popular book The Lost Book of Herbal Remedies, and she teaches wilderness and plant skills across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Is it right for you?

Who The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods Is Perfect For

If you have ever looked at a field of green and wondered what you could eat, this book was written for you. You do not need a garden, a big property or special equipment. A park, a trail or even a backyard is enough to begin.

  • Curious beginnerswho want to start safely with clear photos and simple steps
  • Hikers and camperswho want to recognize what grows along the trail
  • Preppers and homesteadersbuilding food security and self-reliance
  • Gardenerswho suspect their weeds are worth eating
  • Home cookslooking for fresh flavors money cannot buy
  • Parents and grandparentswho want to pass real outdoor skills to the next generation
  • Herbal enthusiastscurious about how plants have traditionally been used
  • Anyone on a budgetwho loves the idea of fresh, free, local food
Front cover of The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods: Edible Plants, Lichens, Mushrooms, and Seaweeds, North American Edition
Free with every order

Three Free Bonus Books Included

Order today and you also receive three digital bonus books, each valued at $27, at no extra cost. Together they turn your foraging book into a complete self-reliance library for food, shelter and simple home care.

Wilderness Survival Guide bonus ebook cover by Peta Stange

The Wilderness Survival Guide

$27 Free

Illustrated shelter, fire, water and knot-tying skills, a perfect companion for anyone who spends time outdoors.

104 Long-Lasting Foods bonus ebook cover by Sarah Davis

104 Long-Lasting Foods You Can Make at Home

$27 Free

Time-tested foods our ancestors made to last without a refrigerator, a smart way to build long-term food security.

Household Remedies: How to Recover Naturally at Home bonus ebook cover by Amber Robinson

Household Remedies: How to Recover Naturally at Home

$27 Free

Simple home preparations made with everyday kitchen ingredients such as turmeric, ginger and honey.

Bonus books are digital and available right after checkout.

Pricing

Choose Your Copy of The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods

Two simple options. Both are a one-time payment with no subscription, and both include all three bonus books.

Digital Book

The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods digital book offer for $37 on a tablet

$128$37Instant access, no shipping

  • Read on phone, tablet or computer
  • All 3 bonus books included
  • 60-day money-back guarantee
Get the Digital Book
Best for the trail

Physical + Digital Book

The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods physical paperback plus digital book offer for $37 plus shipping

$128$37+ $9.99 shipping & handling

  • Full-color paperback delivered to you
  • Digital edition to read while you wait
  • All 3 bonus books and 60-day guarantee
Get the Physical Book

Which version should you choose?

Choose the digital book if you want to start reading tonight and like having every entry on your phone. Choose the physical + digital book if you plan to forage outdoors often. A sturdy paperback does not need a charger or a signal, and it is easy to share with family around the kitchen table. You still get instant digital access while your copy is on its way.

The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods bundle with three free bonus books, $128 value for $37

$128 of value for just $37

The physical book is valued at $47 and each bonus book at $27, for a total value of $128. Today the complete bundle is yours for $37.

Prices are set by the publisher and may change. Your final total is always shown at checkout.

Comparison

How The Foragers Guide to Wild Foods Compares

Why so many foragers choose this guide over pocket books, websites and apps. Here is how it stacks up on the features that matter most when you are standing in a field.

FeatureThe Forager's Guide to Wild FoodsTypical pocket field guideFree websites and apps
Plants covered400+ across North AmericaOften fewer, or one regionVaries widely
Range map for each plantYesSometimesRarely consistent
Poisonous lookalike sectionFor every plantSometimesInconsistent
Harvest and preparation stepsYesRarelyScattered
RecipesIncludedRarelyHit or miss
Mushrooms, lichens and seaweedsIn one bookUsually separate booksVaries
Works without signal or batteryYes, with the paperbackYesNo
Money-back guarantee60 days, keep the bookStore policyNot applicable
Bonus books3 includedNoneNone

General comparison of common formats. Individual books, websites and apps vary.

Our verdict

What We Love About The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods

After looking at the book page by page, here is our honest summary.

What we love

  • A huge range of 400+ plants in one book, plus mushrooms, lichens and seaweeds
  • A safety-first layout with a lookalike section for every plant
  • Regional maps that save you hours of guesswork
  • Recipes and preparation tips that make foraging delicious
  • Written by a respected expert with real field experience
  • Excellent value with three bonus books and a keep-the-book guarantee

Good to know

  • It covers North America, so readers elsewhere will find fewer local species.
  • The paperback adds $9.99 for shipping and handling.
  • Any book is a guide, not a replacement for hands-on learning. Confirm every identification, especially mushrooms.
  • The three bonus books are digital only.

If you want one dependable, beautifully photographed book that takes you from curious beginner to confident forager, The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods is an easy recommendation. It is practical, safety-minded and a genuine pleasure to read.

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Zero risk

60-Day Keep-the-Book Money-Back Guarantee

You can order with complete confidence. Read the book, take it on your walks and try the recipes. If you are not thrilled for any reason, contact support within 60 days for a refund of your purchase price.

Requesting a refund is simple. Send a short message to the support team or use ClickBank's order support within the 60-day window, and your purchase price is returned.

Best of all, you can keep the book. That is how sure the publisher is that you will love it.

Shipping and handling charges for the physical book may not be refundable. Please read the refund terms on the order page.

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Shipping, Delivery and Customer Support

Digital book

Available right after checkout. Your access details appear on the confirmation page and arrive by email, so you can start reading in minutes. Keep that email somewhere safe so you can download your files again on any device.

Physical book

Shipped to your door for $9.99 shipping and handling. Delivery time depends on your location and is shown at checkout. The digital edition is yours to read while you wait.

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Orders from this page are processed by ClickBank, a trusted online retailer. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal are accepted.

Need help?

For product questions, email the support team at foragersguide@thelostherbs.com. For order or refund help, you can also use ClickBank's support site at clkbank.com.

Read before you forage

Safety and Warnings: Forage Smart, Forage Safe

Foraging is safe and rewarding when you follow a few golden rules. Please read these before your first harvest.

  1. Be 100% certain.Never eat any wild plant or mushroom unless you are completely sure what it is. When in doubt, leave it out.
  2. Check lookalikes every time.Some edible species have toxic twins. Morels, for example, can be confused with toxic false morels.
  3. Confirm with a second source.Cross-check identifications with local experts, a regional guide or the USDA PLANTS Database.
  4. Learn mushrooms from experts.Find a local club through the North American Mycological Association before eating wild fungi.
  5. Start small.Try a small amount of any new food first, because allergies and sensitivities vary from person to person.
  6. Talk to your doctor.If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, ask a qualified professional before using wild plants.
  7. Harvest clean.Avoid roadsides, sprayed lawns, industrial sites and polluted water.
  8. Teach children to ask first.Make it a family rule that nothing wild goes in anyone's mouth until an adult has confirmed it. Keep an eye on pets, too.
  9. Respect the land and the rules.Get permission on private land, check local regulations, take only what you need and never pick protected plants.

In an emergency

If someone eats a plant or mushroom and feels unwell, call 911 or the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222 (United States) right away. Learn more about the free, confidential Poison Help line.

This page is for information and education only. It is not medical advice, and statements about traditional plant uses have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods?

It is a full-color book by Dr. Nicole Apelian that helps you find, identify, harvest and prepare more than 400 wild plants, mushrooms, lichens and seaweeds found across North America.

Is the foragers guide to wild foods good for beginners?

Yes. Large photos, plain-English descriptions and a lookalike section for every plant make it a friendly starting point for new foragers. Experienced foragers enjoy the regional maps, recipes and traditional-use notes.

Does the book cover my state or region?

This is the North American Edition. Every plant has a distribution map, so you can quickly see which species grow where you live and focus on those first.

How much does The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods cost?

The digital edition is $37. The physical paperback, which also includes the digital edition, is $37 plus $9.99 shipping and handling. Prices can change, so check the order page for the current offer.

What is the difference between the digital and physical versions?

The digital version is ready right after checkout and works on your phone, tablet or computer. The physical version is the full-color paperback shipped to your door, plus digital access. Many readers like the paperback for the trail and the digital copy for quick reference.

Which bonus books are included?

Every order includes three digital bonus books at no extra cost: The Wilderness Survival Guide, 104 Long-Lasting Foods You Can Make at Home, and Household Remedies: How to Recover Naturally at Home.

What does the 60-day guarantee cover?

If you are not satisfied for any reason, contact support within 60 days of purchase for a refund of your purchase price, and you can keep the book. Shipping and handling charges may not be refundable.

How long does shipping take?

Delivery time depends on your address and is shown at checkout. Because the physical order also includes the digital edition, you can start reading right away while your paperback is on its way.

Does the guide include mushrooms?

Yes. Alongside plants, lichens and seaweeds, the guide includes mushrooms such as morels and reishi. Always confirm any wild mushroom with an experienced local expert before eating it.

Is The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods worth it?

For $37 you get 400+ plant entries, regional maps, lookalike warnings, recipes and three bonus books, backed by a 60-day keep-the-book guarantee. For anyone who wants to start foraging safely, it is one of the best-value guides available.

Your next step

Start Your Wild Food Journey Today

The plants are already growing. The only thing missing is the knowledge to recognize them.

The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods puts that knowledge in your hands, with 400+ plants, clear maps, lookalike warnings and recipes your family will love. Order now, get three free bonus books, and enjoy 60 full days to decide. You can even keep the book.

Picture your next walk: instead of a wall of anonymous green, you see dinner, tea and a story to tell. That change starts the moment you open this book.

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$37 one-time payment · Secure checkout · 60-day keep-the-book guarantee

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The Forager's Guide to Wild Foods$37 · 60-day guarantee
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