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4th out of 18 books
—
10 voters
Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager
by
Langdon Cook (Goodreads Author)
Explore the Pacific Northwest via these adventures in foragingand discover a regional stew of food, natural history, and oddball characters... Foraging is not just a throwback to our hunter-gatherer past; it's a way to reconnect with the landscape. And Langdon Cook is not just your typical grocery cart-toting dad. For him, gourmet delicacies abound, free for the taking if
...moreHardcover, 222 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by Skipstone Press
(first published August 7th 2009)
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This book collects the adventures of a modern, Seattle-dwelling dude who chases wild food. He doesn't discuss extensively why he does it, and thus avoids endless ranting about local foods or back-to-nature smugness. Since I've been fascinated by free, public food sources lately, this quickly rose to the top of my "must read" list. The story is divided into seasons, and each season has its own bounty, complete with recipes, anecdotes and punch lines. By the end of the last mushrooming forage stor...more
Langdon Cook's book is divided into four sections, one for each season. Within each season, he shares several chapters, each one focusing on a specific item he forages for, with anecdotes on the process, historical facts, and stories about the goofy characters he comes across in the foraging realm.
It was really refreshing reading a book that was both incredibly informative and chock full of humor. Cook ends each chapter with a recipe, and they were all mouth watering (and a bit terrifying, for t...more
It was really refreshing reading a book that was both incredibly informative and chock full of humor. Cook ends each chapter with a recipe, and they were all mouth watering (and a bit terrifying, for t...more
I really enjoyed this book. After coming back from a 120 mile backpack, the vast majority of time spent eating blueberries and huckleberries on the trail, then reading Langdon Cook's insider account of foraging in the Pacific Northwest was inspirational.
Growing up around here, it was nice to have nods to certain places, like Point Wells (I go diving there too!) the locks and other Seattle area notables.
I can't wait to start foraging on my own. The tides look great in another week, so maybe I c...more
Growing up around here, it was nice to have nods to certain places, like Point Wells (I go diving there too!) the locks and other Seattle area notables.
I can't wait to start foraging on my own. The tides look great in another week, so maybe I c...more
I'm an outdoors kind of guy at my core. I learned to hunt, fish and even grow things at a young age. I was taught that in any situation I could go out and come back with food for myself and others. I'm the guy out of my friends that if dropped in the woods randomly in about an hour a pig would be roasting on the fire and I'd be finishing up the roof of the glorious cabin I had built, with only a leather-man tool that is. This book is about foraging in the Pacific Northwest. From Mushroom hunting...more
These 2 stars do not mean "next to bad", but that this book was really Okay. I had exppected it to be more about gathering than hunting and fishing. I had also hoped for illustrations. This is not really a guide as to how one would go about living off the fat of the land, but rather Langdon's adventures in doing so. These adventures are engaging to read although very much from a guy's point of view.
There are foraging ideas in this book that I had never considered. Before I moved to Seattle, I would read about these awesome things that people who lived in Seattle did. I was always jealous, now I have those same opportunities, and this book is telling me about great things I should have done outside the city. Sigh! Oh and he does give recipes.
I adored the authorial voice here. Cook was an approachable, fun friend who invited me along on his trips- that's how I felt, reading this. I enjoyed all his adventures immensely, and had vicarious fun with him. I want him to write a memoir now, please.
A very fun read with a mixture of narrative and useful information. While overall I'd say this book is mostly a collection of stories about exciting outdoor adventures relating to foraging for food, there are some useful nuggets of information for the perspective forager as well.
not what I was expecting, but still pretty interesting!
The only chapter relevant for me was for dandelions, which I promptly put to use by making his dandelion petal bread. I also sauteed a few bitter greens and made a tea from the roots.
The only chapter relevant for me was for dandelions, which I promptly put to use by making his dandelion petal bread. I also sauteed a few bitter greens and made a tea from the roots.
I loved this book. It made me consider the wild edibles of the Pacific Northwest in a new way, as foods for which I could actually forage instead of merely buying them in the grocery store. Highly recommended for its imagery and wit.
A fine read, especially for someone who lives near the Puget Sound; stretches foraging to include spearing fish underwater and other quite literally adventurous eating.
A fabulous book! Funny, informative and an overall great read. Each chapter I found myself wanting to go out foraging. And we did - for nettles!
This was a good romp through the wild foods of washington and oregon. I think some nettle soup and dandelion muffins are in my future.
read my review at my food blog: http://www.potlikkery.com/2011/06/for...
It's good and interesting, but I was hoping for more instruction and instead am getting anecdotes. It's still entertaining and local for me.
Dec 10, 2009
Martha Silano
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
folks who like a good story, armchair and actual foragers
Great storytelling, memorable characters, and tons of info on wild foods and foraging.
Interesting to learn about all the things you can go forage for yourself in the PNW
Sep 24, 2009
MsBrie
marked it as to-read
Love foraging mushrooms (my newest hobby) so can't wait to read the Langdon Cook book
Sep 13, 2009
Robin
marked it as to-read
Seattle author and this got a lot of attention at the PNBA book expo this past weekend.
I hope there's a second or third one. Loved the adventures and food.
Stellar description of modern day foraging complete with humor and recipes
May 29, 2011
Gloria
is currently reading it
Fun read so far, made me crave clam chowder :)
After following Langdon Cook's blog for some time, I loved reading this book. It's a wonderful introduction to the complexity of foraging in Washington state, and a perfect introduction for me, a transplant to this new environment. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor, open mind, and ability to share his insights about food, ecosystems, and people. Now when I notice dandelions growing by the road, or slurp a fresh oyster at the local restaurant, I remember his adventures, and appreciate that he...more
I wanna be Langdon Cook....
After years of seasonally harvesting nettles, berries, crab, occasional clams and salmon, my interest in foraging reached new heights after stumbling into a patch of morel mushrooms. This led to many hours spent carefully poking around the woods not far from my home where I went on to discover the golden forest flowers known as chanterelles. It was fun to read the firsthand stories of another forager, told with humility and humor, sprinkled with history and each chapter capped with a recipe.
This book was a quick, easy read, full of praise for the "eat local" concept without a lot of preachiness, and well-balanced between facts about the foods at hand and personal stories to give you a connection to the material. Bonus points for being Northwest-focused (Western Washington, particularly), since I'm a sucker for anything that personally relates to me.
Pure west coast fun. Recipies, local spots, and personal connection all in one book. It read like a compolation of connected short stories so it is a great book to pick up and put down anytime.
Interesting book, but not quite what I'd been hoping for. Thought it would contain more how-to's and recipes. So, I confess, I only skimmed it. (More thorough readers will probably give a higher star rating.) I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes included though, like Stinging Nettle Soup (at last - a use for those nasty things!)
Has some cool insight into food foraging, though it's centralized around the west coast and therefore not quite as useful as I'd hoped. It did get me to start seeing differently when walking/running around town. I know where three or four public-land apple trees are in my neighborhood, two of which I've used to make cider.
Ho hum, couldn't get passed the first chapter.
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Langdon Cook was a senior book editor at Amazon.com before leaving the corporate world in 2004 to live in a cabin off the grid. Now a freelance writer and blogger, Cook has written for Gray's Sporting Journal, Outside, Fly Fisherman, The Stranger, Seattle Metropolitan, Northwest Palate, and numerous other publications. He is a graduate of the University of Washington's MFA program and a recipient...more
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Have not read this one yet, but am also looking forward to the Stinging Nettle Soup....I gathered some a few years back to try to figure...more
Sep 01, 2010 02:03pm