Wild Food Plants of Australia

by Tim Low

Australian Nature Fieldguide: Wild Food Plants of Australia is the fieldguide edition of Wild Food Plants of Australia. It is presented in a concise, convenient form to facilitate quick and ready reference in the field. Tim Low has provided a truly reliable guide to our edible flora, making identification easy. Thus it is a perfect companion for bushwalkers, naturalists, scientists and, with emphasis on wild food cuisine, gourmets. Low describes more than 180 plants - from the most tasty and significant plant foods of southern and eastern Australia to the more important and spectacular inland and tropical foods. Distribution maps are provided with each description plus notes on how these plants were used in the past and can be used today. Beautifully illustrated with colour photographs and line drawings there is also a guide to poisonous and non-poisonous plants, and information on introduced food plants, the nutrients found in wild food plants, on bush survival, and how to forage for and cook with wild plants.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening, Reference, Food, Australia, Plants, Environment

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Tim Low is an Australian biologist and author of articles and books on nature and conservation.
For twenty years Low wrote a column in Nature Australia, Australia's leading nature magazine. He contributes to Australian Geographic and other magazines.

Low became very interested in reptiles as a teenager and discovered several new species of lizard. He named the chain-backed dtella (Gehyra catenata) and had the dwarf litter-skink (Menetia timlowi) named after him.

He works as an environmental consultant, writer and photographer, serves on government committees, and does public speaking. He has written many reports about climate change. He is the patron of Rainforest Rescue. Low lives in Brisbane.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Low)

Reviews

[Krystelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note this is a 3.5.

An eminently readable guidebook for the identity of plants in Australia and their capacity for edibility, this book would be an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to find a tasty snack while out on a bushwalk, or camping. It also manages to provide an interesting historical context for much of the food found within, and attributes much of the use of the plants to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia, which is very appropriate. I did find it a little lacking regarding the preparation of many of the foods, and felt as though their context could have been elaborated on a bit more. Nonetheless, an interesting examination of the Australian bush and its capacity to feed those who wander through it.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must have for all Australian wildcrafters! Clear and concise information with images attached a book which can be referred to time and time again.

[Dushan Hanuska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one book to take with you when you go out to the bush or outback on your own. When things go very, very wrong and you get stuck in the wild, knowing what to eat may save your life.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Informative but incredibly dismissive of first nations people ...a bit of a shock when just looking for a simple field guide

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of the delights of the Australian land, this is essential reading.

[Micky Thomson · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER a must if your a back packer, bush walker, hiker or any outdoor enthusiast very informing. good descriptions and pictures, srs no other book like it :D

[Alyson Maier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great resource for any forager! I have found this book invaluable as a beginners field guide to Australian wild edibles. Very helpful, thanks Tim!

[Bearly Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to take along when out foraging.