Foraging with Kids: 52 Wild and Free Edibles to Enjoy With Your Children

by Adele Nozedar

A fun, informative and practical introduction to safely foraging with kids, from the UK's bestselling foraging author.

In today's world of increasingly sedentary lifestyles and a growing detachment from the food that we eat, it has never been more important to encourage children to put down their screens, get outside and engage with the natural world around them. Foraging with Kids is a fun, practical book for parents to work through with their children that encourages families to interact with their environment and gain knowledge and practical understanding of the natural world through exploration and play. The projects are based around 50 easy-to-identify plants that are abundant in parks, forests and hedgerows worldwide, making the challenge of discovering functional flora just as achievable to those who live in the city as in the countryside. Once they have foraged their plants, children will be amazed by the diverse practical uses that they can set them to; from making soap from conkers or setting a delicious egg-free custard with plantain, to stopping minor cuts from bleeding with hedge woundwort. Children will take great pride in seeing their gatherings forming part of the family meal and parents will be amazed at how even the most vegetable-averse child will develop an enthusiastic appetite for a meal that they have contributed to. Illustrated throughout with beautiful hand drawings and with essential information on plant facts and identification, as well as a diverse range of engaging, practical projects that the whole family will want to get involved with, this is the perfect book for anyone who wants the children under their care to get outside, connect with nature and have a lot of fun in the process.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Parenting, Science, Childrens, Food, Reference

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 18, 2018

About the author

Adele Nozedar has enjoyed a varied career, spanning TV presentation, being in a cult indie band, running highly-successful record labels (both independent and major) and a PR company, exhibiting her photography, writing soundtracks, and being owner/manager of a remote residential recording studio.

But the thread which underscores all these facets is an interest in matters occult and arcane; this might be as a result of having self-professed ‘wise women’ on both sides of the family.

Adele’s particular awakening to the language of birds, and their healing powers, came during her recovery from an operation, when a small hawk called a merlin appeared, which surprisingly allowed itself to be handled; although the bird disappeared after her recovery, it reappears from time to time. It was this incident which sparked a sudden realisation that birds can be the conduits to a ‘higher’ form of communication, a window to a world without words, particularly appropriate since she was deaf until the age of 7 and believes that this phase of her life has had a profound effect upon the rest of it.

Adele belongs to the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and is a healer and colour therapist. She is the author of the Illustrated Signs & Symbols Sourcebook.

Reviews

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love, love ,love this book. It is packed full of so much information all in one place. it really could take the place of several books.

The recommendation to get to know plants by drawing them and labeling them is brilliant, both for adults and children, to study them with a magnifying glass is also brilliant, a super way to bring you up close and personal with nature .
The calendar is easy to understand and very helpful.

The drawings are really nice and so detailed , although i knew a good few of the plants there was many i didn't know the names of. Having looked at the detailed sketches i clearly recognize them.

The info on each plant is outstanding, not only covering history, names in other countries, uses, how to identify, where to find and at what time of the year but also recipes for it, and some lovely ones at that.
I cant wait to try the several of them with the kids.
I like the categories it is split into, fruit,berry and flowers/wild herbs and weeds/fungi/onion, garlic and mustard/ trees and even coastal plants. This makes it a lot easier to find the information you need faster.

This is a must for walkers, anyone interested in foraging even slightly, anyone who spends time outdoors in nature as well as being used to forage with children.

All in all a brilliant book that i will certainly be buying copies of, for our family and as a wonderful gift.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book, in my e-ARC the photos did not show up properly and some graphics did not either, so I can't comment on their quality and have to drop a star. Pity, as I love looking at nature, but they are just a small portion. I am sure the book will be very useful and a great source of interest and discussion, especially among Scouts and Guides.

Whether making blackberry jam or picking samphire or ramson, scent is a major part of how we interact with plants which are edible. The ideas for cookery sound as if they would taste delicious too, though you may have to persuade kids to eat cleavers leaf omlette.

Personally I do not recommend eating wild fungi or handling them; the author names a few of the more identifiable edible ones and does give a warning, including not to pick any growing from the toxic yew tree trunks. I would also warn of pesticides and roadside pollution.

Too often kids just see plants in packets in the shop, and need to understand where they grow and how we cultivated them. This foraging guide will give food for thought as well as for eating.

I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little book that identifies plenty of easy-to-find local plants and gives recipes for each of them. Full of fantastic information about each plant, this book appeals to adults and children alike. Looking forward tot taking it out this spring to help identify and forage plants.

5/5 stars

[Pixie Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colour the illustrations at home! For me, that’s a perk not a pit fall. There are lots of gardening or foraging books with photographs, but vanishingly few that you can colour as you read an entry. I wrote my review below first, then read other people’s reviews and I feel like this selling feature is not appreciated. You can flip through a book of pictures, but really looking at reference photos as you colour the illustrations is hugely helpful. The drawings are perfect for that. It forces you to pay attention to the details as you colour in the image.

I also wanted to add that I’m living in the middle of nowhere Canada where most of these plants seem to be invasive species. Nonetheless, most of them are here and it’s nice to be able to recognize them in the book.

Original review:
I liked reading this book when I borrowed it from the library but the thing that made me order my own copy was the illustrations. They are lovely!

Now that I have my own copy, I’m abusing it by colouring in the illustrations with pencil crayons. I wish the paper was a bit better for that, but I’m aware that it wasn’t intended as a colouring book.

I would deduct a star for the number of times the author doesn’t describe the taste of a plant because she doesn’t want to “ruin the surprise” but I am too delighted with Lizzie Harper’s art to do that.

That said, if the “surprise” ever turns out to be a nasty one, I will come back and edit this review.

As it is, this book is right in the good part of a Venn diagram of cooking, gardening and botanical illustration with bonus points for being able to colour the illustrations yourself.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in baking, gardening, hiking or calm colouring.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a five star book if photographs of each edible were included.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book leads you through the woods to explore what is edible, with simple recipes included. For children and youth who are not into making crafts, foraging for food in nature provides a bit more daring alternative. For youth leaders who regularly take kids on hikes, this book provides a great resource identifying plants and exploring what you can do with them. The book is written for a primarily British audience, but much of it is applicable to the forests of North America.

[Marika Also marichka · Rating 2 out of 5]

The drawings and recipes were very sweet- although I find pictures more accurate for this context, where you really don’t want to be wrong.

For me this book was also lacking acknowledgement of where foraging knowledge comes from. Preserved and passed down by indigenous, peasant and land-based cultures around the world. This knowledge has roots and lineage and they were not really reflected in this book.

It also did not include as many plants for a Southern Canadian context as I had hoped.

Otherwise, a decent primer with some interesting and little known tips and cautions.

[Sandy D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the best book on foraging (with or without kids) for beginners. If you know the species covered here, there *are* some good recipes and tips on collecting and processing. Note that this was published in Great Britain, and uses British common names. Since a lot of commonly foraged species are cosmopolitan weeds, this isn't too much of a problem for us in the Midwest US (though we have a sad lack of hedgerows here). Botanical names are also given, so you can figure out that fat hen=goosefoot or lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album) and jack by the hedge is garlic mustard.

[Elisha H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book for the content and information it provided. the only thing i really didn’t like was that the diagrams were black and white rather than color. i’ve learned that color plays a huge part in foraging and can be the difference between something wholly inedible (and maybe even poisonous) and something delicious. the fact that this book is advertised as being for kids but doesn’t have photos, or at least color diagrams, seems dangerous to me and an oversight on the author’s part. other than that, solid information and am really enjoying my foraging journey so far :)

[Leticia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only knocked off a star because it's 2022, why are we still using drawings of plants rather than photos of plants. Especially when it's a book on foraging and you could potentially mistake a plant for something that could make us or our children sick. Otherwise, a great handy guide to keep in your backpack while you forage or hike.

[Author Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Herbalist...I love this book! My 9yr old really enjoys it. Lots of great info...the pgs are a bit old school style (which I love) but not always the most kid friendly style. Esp in today's day in age. I really like the variety of plants and trees to learn about it in this book. I really enjoyed the names around the world section.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun to read..the descriptions were lovely and the illustrations were nice. I just wish there were actual photographs of the plants…it’s hard to know what it looks like without actual photos. Would rate higher if photos had been included and would have definitely boosted my foraging confidence.

[Sarah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting content but strangely organised - no easy way to work out what could be foraged when. Also black and white drawings of the plants are a poor substitute for photographs, especially when identifying wild plants to eat.

[Jurene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so good. I only gave it a 4 because I wish the images were clearer for identification. The illustrator does say she left the illustrations in black and white so the children reading the book can color in the appropriate colors... so there is that.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great resource with some basics and with great pictures and suggestions on how to use your foraged plants.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wouldn't mind owning. Fun to see what you could eat in the wild

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I’d love to have in the shelf for reference.
Helpful tips, recipes and more for learning more about foraging.

I learned so much.

[Roberta Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and very accessible

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, but it's almost written for the homeschooling parent or for a middle schooler or high schooler. Good basic info, not much medicinal focus.

[The Ink Sipper · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books I recommend to families looking to forage together. It's well laid out, illustrations are great, and information is easy to understand.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

brilliant, easy to use handbook whilst out and about in nature!

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

picked up for the recipes, just need to find a version for grownups...

[Gina Wedekind · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful resource for everyone, in any part of the world.
Great little tidbits to keep kids interest as well as shared recipes and how to prepare/use.

This is on my purchase list!

[JustHB · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting book, but has significant let-downs. It is a little confused whether it is aimed at the child or adult market, as it kind of aims for both. Each section is usefully laid out, with the names in different languages, which is great for the multi-cultural society we live in. It has useful recipes to show off the fruits of your foraging labour.

It would be useful to have a map of the UK saying how common each entry is, depending on where you are. There are black line drawings, but no photographs or colour, which I feel is a fatal flaw.

Whilst the book says to only take what you need, some of the recipes call for large amounts of foraged fruit. If you don't like the result, then this would result in waste, so the recipes need cutting down to produce just one jar of product. The reader can always scale it up.

There are two furthur fatal failures of the book - legality and safety. There is nothing on the legality of foraging, and if you forage on private land. It isn't foraging if it is being grown in someones garden! Get the owners permission - they may be waiting for just the right moment to pick their sloes or elderflowers, only to realise that someone has already taken them. For responsible foraging, seek permission from the landowner. On some woodland sites, foraging may not be allowed because of the delicate balance of the ecosystem - Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The second, and vitally important, is to say what else each item could be mistaken for. Only eat what you are 100% confident you know what it is. There are many berries, plants and fungi out there that are poisonous, so it would be useful for the book to reference these and say how to distinguish them from edible, so that foragers are confident on what they are eating and stay safe. I also didn't notice anything to do with hygiene, where you forage (preferably not next to a main road), washing and signs of pest infestation. I wouldn't eat anything foraged near a dog walking route, so look around the area before sampling.

And, as a minor complaint, the book is ordered alphabetically, but it would be far better if it was ordered by commonly foraged items. Everyone has gone blackberry picking - start with that. There is nothing poisonous that looks like a blackberry. Then take a look at what else is growing in the hedge. There may be sloes and wild roses, with nettles growing in the margins. What else could you try from the hedgerow? Or in a woodland in early summer - notice the heady stink of garlic - look around for some wild garlic. On the fringes of the woodland, there may be hazlenuts (why are they not included?) and sloes. There are no nuts other than chestnuts. The book doesn't mention that sloes are better bletted - picked after the first frost to lessen their sourness, but you could pick them early, if they are ripe, and put them in the freezer to simulate this. This is why sloes are traditionally picked in autumn, and sloe gin is a Christmas tipple.

If you are in Scotland, look out for sea buckthorn - but taste them first, as they are not to everyones palate.

So. Basically, this book i sadly lacking. There are others, far superior, already published.

[Amanda Osenga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really want to give this book 5 stars. As a homeschooling family that are foodies, Zero Wasters and love herbalism- there's so much to love about this book. However, as other reviewers have started the illustrations are lacking. I just don't feel they're effective enough to make foraging totally safe- especially for kids.

This would be an EXCELLENT book for use alongside a photographic field guide. It would also be great for a foraging course, nature group, scout troop or teacher looking for a unique study. The information is top notch and I love the incorporation of recipes throughout. It's a great book to use side-by-side with your child and forage together.

Will be purchasing copies for gifts and my nature study group.

I was grateful to receive an ARC from NetGalley of this book and share my honest opinions with you.