Benoliel, D., & Orsen, M. (2011). Northwest foraging: the classic guide to edible plants of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: Skipstone.
This was an excellent guide specifically for this region. From the casual forager to the voracious forest eater, this book lists common plants, their edibility conditions (e.g. the season/preparation), and includes drawings of each plant for easy identification. I’m too scared to feed anyone but myself with what I forage for fear of poisoning them, but once I gain some more confidence with my skills I will certainly be taking this book into the field.
Cech, R. (2000). Making plant medicine (04th ed.). Williams, Or.: Horizon Herbs.
This was the best possible book for my initial interest in herbalism. It contained personal essays as well as practical instructions for constructing herbal remedies. Also, the back of the book has a list of common medicinal plants and their uses. It’s an absolute necessity for the virgin herbalist.
Goldstein, D. (2010). The Gastronomica reader. Berkeley: University of California Press.
This was my favorite book to read all quarter. Gastronomica is a fantastic magazine that I grew up with in the house and would occasionally read, but this book offers the best and most relevant essays and articles, and each is a vignette of food, life, and culture. It is informative to general food studies and fascinating to anyone. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone looking to examine the socio-cultural, emotional, physical, and even metaphysical aspects of food and eating.
hooks, b. (2015). Black looks: race and representation. New York: Routledge.
Kimmerer, R. W. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass: indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.
It was such a pleasure to read this book, which reads as a poetic novel though it is full of cultural implications of food, healing, and community. Definitely worth a read for people interested in the intersections between indigenous cultures, medicine, spirituality, and hard science as well.
LaDuke, W. (2017). The Winona LaDuke chronicles: stories from the front lines in the battle for environmental justice. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Fernwood.
MacKinnon, A., Pojar, J., & MacKinnon, A. (2016). Plants of the Pacific Northwest coast. Vancouver, British Columbia: Partners Publishing.
Another practical guide to foraging in this region, though this includes non-food plants as well.
Newman, K. (2014). Secret financial life of food: from commodities markets to supermarkets. New york: Columbia University Press.
Okakura, K. (2016). The book of tea. London: Penguin Classics.
I cannot shower enough praise on this beautiful and emotionally transformative piece of literature. First published in the English in 1906, this book articulates beautifully the indefinite joy and spirituality inherent to Teaism. It is individually awakening, historically significant, and empowers the tea drinker in their knowledge of their art. In a quote, “those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.” This book is a great little thing.
Tompkins, K. W. (2012). Racial Indigestion: Eating Bodies in the 19th Century. S.l.: New York University Press.