RM Wild food
- Thread starter JohnC
- Start date
Crikey how time flies. I remember watching the series and thinking that September and the book release seemed such a long way off and here we are - nearly August!
andyn
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Oooh thanks for reminding me to ring up and order my copy 
Or email...
Don't know anything about a planned field guide, no.
Or email...
Don't know anything about a planned field guide, no.
August? Your calendar is obviously on a different page to mine Matt!
Erm, yes Andy, I'm travelling backwards in time and intend to end up back in the womb.
:welcome:
I'm going mad! Mad I tell you!
Mine arrived this morning too, I haven't had a chance to look at it yet but I'm in work tonight so I'll have a chance to have a good read.
Mine arrived this morning too, I haven't had a chance to look at it yet but I'm in work tonight so I'll have a chance to have a good read.
Got any jobs going at your place Greg....?
Any chance for a review-ish comment please?
Is it a book accompanying the series, or does it deserves a place next to Bushcraft as a stand alone sort of manual / guide?
Is it a book accompanying the series, or does it deserves a place next to Bushcraft as a stand alone sort of manual / guide?
Exactly what I was wondering Johan.
I don't have a book store near me else I would go have a 'quick-flick'.
Contents:
Introduction (setting the scene)
Britians last hunter -gatherers (some speculation using the archeo record)
A foot in both worlds (aboriginal people)
Foraging (stuff you can pick up with little/small effort)
Hunting (technique speculation )
Fungi (general notes)
The plant foods of our Hunter Gatherer Ancestors (mentions the "comprehensive field guide" in preparation. Plants by family, notes on preparation, speculating on mesolithic prep, large section of book 105-332)
Acknowledments
Bibliography (pretty extensive)
Index
344 pages
Large number of very good photos...
Now I only got it today so a crit of the content wont happen tonight, but I really like what there is so far, its a good acompanyment to the series, and the promised field guide sounds interesting....
Introduction (setting the scene)
Britians last hunter -gatherers (some speculation using the archeo record)
A foot in both worlds (aboriginal people)
Foraging (stuff you can pick up with little/small effort)
Hunting (technique speculation )
Fungi (general notes)
The plant foods of our Hunter Gatherer Ancestors (mentions the "comprehensive field guide" in preparation. Plants by family, notes on preparation, speculating on mesolithic prep, large section of book 105-332)
Acknowledments
Bibliography (pretty extensive)
Index
344 pages
Large number of very good photos...
Now I only got it today so a crit of the content wont happen tonight, but I really like what there is so far, its a good acompanyment to the series, and the promised field guide sounds interesting....
Does it talk a little bit about the science? When they went to King's and did some
electron microscopy of black briony pre- and post-preparation? That was cool.
electron microscopy of black briony pre- and post-preparation? That was cool.
I was on my Woodlore Journeyman course the week before last and during the week, copies of the book arrived for the instructors and for Gordon Hillman, who was advising us on the foraging aspect of the course. He said that a pocket / daysack sized field guide version of the book would be coming along in about 18 months or so.
I got a brief look at a copy on a Woodsmoke course this w/e. It is much more in depth than the series. Ben and Lisa at Woodsmoke said if anything the TV show was done to accompany the book
It is very thick, very detailed and heavily focussed on ethnobotany as opposed to being a wild food guide as such. From a 5 minute scan it looked fascinating and is on my Xmas present list for sure!!Chris
It's gorgeously put together and weighs a tonne. I've been reading bits of it before I go to
sleep and it's a bit heavy to lift! Ethnobotany is the most fascinating thing in the universe,
well that's just my opinion hehe.
I'd always approached it from my background in pharmacology and neuroscience (how
chemical compounds affect the brain, 'pharmaceutical' analysis of plant products etc.) so
I'm really enjoying re-learning about the wider themes which didn't really crop up in my
formal studies. We learned about this though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathyrism
This year has been a wonderful time of learning lots about plants - or even perhaps just
learning that there is lots more to learn about plants, if that makes sense. I've done a
Plantlore course at Woodsmoke, a two week course in Economic Botany at a uni in
Holland and I'm hoping to go back to basics and do a basic botany course at Kew in
a few weeks (boss permitting).
I enjoyed studying at uni and for my masters, and of course the day to day learning that
anyone working in a science area benefits from (there's always something new!), but I
don't remember it being quite this gleeful
About ten years ago I did a course with Roy Vickery at the Natural History Museum
which was all about how plants were used historically in Britain (more recent history
than anything ancient) and it was fascinating. Didn't expand on it as I was doing a
PhD at the time (didn't finish it however) and felt I should concentrate on that - I should
have quit and stuck with the plants
If anyone bothers with Facebook there's an ethnobotany group there which is feeding my
addiction - you don't have to join it to see any of the posts or videos though, it's open.
It is mostly me talking to myself at the moment as most of the members are a bit shy...
S0rry I wandered off topic a teensy bit there...
sleep and it's a bit heavy to lift! Ethnobotany is the most fascinating thing in the universe,
well that's just my opinion hehe.
I'd always approached it from my background in pharmacology and neuroscience (how
chemical compounds affect the brain, 'pharmaceutical' analysis of plant products etc.) so
I'm really enjoying re-learning about the wider themes which didn't really crop up in my
formal studies. We learned about this though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathyrism
This year has been a wonderful time of learning lots about plants - or even perhaps just
learning that there is lots more to learn about plants, if that makes sense. I've done a
Plantlore course at Woodsmoke, a two week course in Economic Botany at a uni in
Holland and I'm hoping to go back to basics and do a basic botany course at Kew in
a few weeks (boss permitting).
I enjoyed studying at uni and for my masters, and of course the day to day learning that
anyone working in a science area benefits from (there's always something new!), but I
don't remember it being quite this gleeful
About ten years ago I did a course with Roy Vickery at the Natural History Museum
which was all about how plants were used historically in Britain (more recent history
than anything ancient) and it was fascinating. Didn't expand on it as I was doing a
PhD at the time (didn't finish it however) and felt I should concentrate on that - I should
have quit and stuck with the plants
If anyone bothers with Facebook there's an ethnobotany group there which is feeding my
addiction - you don't have to join it to see any of the posts or videos though, it's open.
It is mostly me talking to myself at the moment as most of the members are a bit shy...
S0rry I wandered off topic a teensy bit there...
it is a stunning book, i adhore it already.
I am noticing however there seems to be editing errors detracting from the book which after the effort Ray and Gordan have put in, someone should be shot for, such as pictures of wrong plants in places, page 293 for example....thats not elder
I am noticing however there seems to be editing errors detracting from the book which after the effort Ray and Gordan have put in, someone should be shot for, such as pictures of wrong plants in places, page 293 for example....thats not elder
definately not FW it looks like Guelder rose to me. Which is not just an error but a potentially dangerous one as the berries are poisonous. In fact as far as I know all parts of the tree are poisonous. I don't know if the berries can be made edible by some form of cooking or processing though.
Yes, there are some errors in the book - it seems that the proof readers weren't quite as good as they could have been! Also, apparently the editor decided the section on Cattail / Cat-Tail / Bulrushes or whatever you like to call them was "boring" and cut it out, without realising that they're a staple source of carbohydrate! GH was NOT amused! The 2nd edition when it comes out should be all correct, as should be the handbook / field guide version.
These sorts of things shouldn't happen, but I guess RM & GH put their faith in other "Professionals" and expected them to be up to the job!
".......... if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself!"
These sorts of things shouldn't happen, but I guess RM & GH put their faith in other "Professionals" and expected them to be up to the job!
".......... if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself!"
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