(1972) 2007 new edn reprint. Collins. London. Slim 8vo paperback. Pp272. Colour paintings by Marjorie Blamey & others, bibliography. Fine unread copy.
Notes: "A guide to the edible wild plants of Britain". "Food for Free is a life-enhancing classic. That it is erudite and charming as well as practical and accurate is a testament to Richard Mabey's great gift as a biographer of our natural heritage. It remains the best possible antidote to the over-processed and the pre-packaged." Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. This is the classic work on British wild food, reissued here in a narrower format which fits into an overcoat pocket. Lots of clear paintings in colour for identification of each species. Chapters include; introduction, wild food and necessity, plant use and conservation, omissions; some picking rules; calendar; edible plants - roots, green vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers, fruits, making a jelly, nuts; trees; herbaceous plants; fungi; lichens seaweeds; shellfish; sources, references and further reading. "I have included shellfish because, from a picker's perspective, they are more like plants than animals. They stay more or less in one place, and are gathered, not caught." A must-have for anyone even slightly interested in the countryside.
