The New Wildcrafted Cuisine: Exploring the Exotic Gastronomy of Local Terroir

I studied for a hot minute under Pascal back when I was spending time in Los Angeles and was always impressed by both his deep knowledge of the land around us and his incredibly accessible teaching skills. After a couple years lapping up the beautiful photographs he regularly shared online I was greatly anticipating this book. It does not disappoint.The book is big (>400 pgs) and full of hundreds of drool-worthy photos. It is divided into four main sections: Winter - The Forest Time; Spring - The Greens Time; Summer - The Berries and Fruits Time; and Fall - The Seeds Time. Each section contains multitudes of stories and anecdotes, local history, identification and foraging tips, cooking and fermentation instructions, and of course, the recipes. Ahhh, the recipes. I am convinced that Baudar and his partner-in-crime, chef-photographer Mia Wasilevich, could one day very soon give René Redzipi a run for his money.Baudar creates dishes that capture the flavor of place like no other wild food book I've ever read. Individual mountains inspire multi-course feasts. A valley might create a singular vinegar. Examples from the book include: Beef Stone-Cooked in Forest Floor, Candy Cap Mushroom Beer, Basic Wild Kimchi, Chaparral Roasted Quail, Blueberry-Fennel-Mugwort Soda, Nasturtium and Watercress Hot Sauce, Cactus Pad and Lime Mint Paletas with Bay-Infused Tequila Film and Lerp (ants!) Sugar and Australian Bushberries, and Stinging Nettle Beer.Baudar's enthusiasm for his work is apparent. This is no attempt to capitalize on a trend for him. It is an art and his studio is the wilderness of Southern California. I only hope that this book doesn't make his classes book so far in advance that I can never get in on another one. If you enjoy food and have a sense of wonder, look no further for the satiation of both.

Be not under any illusion that this is a foragers hand book and field guide. I suggest that for that purpose you should research and locate a guide book quite specific to your area and for those in Australia I would recommend "The Weed Foragers Handbook" by Adam Grubb and Annie Raser-Rowland as a good starting place and there are many more of course.Rather, this book inspires the cook, passionate in seasonal local fare, to take a more personal and profound journey. The powerful evocative qualities of aromatics a just as key as the taste sensations.This book has quite opened my eyes to the tiny, tiny ingredients, like lerp sugar in these cookies. Or how about pine pollen and seeds from mustard and dock? Lots of ferments, shrubs, pickling, brews and extractions.Seed sensations, powders, rubs, smokes and even goat cheese made with fig sap as rennet.What I particularly appreciate about this book is the way it is sectioned into seasons.WINTER; The forest timeSPRING: The green timeSUMMER: The berries and fruits timeFALL/AUTUMN: The seeds timeEach section explores the various ingredients of the time and recipes are included and techniques explained. There is also quite a lot of thumbnail pictures in each section visually identifying what is commonly seen in the landscape (of Southern California of course). While some are area specific I have been delighted to find many cross overs. Would I make half of what's in this book? Unlikely, but it's definitely got me excited and thinking further afield and asking myself how will explore and expand my local produce. (This review is cut and paste from my blog post and probably makes more sense with the pictures [...]

This is an incredibly well made book and the recipes are amazing. Wild food at its best!

I've been eagerly awaiting this book for years before I learned that someone was actually writing it! There are a few other wonderful books out there on California foraging... Many are simply identification books, and some have a bit more information on medicinal uses, but they all lacked the culinary inspiration that Pascal delivers. This is the only book with truly gourmet recipes & drool-worthy photography.Many a 9-year-old has been scared away from wild foods after reluctantly sampling flavorless acorn mush on school field trips... This book will reawaken your innate curiosity about the truly exquisite plants that grow all around you. This book does include many alluring recipes, but more than that, it lays a foundation for your own experimentation with wild foods. Pascal provides crystal-clear tutorials along with his recipes for those who would like more guidance on various techniques such as brewing, fermenting, preserving, etc.This book is a MUST for herbalists, plant lovers, and epicureans. Even persnickety native plant people might appreciate his liberal use of many invasive species and his careful use of some native ones. Although his recipes center on plants found in California, his perspective & techniques will inspire wild foods enthusiasts anywhere in the world. Thank you Pascal for sharing your expertise & vision with all of us!

I bought a used copy that I thought was a hardcover. The book is wonderful, but for whatever reason its black and white and paperback. I can't wait to try some of the recipes out

Il libro di per sé, al di là delle bellissime immagini, è entusiasmante ma ci sono due problemi, primo, non è un libro per chi è alle prime armi con la raccolta selvatica e che non intende fare di questo un'attività, due, purtroppo il libro parla di una zona di raccolta circoscritta, l'america del sud, dove ovviamente ci sono piante diverse rispetto a molte zone del mondo, tra cui la mia ( nord Italia)

Exquisite full of beautiful photographs and valuable information. A book to cherish for a lifetime and pass onto the next generation.

Fantastic book. Would browse it again and again. Great recipes, personal advises, common sense comments, beautiful photos... Perfect. A bit dear but certainly worth the price.

This is an amazing book, this takes foraging to a whole new level. Not for a beginner but inspiring for a beginner to aim for!The book is based on the edibles found in the local area of Los Angeles. So not likely to find cactus growing in the wild here in the UK but the ideas for different processes, from dehydrating to fermenting to vinegar shrubs are transferable to any terrain.You do need to be able to identify the local plant species which are edible in your area before trying out any of the ideas.The author dedicates a whole section to responsible foraging, which put the emphasis on the need to be aware of the environment as a whole, again this comes down to knowing your area and what is in a abundance where you are.

Really good book, highly recommend for any foragers