The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora: Recipes and Techniques for Edible Plants from Garden, Field, and Forest

by Alan Bergo, 288 pages, 7x10, hardcover. This is a cookbook for avid foragers and gardeners looking to infuse their kitchens with creativity. (Others will be hard-pressed to find key ingredients available for sale.) Flora offers clear instructions, gorgeous photos, and inspiration well beyond the ordinary soup-or-salad suggestions of the average foraging book. However, this is not a wild edibles guide; Bergo is foremost a chef (notably a 2022 James Beard Award winner). While he’s based in Minnesota, the featured plants are found widely throughout the U.S., particularly northern regions. He uses simple, high-quality ingredients to craft innovative and accessible recipes. The book is organized into four sections: Verdant (greens), Abundant (vegetables), Aromatic (herbs, flowers, alliums), Nourishing (nuts, grains, starches). Among the more notable recipes: Seared Hosta Shoots, Fennel Frond Cakes, Sunflower “Artichokes” (using immature flower heads, not sunchokes), Cornmeal-Fried Milkweed Pods, Glazed Hop Shoots, Sweetfern Cookies, Green (yes, unripe!) Pumpkin Pie, Bird Cherry Flour, and Black Walnut Preserves. Bergo knows how to make the flora shine. This book is the first in a series; Fungi and Fauna are forthcoming. Pairs beautifully with Sam Thayer’s guidebooks. I expect this book will keep me busy for many seasons to come. - ES