Foraging for Foragers

Euell Gibbon’s loving mother insisted he leave home during the Great Depression because she only had enough money to feed his younger siblings. He was 16 years old.

Gibbon joined the hobos on the freight trains headed for California, and they taught him the wild foods they knew. Along with what he had learned from his mother and grandmother while growing up in east Texas, Gibbon became accomplished at living off the land.

Thirty years later, in 1962, he wrote his first book: Stalking the

Wild Asparagus. He followed up that

success with Stalking the Blue-eyed Scallop, Stalking the Healthful Herbs, The Beachcomber’s Handbook, Feast on a

Diabetic Diet and Stalking the Good Life.

Euell Gibbon’s books are no longer in print, but they all can be foraged at used bookstores and that makes them excellent holiday gifts. AbeBooks.com is a clearing house for all the mom-and-pop bookstores in the English-speaking world, and you can certainly find Gibbon’s books there if your local used bookshop doesn’t carry them. You can also find some e-versions online at Google Books (https://books.google.com).

Gibbon’s books aren’t just valuable for their detailed information but also for his delicious writing.

It’s like receiving a letter from a knowledgeable, dear friend. I only have three of his books, so I’ll keep stalking them till I find them all.