The Essex County Greenbelt Association is very pleased to announce the release of its latest publication, Wild Plants I Have Known... and Eaten, written by Russ Cohen, with illustrations by Stephanie Letendre.

This guidebook focuses on plants that can easily be found throughout Essex County (and most of New England, for that matter). The first two sections of the book introduce helpful general information about where and when to forage, related conservation issues, foraging with children, safety concerns, and foraging etiquette.

Fourteen wild edibles are featured in Part Three of the book. Descriptions generally include: where and when to find each plant, how to identify the plants, related natural and human history, health and nutritional benefits, recipes, as well as other interesting information about each plant. In Part four, Cohen includes tasty tidbits of information about 27 more edible species found throughout Essex County.

The book's author, Russ Cohen, is one of the foremost wild edibles experts in New England, and has been foraging and teaching about the wild edibles of New England for over 30 years.

Cohen's vivid descriptions, depth of knowledge and obvious enthusiasm for the subject make the book fun to read as well as very informative. As Cathy Walthers, author of the Greens, Glorious Greens cookbook puts it, "Russ has condensed his more than 30 years in the field, literally, into an accessible and passionate guidebook. His knowledge and enthusiasm for all things wild and edible jumps from the pages and is contagious. The book contains basic information about foraging for both the amateur and more-skilled alike. Above all, the book celebrates nature, inspires and makes foraging fun."

Ordering information at www.ecga.org/publications/books.html