Must-Know Go-To Survival Plants (book)

Must-Know Go-To Survival Plants of North America

American plant expert Christopher Nyerges

Local guide and prolific author Christopher Nyerges, founder of the School of Self-Reliance, and his wife Helen Nyerges have 4.0 out of 5 stars (with 1 review) with their guidebook Must-Know Go-To Survival Plants of North America.

This easy-to-read book includes a line drawing for each plant and photos that make identification easy. There is also a numerical graph that gives each plant a “score,” depending on how useful the plants are for

• food,
• medicine,
• water,
• fire,
• shelter, and
• other uses.

There is also a guide on how to use and store plants, showing whether a plant can be eaten raw or cooked, and whether it is best when stored dried, frozen, or pickled, or all three.

The authors include plants readers are likely to find anywhere across North America. They also include plants they use most of the time because these plants are widespread, common, easy to recognize, and good tasting.

Also available on Amazon

The book contains 29 entries, though it covers many more than 29 individual plants. For example, in the tree section, there is a discussion of elderberries, oaks, and willows. What they say about these three genera of trees is applicable to every species worldwide of elders, oaks, and willows.

There are 20 species of Sambucus (elder) worldwide, about 600 species of Quercus (oak trees) worldwide, and about 400 species of Salix (willows) worldwide. What is written about Rubus (blackberry) applies to all species, and comments about cattail apply to all 15 species worldwide.

The book talks about individual species used as food -- such as chickweed, lamb’s quarter, and purslane. Several in the section on herbaceous plants contain many individual species, such as grasses, with about 10,550 species worldwide, and onions of which there are about 500 species worldwide, and seaweeds.

Seaweeds are marine algae, divided into the three major categories: green, red, and brown for a combined total of about 10,000 species worldwide.

The book is a refreshing addition to any botanical collection whether one studies as a novice or expert.

• BOOK: Must-Know Go-To Survival Plants of North America (School of Self-Reliance)
• Christopher and Helen Nyerges, SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com; Amazon.com; Dhr. Seven, Xochitl (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly