Euell Gibbons, Wild Food Author

Like many (but not nearly enough to give us a sense of normalcy) kids growing up in the seventies, I was raised by parents newly aware of things like ecology, conservation, and nature. Yes, nature. I remember gathering dandelion greens at 5, lily buds at 6, processing wheat at 7, and harvesting cattail pollen at 9. Why? We ate them. Even today, my parents sometimes draw curious eyes as they pick fruits at the park or on the side of a road. Euell Gibbons was a household name for us, though I'd venture a guess that most generation X-ers have never heard of him or have forgotten if they ever did. Gibbons wrote books and lectured on the art and philosophy of foraging.

If you are curious about what people ate before they could get mangos and avacados from the grocery, Gibbons' books will tell you. If you've eaten dandilions and thought they were awful, his recipes might please your palate. If you're an hiking and camping enthusiast who wishes they didn't have to haul quite so much food with them, Gibbons can guide you. If you think society's downward spiral is going to end in chaos and mutiny, Gibbons can keep you fed even if the supermarkets and restaurants are gone. Maybe you want to save money on groceries and avoid pesticides - finding your food in the wild puts a check in both those boxes.

Born in 1911, Gibbons found fame in 1962 when he published Stalking the Wild Asparagus to resounding success. People were ready for something which made them feel like a part of the natural world again. These were the same people who were rediscovering breast feeding after more than a decade of 'bottle is best.' The deliberate separation from natural things had led people to feel sterilized and even a little wary of anything that wasn't packaged and processed. Gibbons was the right man in the right place at the right time.

He first learned to forage in the Southwest at the knee of his mother and her mother, and expanded that knowledge with research. Although many sources say he had only a sixth grade education, there is some evidence that he finished high school while in Hawaii and even attended university there. Though he wrote poems and tried his hand at novels, his success was through his non-fiction. His books were primarily field guides about wild edibles. He became a successful speaker and often spoke about not just how to eat natural foods, but why people should and why they didn't. He gathered experiences from foragers everywhere he traveled and frequented libraries to learn about historical useage of wild food. After years of wandering, he and his wife moved in 1963 to their property in Pennsylvania called 'It Wonders Me.'

Those ready to experience the wild food way would do well to check out West Virginia's Nature Wonder Wild Food Weekend. Held in Bend National Park, participants listen to speakers, gather wild edibles, and share in wild food feasts. Many dishes are inspired by Gibbon's recipes.

Euell Gibbons died in 1975, aged 64, of a heart attack. His books are still available without combing used book shops; three popular titles are Stalking The Wild Asparagus, Stalking The Healthful Herbs, and Stalking The Blue-Eyed Scallop.