Okanagan Gardener and Forager's review of the book "Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate" by John Callis PhD states that it could be the best overall foraging book out there. The book is rated on four categories: pictures, book learning factor, readability and the Okanagan Gardener and Forager factor. The first category, pictures, is rated a five out of five. The author of the review notes that it is an important category for foraging books because it is crucial to accurately identify and find the plant. The book has close-up pictures that show different stages of growth which is very helpful for identification and harvesting techniques.
The second category, book learning factor, is rated four out of five. The review notes that the book is loaded with information on the 22 species it covers. It goes into detail about different stages of growth, nutritional information, and where and when to find them. The book also includes sections on the philosophy of foraging and actual foraging tools and techniques. The only reason it did not receive a five out of five is because it only covers 22 plants, while some books cover more.
The third category, readability, is rated a five out of five. The review praises the book's organization, noting that it is easy to read, well-written and laid out in a logical fashion. The author states that the book is more of a user manual, taking the reader from start to finish on how to forage and likens reading it to having a conversation with the author. The final category, the Okanagan Gardener and Forager factor, is rated four out of five, with no explanation given for the lower score.