Wild Plant Culture - by Jared Rosenbaum (Paperback)

About the Book

"Wild Plant Culture covers the ecological restoration of native edible and medicinal plant communities with a focus on Eastern North America. Integrating restoration practices, foraging, herbalism, rewilding, and permaculture, it provides tools to engage with wild plant communities in mutually beneficial relationships."--

Book Synopsis

Reconnect. Restore. Reciprocate. Repairing landscapes and reconnecting us to the wild plant communities around us.

Integrating restoration practices, foraging, herbalism, rewilding, and permaculture, Wild Plant Culture is a comprehensive guide to the ecological restoration of native edible and medicinal plant communities in Eastern North America.

Blending science, practice, and traditional knowledge, it makes bold connections that are actionable, innovative, and ecologically imperative for repairing both degraded landscapes and our broken cultural relationship with nature. Coverage includes:

• Understanding and engaging in mutually beneficial human-plant connections
• Techniques for observing the land's existing and potential plant communities
• Baseline monitoring, site preparation, seeding, planting, and maintaining restored areas
• Botanical fieldwork restoration stories and examples
• Detailed profiles of 209 native plants and their uses.

Both a practical guide and an evocative read that will transport you deep into the natural landscape, Wild Plant Culture is an essential toolkit for gardeners, farmers, and ecological restoration practitioners, highlighting the important role humans play in tending and mending native plant communities.

AWARDS

• SILVER 2023 Nautilus Book Awards Green, Restorative Practices / Sustainability
  
• HONORABLE MENTION 2023 American Horticultural Society Book Awards

From the Back Cover

RECONNECT. RESTORE. RECIPROCATE.
REPAIRING LANDSCAPES AND RECONNECTING US TO LOCAL WILD PLANT COMMUNITIES.

A brilliant approach to ecological restoration simultaneous with food production! -- MARK SHEPARD, author, Restoration Agriculture

An uncommonly thorough reference book, a primer on plant ecology, restoration biology, and the medicinal and edible properties of Mid-Atlantic plants.... Much more than that, it is thought-provoking, aspirational and the first chapter alone is worth the price of the book. -- DOUG TALLAMY, author, Bringing Nature Home

INTEGRATING RESTORATION PRACTICES, foraging, herbalism, rewilding, and permaculture, Wild Plant Culture is a comprehensive guide to the ecological restoration of native edible and medicinal plant communities in eastern North America.

Blending science, practice, and traditional knowledge to repair both degraded landscapes and our broken cultural relationship with nature, coverage includes:

• Mutually beneficial human-plant connections
• Observing the land's existing and potential plant communities
• Site preparation, seeding, planting, and maintaining restored areas
• Compelling stories of wild plant communities and restoration projects
• Detailed profiles of over 200 native plants and their edible and medicinal uses.

Both a practical guide and an evocative read that will transport you deep into the natural land- scape, Wild Plant Culture is an essential toolkit for gardeners, farmers, and ecological restoration practitioners, highlighting the important role humans play in tending and mending native plant communities.

This guidebook holds one of many pathways to healing the ecological wounds of colonialism. -- SAM THAYER, author, The Forager's Harvest

A cornucopia of useful information, from soils and land use history to plant inventories and their invaluable uses, and the tools to help you learn more. -- KELLY KINDSCHER, ethnobotanist, University of Kansas, author, Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie

Jared Rosenbaum is a botanist, ecological restoration practitioner, and co-founder of Wild Ridge Plants, a native plant nursery and consulting business in Alpha, New Jersey. He blogs at wildplantculture.com.

Review Quotes

"Jared Rosenbaum explains how our yards, farms, and cities can be optimized for abundance, diversity, and resiliency by the planting of edible, natural systems. A brilliant approach to ecological restoration simultaneous with food production!"
-- Mark Shepard, author, Restoration Agriculture: Real World Permaculture for Farmers

"Jared Rosenbaum's book has arrived at the right time. Understanding how modern European agriculture is ecologically illiterate is the starting point to creating respectful, innovative ecosystems restoration worldwide. Although the plant species in this book are North American, the concepts Jared describes are globally relevant and eye-opening to anyone new to this work. Australian ecosystem restoration, known as Bushcare or Dunecare, have been happening for years. Having worked in this space, I am in full agreement with Jared's work."
-- Rosemary Morrow, deep green teacher, refugee supporter, and author, Earth Restorer's Guide to Permaculture

"Rosenbaum's work is an uncommonly thorough reference book, a primer on plant ecology, restoration biology, and the medicinal and edible properties of the Mid-Atlantic plants from his region. Much more than that, it is thought-provoking, aspirational and the first chapter alone is worth the price of the book."
-- Doug Tallamy, entomologist, ecologist, conservationist, and author of several books, including Bringing Nature Home

"This gorgeous and well-researched book is a delightful must-read for any person interested in restoration of native habitats in cities and beyond, the stories the land tells us, and the edible and medicinal uses embodied in the wild plants around us."
-- Dr. Lena Struwe, director, Chrysler Herbarium, Rutgers University

"This guidebook holds one of many pathways to healing the ecological wounds of colonialism. Rosenbaum outlines a practice that is both revolutionary and ancient: tending native plant communities for the simultaneous benefits of human welfare and wildness. Drawing from his deep knowledge of plant ecology and restoration, Jared points us towards long-term, fulfilling relationships with the natural communities we are entrusted to care for. This message could not be more timely."
-- Sam Thayer, author, The Forager's Harvest

About the Author

Jared Rosenbaum is a botanist, native plant grower, and ecological restoration practitioner. He and his wife run Wild Ridge Plants LLC, which grows local ecotype native plants using sustainable practices, performs botanical surveys, and provides ecological restoration planning services. Jared has extensive experience in stewardship and monitoring of natural communities. He is known as an educator in plant ecology, ecological restoration, and the cultural uses of wild plant foods and medicines. Jared is the author of two prior books on native plants, including the children's book The Puddle Garden, and maintains an active blog at wildplantculture.com. He is a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner by the Society for Ecological Restoration. He lives in New Jersey.