As I mentioned in the Plant Walk video, and will mention in every video that discusses plant identification, you and you alone are 100% responsible for anything you choose to consume. Always be 100% sure on your plant identification.
I believe that having a primary reference and backing it up with 2-3 additional references is best practice even with training from local guides.
I recommend you get each of my top three choices as a baseline for a basic plant and wild edible library. All three are excellent.
From there, I also recommend one of the other field guides (based on your focus pants/trees/mushroom/etc.) as a backup reference. Follow that up with one of the regional foraging series for your particular area as a tertiary reference.
========================================================
Disclaimer
The links are provided for your convenience and reference. Some of the links below are affiliate links. Meaning if you do choose to purchase an item or items using these links, I do receive a very small percentage of the sale.
I appreciate your interest in this topic and your support of The Gray Bearded Green Beret Channel!
Hope to see you in the woods,
-Joshua Enyart, The Grey Bearded Green Beret
My Top Three Recommended Books:
- Newcombs’ Wildflower Guide (Little, Brown, and Company) http://bit.ly/gbgb-newcombs
- Foraging and Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook (Dini Falconi) http://bit.ly/gbgb-forage
- Ancestral Plants: A Primitive Skills Guide to Important Wild Edible, Medicinal, and Useful Plants (Arthur Haines) http://bit.ly/gbgb-ancestral-plants
As Confirmation Resources:
Peterson Field Guides http://bit.ly/gbgb-peterson-Guides
National Audubon Society Field Guides http://bit.ly/gbgb-national-audubon
Regional Foraging Series for Tertiary Confirmation:
Northeast Foraging (Leda Meredith) http://bit.ly/gbgb-NE-foraging
Southeast Foraging (Chris Bennett) http://bit.ly/gbgb-SE-foraging
Midwest Foraging (Lisa M. Rose) http://bit.ly/gbgb-MW-foraging
Pacific Northwest Foraging (Douglas Deur) http://bit.ly/gbgb-pnw-foraging
Southwest Foraging (John Slattery) http://bit.ly/gbgb-SW-foraging
Mountain States Medicinal Plants (Briana Wiles) http://bit.ly/gbgb-MS-medicinal
California Foraging (Judith Larner Lowry) http://bit.ly/gbgb-CA-foraging