BOOK REVIEW: Berry lovers will appreciate companion book for Christmas
By Mona Mattei
Wild Berries of British ColumbiaBy Fiona Hamersley Chambers Lone Pine Publishing 192 pages – $21.95 Those of us who take the time to enjoy the backcountry of B.C. often find ourselves tempted to test out the bounty of berries we see around us as we hike. Knowing which fruits are safe is critical to ensuring our pleasurable day doesn’t turn sore. Wild Berries of British Columbia is the first berry-specific book to give us a comprehensive guide to the province’s variety of edible, and not-so-edible, berries – the perfect resource for experts and day-hikers alike. Using the guide to compare actual plants to the full-colour photos makes the choice easy. For each variety Hamersley Chambers includes photos, drawings, and narrative descriptions for berry enthusiasts to have multiple ways to check before they eat. Particularly useful is her introduction section that gives readers an excellent understanding of berries and fruits. “’True berries’ include currants, huckleberries, blueberries and grapes. Botanically, however, what we call a ‘berrry’ often includes simple fleshy fruits such as drupes and pomes.” Hamersley Chambers differentiates between the classes and mentions them where appropriate throughout the book. Most notably, Hamersley Chambers includes a great deal of caution about plant identification and advises readers that if you cannot identify the plant, even with her helpful guide, that you should not eat it – wise advice for all. The three sections of the book ease the reader into locating the berry in question – is it a tree or shrub? A flowering plant? Or a poisonous plant? And if you can’t find in there, the detailed index and the “plants at a glance” photos in the front of the book can help. The descriptions of the berries and berry-like fruits include a depth of detail and descrition: ethno-botanical uses and early Native management of the berry resources; the plant’s range and seasons; edibility from tasty to poisonous; and she even passes along some recipes to use the bounty once you’ve picked them. Hamersley Chambers, a B.C. native, holds a masters degree in environmental change and management from Oxford University and is currently teaching ethno-botany at Pacific Rim College. If you have to decide between more general plant guides such as Plants of Coastal B.C. by A. MacKinnon and J. Pojar, or Plants of Southern Interior B.C. and Inland Northwest by R. Parish and this berry-focused book for the hiker on your Christmas list, Wild Berries of British Columbia would be an excellent choice.
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