In this section, I take on the human side of the equation. How do wild foods fit into our modern world? Why pursue them, study them, eat them? How nutritious are they? How would you increase your access to wild foods in order to eat them daily, and what considerations come into play for people wanting to bring wild foods to market? Oxalates and nitrates are mentioned as hazardous substances in almost every wild food book—what should you think about them? There is also a chapter proposing a name for the field of wild foods.

Amid all the fun, I take the field of wild foods very seriously, as have more and more scientific researchers. The research on wild foods takes place in a variety of disciplines with no apparent unifying agent. In this section, I collect, organize, and present some of the information produced by researchers, and suggest some beginnings of a framework for thinking about wild foods.

And while the potential of wild foods can be clearly seen throughout this book, this section helps provide the information, perspective, and motivation to foster a more active use of these plants.