"Wild Food Plants of Hawaii" is a life changing book. This afternoon, for instance, I ran out and chopped some purslane from my yard to add to a frittata. This succulent plant is a “weed” that I used to try to eradicate. But after reading "Wild . . ." I’ve been seeking this omega-3, beta-carotene, superstar of nutrition and discovering new ways to use it.The book is packed with information. Your next hike can have a culinary bonus. Your everyday meals can have fresh added minerals and nutrients – for free. Sunny Savage will make you see kiawe (those trees with the huge thorns) with new appreciation; the pods are delicious and, she says, “a nutritious gem.” She tells how to pick the plants wisely. For kiawe, you need to avoid mold; using a UV flashlight takes care of that, she says. Instead of ignoring some of the thousands of pounds of wasted kiawe pods that drop each year in Hawaii, you can use them for kiawe flour or refreshing drinks.Although "Wild . . ." is not recipe book, Sunny Savage has included enough recipes to inspire me to try hers – and to experiment too. You’ll be having new flavors in your fresh salads, main courses, desserts – and perhaps even fermenting some sparkling drinks after you read Sunny’s book.And the photographs are spectacular! Also Sunny includes a list of helpful resources and a bibliography.If you live in Hawaii or visit, get this book. You’ll look at roadside “weeds” with new appreciation – and knowledge of how to turn them into healthy additions to your meals.