I've read dozens and dozens of these books, and own a good percentage of the same, so it's no easy answer for me. First of all, I'm not aware of anything out there that is specific to the SoCal Coast. Most are more general or have a regional bias without making that clear in the title. My all-around favorite is without a doubt: Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods, by Thomas Elias, Peter A. Dykeman. It packs loads of information into a manageable sized book, including harvesting methods, nutritional stats, and preparation instructions. It is the only user friendly edibles guide that can really be used anywhere on the continent. A Taste of Nature by Kahanah Farnsworth is a nice little book for the beginning forager with an obvious SoCal bent, and some useful recipes. Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and The Southwest by Delena Tull is another great resource, although it's too big to take in the field with you. I could not give any recommendations under this topic without mentioning Euell Gibbons. His books remain the most accessible, realistic, and interesting to date. His Stalking the Wild Asparagus is a general guide with a Northeast focus, but includes all of the major edibles that are common anywhere. Finally -- I apologize for the length of this, but you've hit on a passion of mine -- you might want to familiarize yourself with the host of temperate and sub-tropical zone weeds and cultivated edibles. When I go to Southern California, my best finds are not native wild plants, but rather naturalized non-natives. In fact I would say that the native flora of Southern, especially coastal, California is one of the poorest for fleshy fruits especially, and edibles in general. BUT, add to this the multitude of introduced plants that produce numerous luscious things and you have a region that is hard to beat for the forager. So I hope you find some books that suit you, and don't be afraid to check out that vacant lot loaded with fruiting olive trees, pineapple guavas, fruiting palms, or the dandelions in your yard, and the weedy mallow coming up in the park.

Thanks, everybody, for your comments. I ended up emailing Sophie Hodorowicz Knab, who writes for the Buffalo-based Polish-American Journal, and is the author of a fascinating little book called Polish Herbs, Flowers & Folk Medicine. Much to my delight, she responded to my inquiry. Here's what she had to say: Hi Cecilia! Thak you for owning my book! I appreciate the support. My book on herbs was not all inclusive as a publisher imposes page limitations but I looked up komosa on a Polish website and indeed, it exists and very likely what you are looking for. If you keep scrolling down on the website you will see that there are two types of komosa: komosa biala(chenopodium album) and komosa strzalkowa (chenopodium bonus-henricus). The leaves of both are edible and native to Europe. The people of Poland foraged the land and were expert at finding herbs and plants to eat especially during times of famine and hardship. It's wonderful that you have this wonderful memory of your family. Plant it in your garden as a memory to your family and heritage. Best of luck to you. Sophie Hodorowicz Knab Here is a link that might be useful: Polish plant website showing Komosa

Without going through the effort of looking them all up, I think the only north american native plant you have on your list is jack-in-the-pulpit. Most on your list probably already grow in your area without you needing to plant them. And some like garlic mustard are very invasive and not suggested at all for planting. If you are looking to plant edibles, why don't you research what north american native plants are edible? They would have all the advantages of native plants (see the many back posts here) and many are quite tasty in their own right. BTW, I know people stupid enough to taste raw jack-in-the-pulpit and others that were mean enough to get someone else to taste one. I believe it was referred to as "spikes going through your mouth." The corms take prep and lots of time to get to an edible form. IMHO, too much work and they are too pretty in a woodland setting to use or food. I think I'd opt for winter harvesting rosehips or hawthorn berries. FataMorgana

You post - ouiallo Leafs were singular, spear shaped (not lobed), not glossy, fruits are purple with yellowish white flesh. I have doubts it is the common fig that most of us grow and eat. Perhaps a photo will help to identify it. Martin