Our sold-out field guide is back

And online!

Back in 2021, we released a field guide to the wild flavors of the Midwest, written by Marika Josephson of Scratch Brewing in Ava, Illinois.

This was one of the most exciting projects in Midwesterner’s then-brief existence. After more than a decade of brewing farmhouse beers with the likes of sassafras leaves, sycamore sap, and chanterelle mushrooms, Marika and Scratch co-founder Aaron Kleidon know as much about wild Midwestern ingredients as anyone.

The fifty-page guide is full of secret knowledge—including recipes for a hickory bark cream soda, an all-Midwestern “vanilla” ice cream, and a choose-your-own-adventure foraged amaro.

Those of you who were reading back then thought it was exciting, too. It sold out immediately. In keeping with our homegrown ethos, Marika and Rachel Linn, her partner in Small Letters Press, had printed and bound each copy themselves, so our stock was limited. Still, we put together a second run, for all the readers who missed out. That also sold out immediately.

Ever since, we’ve been talking about putting the guide online. Marika and I have decided that it’s time. So, as of this morning, it’s available via the Midwesterner store.

Click here to buy your digital copy of The Aromatic Wild Herbs and Spices of the Midwest.

The middle of July is a good time to get out and explore Midwestern woods and prairies. And with this digital version of the guide, you don’t have to wait for shipping. You can download it to your computer and your phone (we’re allowing three downloads per purchase) and take it on a hike this afternoon. We’ll see you out there.