Euell Theophilus Gibbons (September 8, 1911–December 29, 1975) was an outdoorsman and proponent of natural diets, famous during the 1960s. He was born in Clarksville, Texas, and spent much of his youth in the hilly terrain of New Mexico during the dust bowl era. His mother taught him much about foods available in the wilds. As an adult he lived a somewhat itinerant lifestyle, and spent time in a number of states working a variety of different jobs. While visiting Hawaii 1947 to 1951 he met Freda Fryer, and the two were married. During his travels he continued his interest in wild foods, including experimenting with new recipes and consulting with experts. He had apparently longed to be a writer but had difficulty getting published. However, his first book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus, became an instant success in 1962, capitalizing on the growing return-to-nature movement. From the cover blurb:
- A delightful book on the recognition, gathering, preparation and use of the natural health foods that grow wild all about us. The lore here can turn every field, forest, swamp, vacant lot and roadside into a health-food market with free merchandise.
Gibbons followed this up with the cookbooks Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop in 1964 and Stalking the Healthful Herbs in 1966. He was widely published in various magazines including two stories he wrote for the prestigious National Geographic Magazine: one in the July 1972 issue which described a two-week stay on an uninhabited island off the coast of Maine where Gibbons along with his wife Freda and a few family friends relied solely on the island's resources for sustenance; the second article, which appeared in the August 1973 issue, features Gibbons, along with granddaughter Colleen and grandson Mike, stalking wild foods in four western states. His publishing success brought him a level of fame. He made guest appearances on The Johnny Carson Show and the Sonny & Cher show. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Susquehanna University, even though he had only completed the equivalent of a sixth-grade education. The Post Grape Nuts cereal advertising quote "Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible." is attributed to him (and inspired Carson to joke about sending him a "lumber-gram"). Euell died due to Marfan syndrome, with the result of an elongated aorta that burst.
Bibliography
- Stalking the Wild Asparagus (1962)
- Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop (1964)
- Stalking the Healthful Herbs (1966)
- (collected in) American Food Writing: An Anthology with Classic Recipes, ed. Molly O'Neill (Library of America, 2007) ISBN 1598530054
External links
- Euell Gibbons Biography by John Kallas, Ph.D., Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants and Other Foragables. Article with Photograph
- Euell Gibbons Biography by John Sunder. The Handbook of Texas Online
