@TomIrvine ,  My wife and I were just discussing this topic last weekend.  She has a book she bought on edible wild plants (leaves, berries, and such).  I started reading it and found it quite challenging.

I just keep imagining the scene in the movie, "Into The Wild", where he eats the wrong plant and messes him up bad.

We have a friend here in Central Virginia that teaches classes on plants that are indigenous to our region.  Before I ingest anything other than blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries, I'm going to take her class to learn the things that I can eat.

Cajun 

I pretty much stick to things that I can't screw up, things that are easy to identify. Blueberries, come mid summer, definitely qualify!

Pinyon nuts!  Delicious!

Never heard of 'em. What kind of habitat do they grow in?

Wait for it - they grow in pinyon pine forests of course - found in the southwest at altitudes just below the ponderosa pine  belt(4,000 - 5,000 feet or so).  They are an indication you are leaving the desert behind as you ascend.

The cones mature in the fall and the nuts can be picked from the opening cones.  I have fond memories of working at Mesa Verde, foraging for p nuts, in between giving guided tours of the cliff dwellings.

Since prehistoric times, pinyons have been a staple in the diet of inhabitants of the region.

@TomIrvine we had an avid group of employees and customers who loved to go mushroom hunting around the Olympia WA area. They also picked nettles to cook with!

You use the past-tense. What happened to them? Nuthin' bad, I hope.

@TomIrvine ha! Nothing bad, I just moved away...