Euell Gibbons

Euell Theophilus Gibbons (September 8, 1911 – December 29, 1975) was an outdoorsman and proponent of natural diets, famous during the 1960s.

Biography

Gibbons 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 about foods available in the wild. As an adult he spent time in several states working a variety of jobs. During a stay in Hawaii from 1947 to 1951, he met and married Freda Fryer. Throughout his travels his interest in wild foods continued and he experimented with new recipes and consulted experts.

Although Gibbons longed to be a writer, he had difficulty getting published. However, capitalizing on the growing return-to-nature movement in 1962, his first book, "Stalking the Wild Asparagus", became an instant success. 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 then produced 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 National Geographic Magazine. The first article, in the July 1972 issue, 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.

Gibbons's publishing success brought him 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.

A 1974 television commercial for Post Grape Nuts cereal featured Gibbons asking viewers "Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible." While he recommended eating Grape Nuts over eating pine trees, the quote caught the public's imagination and fueled his celebrity. Johnny Carson joked about sending Gibbons a "lumber-gram", and Gibbons himself joined in the humor; when presented with a wooden award plaque by Sonny and Cher, he good-naturedly took a bite out of it. (The "plaque" was actually an edible prop.)

Euell died on December 29, 1975. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Euell Gibbons Dies at 64; Wrote Books About Natural Foods |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00C13FC3C5C137B93C2AA1789D95F418785F9&scp=1&sq=Euell+Gibbons&st=p |quote=Euell Gibbons, author of books on natural foods, was pronounced dead on arrival in Sunbury Community Hospital tonight. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed. He was 64 years old. |publisher=New York Times |date=December 30, 1975 |accessdate=2008-03-23 ] His death was the result of a ruptured aortic aneurysm, a complication from Marfan syndrome.

Bibliography

* "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" (1962)
* "Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop" (1964)
* "Stalking the Healthful Herbs" (1966)
* "Stalking the Good Life" (1966)
* "Beachcomber's Handbook" (1967)
* "Stalking the Faraway Places" (1973)
* (collected in) "American Food Writing: An Anthology with Classic Recipes", ed. Molly O'Neill (Library of America, 2007) ISBN 1598530054
* "Feast on a Diabetic Diet" (unknown publication date)

References

External links

* Euell Gibbons Biography by John Kallas, Ph.D., Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants and Other Foragables. [http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/euellgibbons.html Article with Photograph]
* Euell Gibbons Biography by John Sunder. [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/GG/fgi38.html The Handbook of Texas Online]
* Biographical sketch (describing a week long camping by foraging trip with Euell Gibbons) appears on pages 65-118 in a section called "A Forager" in the book [http://www.johnmcphee.com/roomful.htm A Roomful of Hovings] by John McPhee, 1967.
* Euell Gibbons Post Grape Nuts [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQAdCDcU0A television commercial] , 1974.