Baynutting: Tips for Harvesting, Storing and Using California Bay Nuts (2012)
paleotechnics.wordpress.com
paleotechnics.wordpress.com
The article is definitely right that roasting them correctly is a bit of a challenge, but it's worth it. If bay nuts were a mainstream thing, the same people who obsess over making the perfect coffee would have a field day with bay nuts.
Come to think of it, making some acorn waffles with ground roasted bay nuts might be pretty awesome. Too bad bay nuts and acorns aren't usually around the same time (I think?).
Second to that is simply going out into the wilderness, taking pictures of interesting looking plants, and then figuring out what they are online. There's even apps that help identify things, but I haven't used them. I think iNaturalist might have some kind of computer-vision feature. Dunno. But remember to always get a second opinion before attempting to eat something. Again, that's something that being a part of a foraging group can help you with. If you keep it up and you get a sense of how to forage safely, then you can be more self reliant and refer to books if you come across unknowns.
One last thing about foraging that even many foragers often forget is that the smell of a plant is a key identifier. It's often overlooked because people focus on what the plants look like, where they grow, the time of year, etc., and don't think to pick off a leaf, roll it around, and smell it.