Survivalist's Guide to Eating in the Wilderness

No Reservations Required A Survivalist's Guide to EATING IN THE WILDERNESS The Original Way to Dine Dut Hickory Nuts How to Identify Them: Hickory nuts grow on, you guessed it, hickory trees! Hickory tree leaves grow long and narrow, several to a stalk. Leaves grow in direct oppositional pairs along the sides of the stalk, with a single leaf growing at the top. When identifying the nuts, look for a double shell: the outer shell Found Where? Wild hickory trees can be found in areas of Asia and North America including China, Indochina, India, the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. What's So Great About Them? will be green if the nut is young and browner if the nut is more Hickory meat has 193 calories per ounce, most of which is from fat. They taste sweet like pecans, and you can eat them raw or cook them into porridge. As a bonus, hickory wood has a high energy content and is extremely useful for campfires and smoking meat. mature. Once the outer shell is peeled away, you'll see the inner, almond-like shell. The meat may be heart-shaped, with two oblong lumps at one end and a pointed tip at the other, and the inner shell will be very veiny. Amaranth What's So Great About It? Every part of the amaranth is edible. They are often used in stir-fries and soups in China. Be careful to look for small spines on leaves or flowers that might need to be removed first. You Found Where? North and South America, though you can find it on almost can boil the plants or eat them raw. If the plants are growing in nitrate-rich soil, the leaves should be boiled before you eat them. The seeds, which are brown or black, are a great source of protein and a traditional grain that you can eat raw, grind into flour, or pop over a fire like popcorn. every continent How to ldentify it: Amaranth plants vary in length from 90 to 150 centimeters tall. The stems may be red or green, and they have very simple-looking leaves. Small green flowers grow in clusters at the top of an amaranth plant. How to Identify it: In the early spring, asparagus is easily recognizable by the mace-like green cluster at its head. A mature plant looks more like a fern and may have red Asparagus What's So Great About t? It's full of vitamin C, thiamine, potassium, and vitamin B6. Young stems (those harvested before their leaves begin to grow) can be eaten raw; but, sometimes, raw asparagus may cause diarrhea or Found Where? Grows almost everywhere in the world, commonly in Europe, North Africa, West Asia, and North America berries. If it has flowers, they are small and green; some may also have thorns. Do not eat nausea, so it's always best to boil any asparagus you find for 10 to 15 minutes. You the berries of an asparagus plant, as some varieties are poisonous. Wild asparagus has a thinner stalk than the can also pull up the roots and eat them, too - they're good for starch! store-bought variety. Persimmons What's So Great About it? Varieties from Asia have about 127 calories and a whole day's worth of vitamin C in one cup of pulp. The leaves are also a good source of vitamin C, and can be made into a tea by drying them and soaking them in hot water. The fruit is known to be very Found Where? Throughout Africa, the eastern United States, Japan, China, Myanmar, northern India, Mexico, the Philippines, and southeastern Europe How to Identify Them: Persimmon trees have thick, dark green, elliptical leaves. The fruit is orange and resembles a tomato. They are typically ripe in late October. An unripe sweet, and the seeds can be roasted. Wood from a persimmon tree is not easy to work with, but is a popular persimmon is bitter and inedible, so look for the most wrinkled, rough, ugly-looking fruits. Note that some people are not able to digest the pulp of a persimmon. choice when making a traditional longbow. Jerusalem Artichoke What's So Great About t? A Jerusalem artichoke tuber has about 109 calories per cup, plenty of iron and potassium, and 5% to 20% of your daily B vitamins. About 10% of the tuber is protein, and there's little oil or starch. They're known to be quite sweet because they're packed with the inulin which, over time, converts to fructose sugar. It's a folk remedy for diabetes and considered a How to Identify lt: The Jerusalem artichoke bears a very close resemblance to a garden sunflower, but with a somewhat smaller head. For this Found Where? Grows wild throughout eastern North America, from the eastern parts of Canada and Maine over to North Dakota and south to Florida and Texas. It is cultivated almost worldwide, though. reason, it is also called sunroot. The flowers are yellow and between 5 and 10 cm in diameter and the stalks can healthy choice for type 2 diabetes (though always consult your doctor before trying something new). Eat them in moderation, as inulin may cause mild gastric distress and gassiness. If you're adventurous, grow to be as tall as 3 meters. When you find one, you'll want to dig up the tuber from within its roots. The tubers look like you can even make the traditional German liquor, topinambur, out of it. ginger roots in shape and color. How to ldentify it: What's So Great About It? Burdock Look for a tall plant, as tall as 2.7 meters. The leaves are big and fan-like. They resemble giant salad greens. The flowers are purple and joined in clusters. You may have encountered them as a child – they have Velcro-like hooks that they use to attach Quite a bit of the burdock plant is edible. The leaves and peeled stalks can be eaten raw or boiled. Leaves may require boiling twice to remove their bitter taste. Burdock also has a taproot that can be peeled, boiled, and eaten. The root is what burdock is most known themselves to the fur of animals or the socks of for- it's high in fiber, calcium, potassium, and amino acids. It's a popular food in Japan for its crisp texture and sweet, mild flavor. young children. Burdock grows from July to September. Found Where? Temperate regions across the Eastern Hemisphere, from Scandinavia and the Mediterranean to the British Isles and Russia, China, Japan, and India. It's been naturalized worldwide, though: Anywhere temperate, you'll probably be able to find burdock. Elderberries What's So Great Found Where? About it? You can find elderberry plants across the United States and The raw flowers and cooked berries are edible and contain warmer regions of Europe. They tend to grow out in the open in wet areas like marshes, rivers, ditches, and near lakes. Some vitamins B6 and C, calcium, iron, potassium, and about 106 calories per cup. You can soak the white flowers in a sugar How to ldentify Them: Look for a shrub with many stems, each filled with opposite, compound leaves. The shrub can grow as tall as 6 meters and produces lovely smelling white flowers in broad clusters of up to syrup for about 8 hours to make a traditional elderflower cordial. varieties are also found in Australia, South America, and Remove the flowers, add some lemon juice, and dilute the whole thing in water, tonic, soda, or gin before drinking. Only the flowers and cooked berries are western Asia. 30 cm in diameter. The berries themselves are dark blue or black when ripe. The fruits ripen around midsummer, and the elderberry flowers bloom between the end of May and guaranteed to be edible. In most varieties, the uncooked berries and all other parts of the plant, except the flowers, are toxic and should not be eaten. early June in the northern hemisphere. What's So Great About It? Cattail Almost all of the cattail is edible. You can dig up the bundle of roots, wash it of mud and bugs, and eat it raw or boiled. The tastiest part of the stem is near the bottom and colored white. Found Where? The leaves of the plant can be eaten boiled like spinach. Finally, the actual cattail or All over the world in sunny places near lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands. corn-dog-like structure can be broken off and eaten raw or boiled, like corn on the cob. Cattails have other uses as well. How to ldentify l: For example, the leaves can be woven together or used for rafts. The seeds and cotton can be Cattails grow as tall as 1.8 meters. They're thin, green, grass-like plants with brown or green flower spikes at their tops. They look a little like corn dogs or hot dogs on sticks. used for warmth, pillow stuffing, or tinder for fires, and the dried cattail is a good insect repellent when burned. Dandelion What's So Great About It? Found Where? The whole plant is edible. The leaves taste best when the The famous species of Dandelion is considered a pesky weed almost everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Other species are found all over the globe. They should be easy to find. flower is young - older leaves should be boiled to remove their bitter flavor. The roots should be boiled as well, and the water you boil them in can be used as a tea. How to Identify t: Dandelion roots can be roasted Dandelions grow close to the ground and have jagged green leaves. The flowers are bright, yellow, little tufts when young. Once they age, they turn gray and you can blow the seeds off of their heads. and ground to make a coffee substitute. The plants are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as calcium. Finally, the sticky substance within dandelion stems can be used as a crude glue in a pinch. Clover What's So Great About It? You might think "clover is nothing special," but that's the plant's greatest strength. It's easily the most common thing you'll find in the wild, and the whole thing is edible. The leaves can be eaten raw, but they're better if you boil them in a bundle like spinach. Found Where? Pretty much everywhere but most commonly in the Northern Hemisphere How to Identify it: Clover is easily identified by its trefoil leaves- that is, three leaves that come together and sprout from the same stem. Some varieties grow tiny red, white, yellow, or purple flowers. Chicory What's So Great About it? Found Where? You can eat any part of a chicory plant. Young leaves are great for salads or boiled, and the flowers Grows wild throughout Europe, North can be eaten raw as well. The America, China, and roots have a long tradition as a substitute for coffee. Simply bake and grind them. Of course, the roots can be eaten as a How to Identify it: Chicory grows in small bushes with tough, hairy stems that reach to the sky in long fingers of 30 to 100 cm. Its leaves grow close to the ground in a bush shape, forming a base that the long stems grow up and out of. It flowers from July until October with small 2 to 4 cm heads of vegetable, too. Like the Jerusalem artichoke, chicory is a good source of inulin. For farm Australia. animals, it's also renowned for its parasite-killing powers. In Germany, chicory is a folk medicine used as a cure-all for bright blue and sometimes white or pink. everyday health problems. Fireweed How to Identify : What's So Great About It? Fireweed has a distinctive row of purple flowers by which they can be easily identified. You can also look at the Fireweed is an Found Where? Fireweed is an exceptionally common plant throughout the temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere excellent source of vitamins C and A. veins in the plant's leaves - fireweed leaf veins do not Southeast Native Americans used to extend all the way to the outer edge of the leaf. Instead, they loop together near the edge, like the stitching about a leather wallet. The eat the leaves and shoots of young plants and then collect the stems of more mature ones later in the season. The flowers and seeds are flowers grow near the top of the plant in a cluster shaped like an arrow said to taste like pepper. You can make tea with its or a tongue of fire. leaves as well. Wilderness Dining Etiquette ONLY eat plants that you can 100% positively identify. Always be certain that what you're eating is safe. Plants near homes, settlements, or roadsides might be laden with pesticides. Always wash them first. Avoid roadside plants if possible - they may be contaminated by the exhaust from heavy traffic. If you find a plant growing near a body of water that contains parasites, assume that plant carries parasites as well. Boil or disinfect any plants like this before eating them. Don't eat anything that shows evidence of having a fungus or mildew growing on it. Avoid anything with an almond-like scent - this is the Avoid wild plants if you already know that your digestive system is sensitive to ingesting them. calling-card scent of cyanide compounds. If a wild plant tastes bitter, sometimes boiling it (and changing water between boils) will remove the bitter taste. General Tips for Avoiding Poisonous Plants AVOID THE FOLLOWING: 3. Beans, bulbs, and seedpods. A bitter or soap-like flavor. Plants with off-colored or milky sap. 6. Anything resembling dill, carrot, parsnip, or parsley-like foliage. Many plants resemble these safe-to-eat foods but are actually Three-leaved growth patterns. Anything with spines, small hairs, or thorns - think of it like a dangerous predator. poisonous to humans. A grain head with pink, purple, or black spurs. Not all plants with these traits are poisonous. In fact, some of the above items on the menu exhibit these patterns. But if you aren't sure of what a plant is, use these seven qualities to identify if it could be remotely harmful. Identifying leaves LEAF EDGES: A common vocabulary helps us pass on descriptions that others can easily understand. Here are some terms for identifying plants by their leaves. TOOTHED TOOTHLESS LOBED LEAF SHAPES: LEAF ARRANGEMENTS: LANCE-SHAPED ELLIPTIC EGG-SHAPED OPPOSITE COMPOUND SIMPLE OBLONG WEDGE-SHAPED TRIANGULAR BASAL ROSETTE ALTERNATE Sources: www.outdoorlife.com | www.artofmanliness.com | www.cdc.gov| www.wilderness-survival.net | www.wikihow.com | www.wikipedia.org AvasFlowers LONG-POINTED TOP-SHAPED Better Flowvers Lower Prices