Edible Wild Plants And Survival....

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Edible Wild Plants And Survival....


Post up your experience and knowledge on the subject.

This can be useful in a break down/survival situation. The link below is all I could find right now. But you get the idea. I'll edit and add more info later as I find it.


Edible Wild Plants And Survival....

"Knowing a few edible wild plants can make your next backpacking trip, or any trip into the wilderness, a lot more enjoyable.

You can pack lighter if you eat wild berries every morning for breakfast, for example, and leave your oatmeal behind. So push the bears out of the way and gorge yourself on blueberries. Less weight on your back always feels better.

You'll also enjoy your backpacking more when you know that you won't be completely helpless the moment you lose your pack, or a raccoon empties it for you. You don't have to be a survivalist to see the value of knowing which of the wild plants around you can be eaten".





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[Black Dog]

Shaggy mane and chanterelle mushrooms and morel mushrooms are always real easy to identify and are edible (although be aware of the false morel).

And thimble berries and Saskatoon service berries are easy to ID and grown pretty wide spread in the northern Rockies.

But where I live huckleberries are the real treat.

It isn't uncommon to find a couple different kinds of mint either, and raspberries and strawberries grow wild in most places too. I use [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Wild-Plants-North-American/dp/0806974885"]this book[/ame] for identifying plants and [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Mushrooms-Demystified-David-Arora/dp/0898151694/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284992202&sr=1-1"]this book[/ame] for mushrooms.

 

[mudbutt]

I saw these at the M&G at Miramar Lake. Taste a little like pomegranate.

You just have to be careful of the spines. They are tiny-tiny and quite painful.

 

[Mr. Leary]

Usually I find myself more wanting of natural remedies then edibles. The inner bark of a willow tree can be ground and mixed with water (usually right after boiling to take out some of the bitter). Since aspirin is the miracle drug for me... I'm always on the lookout for these after a couple days on the trail!

Dandelions are edible and good for you, but be sure to bring some water to wash it down with... they don't taste very good.

Oak leaves are edible in a pinch as well. I have eaten a feast of oak leaves and boiled grubs before. It was actually pretty good, albeit a little bland.

I have used boiled down pine pitch to treat blisters before, and I hear they are useful for other skin ailments.

The inner bark is edible on most trees, including most pine trees (where you may find the rest of the surrounding area to be pretty sterile). I would definitely recommend boiling these for a while... they are really bitter. I have boiled these down in the past and made a "cud" to chew on while hiking. This serves as a substitute for the pebble trick for water conservation.

Pebble trick. While hiking as a child with my folks out in the desert in New Mexico I learned a couple easy tricks for water conservation. One is the pebble trick. Its easy, find a small rock (small smooth river pebbles are best) and suck on it like a candy while hiking. Your salivation will help your throat from becoming dry and it will help you keep you mouth closed and breath through your nose, which helps cut down on moisture loss. No dry throat, less desire to drink up all your water.

I have lost my focus on this type of pursuit lately due to a focus on making more distance per day, but its always good to know that there are things available to me other than fauna to eat. I have also done quite a bit of small game trapping while out hiking in the past.

More leter, hope this helps. Another good idea for a thread, SWR.

 

[1leglance]

go to equippedtosurvive.org and play around on their forum....everyone here should be on there anyway as we are well set up for emergencies.
There is a guy there who post under the name Blast and is very very knowledgable on the eating plants things, lots of threads and references.

Pine needle tea
Willow back infusions
most grasses are edible
Yucca root & base
wild onions
wild mint
wild grapes
wild strawberries (much smaller than store ones)

A tip for those of us who travel around old homesteads, keep an eye out and you will often find plants that survived after the homestead was abandonded, fruit trees, vine plants and more.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I saw these at the M&G at Miramar Lake. Taste a little like pomegranate.

You just have to be careful of the spines. They are tiny-tiny and quite painful.

As a kid growing up in the S Nevada desert we ate those anytime we found them, a quick sear in the fires removes all the spines. Tasty stuff.

 

[mudbutt]

...... a quick sear in the fires removes all the spines. Tasty stuff.

Ooooooh, I hadn't thought of that!

 

[User_Name]

Usually I find myself more wanting of natural remedies then edibles. The inner bark of a willow tree can be ground and mixed with water (usually right after boiling to take out some of the bitter). Since aspirin is the miracle drug for me... I'm always on the lookout for these after a couple days on the trail!

Anybody looking for natural aspirin, look for white willow bark in health stores.

I have seen it used for pets as a mild pain reliever because it isn't as harsh on the stomach as aspirin

 

[rusty_tlc]

I split time between Nevada and Oregon, on the coast we would graze on berries. Here are a few common, less known ones. All are pretty low in sugar (carbs) but high in vitamins. Crow berries are high enough in pectin to make jelly with adding any store bought, Mom used them with other berries to make jellies and jams.
Left to right
Crow berries - found close to the beach in open wind swept heath type areas
salal berries - also found close to the beach but usually in shady protected areas
salmon berries - usually found further inland in semi open forest floor areas.

 

[spressomon]

Shaggy mane and chanterelle mushrooms and morel mushrooms are always real easy to identify and are edible (although be aware of the false morel).

And thimble berries and Saskatoon service berries are easy to ID and grown pretty wide spread in the northern Rockies.

But where I live huckleberries are the real treat.

It isn't uncommon to find a couple different kinds of mint either, and raspberries and strawberries grow wild in most places too. I use this book for identifying plants and this book for mushrooms.

My first taste of Thimbleberries was on a self-contained mountain bike tour. Apart of our Hood River to Seattle route we road along the John Wayne/Iron Horse RTT trail in Washington and it was lined with ripe delicious Thimbleberries. We didn't ride many miles that day .

 

[spressomon]

Stinging Nettles: Get them in the spring, about a foot tall, for the most tender. Use gloves to pick them and then make tea or even better IMO saute with a little butter, season with salt and pepper and enjoy as you would any other sauteed greens. A little ranch dressing atop doesn't hurt either

Heat neutralizes whatever chemical causes them to sting...

 

[Salue]

In addition to the berries, morels and chanterelle mushrooms already mentioned;

we pick boletus (porcini):

hen of the woods:

matsutake (pine mushroom):

fiddlehead ferns:

young beargrass flowers:

The only thing with pine mushrooms - most people don't like to share where they pick these since they are very expensive($30-$50/lb) depending on the size and rating.

It's actually mushroom season now and I'm going foraging tomorrow for chanterelles and pine.

Great thread, keep 'em coming!

 

[spressomon]

In addition to the berries, morels and chanterelle mushrooms already mentioned;

The only thing with pine mushrooms - most people don't like to share where they pick these since they are very expensive($30-$50/lb) depending on the size and rating.

It's actually mushroom season now and I'm going foraging tomorrow for chanterelles and pine.

<snip>

So...where you going? :coffeedrink:

 

[Salue]

<snip>

So...where you going? :coffeedrink:

To the mushroom forest of course

Seriously, if you or anyone is interested, send me a PM and I can give you some suggestions on where to go here in WA.....But, if you've never picked before, I don't suggest you go picking based on pics.

Cheers,
Salue

 

[User_Name]

Stinging Nettles: Get them in the spring, about a foot tall, for the most tender. Use gloves to pick them and then make tea or even better IMO saute with a little butter, season with salt and pepper and enjoy as you would any other sauteed greens. A little ranch dressing atop doesn't hurt either

Heat neutralizes whatever chemical causes them to sting...

I used too have several old books and Stinging Nettle tea was reported to be used as a blood cleanser back in the old days