Survival Food For The Avid Adventurer

So you are an Outdoor Enthusiast and you want to be prepared. In order to be prepared, you must be a "Master of Disaster" which means you are prepared for almost anything. Remembering to pack all the right survival gadgets is easy enough becuase as an expert explorer you have a great survival checklist on hand at all times. Still no checklist is failsafe.

Here is an example of what I mean. Survival foods are not the most important thing in most short-term emergency situations in the wild. One can live for weeks without eating if you have to. In the short-term, it's usually more essential to find cover, water, a place to stay dry and uninjured. However, just being confident you have the wherewithal to find food and can put something in your stomach, can do wonders for one's peace of mind, which CAN be fundamental to your survival.

What then, do you need to know about survival foods? First forget the idea that you need to learn every last edible wild plant. Lots of us love learning about new edible plants, however very few of them provide enough calories to be worth the effort in a long-term survival scenario. Learn about a few basic categories of animals you can eat, and some of the most available and calorie-rich plants in the region you are in.

The following lists are examples of food for the US and Canada Region. It is recommended that one read up on the animals and plant indigenous to the geographic location being explored. I also suggest keeping notes and pictures in a folder you can pack with other survval supplies.

Plants to Consider:

Cattail is one of the most available and calorie-rich foods in the wild. The white part of the stalk at the bottom, and the new shoots, can be eaten raw or cooked. Pollen from the flower spike can be shaken into a bag and used in soups. Flower spikes can be cooked like corn-on-the-cob when green. Roots can be mashed in water to release the starch, which can be added to soups. Cattails grow in swamps or wet soil, and you really should get to know this plant.

The inside bark of pine trees is edible. It's a good survival food to remember, because it is available in every season. That white spongy layer between the outside bark and the wood is what you need to look for. Although it is mostly fiber, it holds enough carbohydrates to be worth boiling into a soup especially if your choices are limited.

Ready to eat berries can be a delicious and satisfying survival food in the right time of year. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and blackberries all have their wild forms. If it looks like the domestic one (usually smaller) and smells and tastes like it, it's safe to eat. Of course it's fun to know which mushrooms to eat, or which flowers are edible, but both have almost no calories.

Animals to Consider:

Mammals in North America can all be eaten (except for entrails and organs, especially the livers of various mammals in the extreme northern region). Since wild animals carry parasites, it is critical to wash your hands after touching them, and cook the meat if possible.

North American birds are all edible, and their eggs are as well. Some have even eaten seagull eggs cooked on a hot rock, and report they tasted fine. Fresh water fish in North America are all edible. Catching the fish is the difficult part, but fish can be quickly and easily cooked over an open fire. snakes and frogs are usually safe to eat - if you remove the skin. Those who have cooked snake in a stew and over a fire, usually recommend the latter.

To quickly learn what you need to survive, concentrate first on the common animals and the most available and calorie-rich edible plants. Those are the survival foods that will most likely save your life.