Wild Food Guide: How to Identify the Best Wild Edible Foods
OL's survival expert highlights the best wild foods and ranks them by availability and caloric value.
It’s just assumed that every outdoorsman knows how to live off the land. And while you may be able to hunt, fish, and trap circles around everybody you know, are you equally proficient with wild edible plants? Do you know which nuts and berries you can add to an outdoor meal, or even be used to replace a meal? It may be true that “vegetarian” is the old Indian word for “bad hunter”, but I’ll still bet that our ancestors didn’t pass up easy and tasty plant foods when they ran into them. Follow along in our guide to wild edible plants, and you’ll have no excuse for going hungry again. I ranked these foods based on widespread availability, vitamins and mineral content and, most importantly, caloric value (they're listed in descending order). AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement |
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Comments (6)
GOOD INFO TO HAVE...THANKS
Love to see articles like this one. Being able to identify edible wild plants is just as important for survival as catching meat, maybe even more so. Never heard of a "meatatarian." Thanks for listing the elderberry. My all time favorite wild food. The berries are packed with more nutrients than blueberries and can be eaten cooked or dried. An elderberry "vodka" cordial is just the drink for a cold winter day, to remind you of the beauty of late summer. Great book to learn from is "Peterson Field Guides-Edible Wild Plants."
Nice article. Well written. I would love too see more on this topic in the future.
you started with the hardest nuts to crack that I have ever seen. hickory nuts and black walnuts?? better carry a vice, chisel and 2 pound hammer with you to crack either of these. for more info on edible and inedible plants go to either the local farm extension at the courthouse or to the library. the local stuff will give you just the local edibles where the library will give you the edibles of the world unless they have one just for n. america. have one of these in my collection along with the local and they are great to have. we have a hazlenut here in la that we call a chinqapin and the squirrels are ferocious over these and you have to get up very early to get them. bad part is you need gloves to get those out of the shell since they are spiny and hurt like the devil if they get into your fingers. by the way a better description of the buckeye is that they look like a hazelnut or chestnut but are black instead of brown/buff like the others. I do with there was a better pic of pine nuts than was shown since peeling the seeds out of a cone is hard and they taste like he77!! must have gotten the wrong thing and tried it. by the way, there is also a medicinal plant book out there that is a must for any outdoorsman's collection!!!! I have that one as well. heartburn?? they taste bad but pine needles work! headache? the green inner bark of willow. so many out there to choose from but very good at what they do at no cost.
you started with the hardest nuts to crack that I have ever seen. hickory nuts and black walnuts?? better carry a vice, chisel and 2 pound hammer with you to crack either of these. for more info on edible and inedible plants go to either the local farm extension at the courthouse or to the library. the local stuff will give you just the local edibles where the library will give you the edibles of the world unless they have one just for n. america. have one of these in my collection along with the local and they are great to have. we have a hazlenut here in la that we call a chinqapin and the squirrels are ferocious over these and you have to get up very early to get them. bad part is you need gloves to get those out of the shell since they are spiny and hurt like the devil if they get into your fingers. by the way a better description of the buckeye is that they look like a hazelnut or chestnut but are black instead of brown/buff like the others. I do with there was a better pic of pine nuts than was shown since peeling the seeds out of a cone is hard and they taste like he77!! must have gotten the wrong thing and tried it. by the way, there is also a medicinal plant book out there that is a must for any outdoorsman's collection!!!! I have that one as well. heartburn?? they taste bad but pine needles work! headache? the green inner bark of willow. so many out there to choose from but very good at what they do at no cost.
Enjoyed your article, Tim. Now how about a follow-up on inedible wild foods to avoid? You mentioned a few, but I think it would be a good idea to have photos to identify them with.
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Love to see articles like this one. Being able to identify edible wild plants is just as important for survival as catching meat, maybe even more so. Never heard of a "meatatarian." Thanks for listing the elderberry. My all time favorite wild food. The berries are packed with more nutrients than blueberries and can be eaten cooked or dried. An elderberry "vodka" cordial is just the drink for a cold winter day, to remind you of the beauty of late summer. Great book to learn from is "Peterson Field Guides-Edible Wild Plants."
you started with the hardest nuts to crack that I have ever seen. hickory nuts and black walnuts?? better carry a vice, chisel and 2 pound hammer with you to crack either of these. for more info on edible and inedible plants go to either the local farm extension at the courthouse or to the library. the local stuff will give you just the local edibles where the library will give you the edibles of the world unless they have one just for n. america. have one of these in my collection along with the local and they are great to have. we have a hazlenut here in la that we call a chinqapin and the squirrels are ferocious over these and you have to get up very early to get them. bad part is you need gloves to get those out of the shell since they are spiny and hurt like the devil if they get into your fingers. by the way a better description of the buckeye is that they look like a hazelnut or chestnut but are black instead of brown/buff like the others. I do with there was a better pic of pine nuts than was shown since peeling the seeds out of a cone is hard and they taste like he77!! must have gotten the wrong thing and tried it. by the way, there is also a medicinal plant book out there that is a must for any outdoorsman's collection!!!! I have that one as well. heartburn?? they taste bad but pine needles work! headache? the green inner bark of willow. so many out there to choose from but very good at what they do at no cost.
Enjoyed your article, Tim. Now how about a follow-up on inedible wild foods to avoid? You mentioned a few, but I think it would be a good idea to have photos to identify them with.
you started with the hardest nuts to crack that I have ever seen. hickory nuts and black walnuts?? better carry a vice, chisel and 2 pound hammer with you to crack either of these. for more info on edible and inedible plants go to either the local farm extension at the courthouse or to the library. the local stuff will give you just the local edibles where the library will give you the edibles of the world unless they have one just for n. america. have one of these in my collection along with the local and they are great to have. we have a hazlenut here in la that we call a chinqapin and the squirrels are ferocious over these and you have to get up very early to get them. bad part is you need gloves to get those out of the shell since they are spiny and hurt like the devil if they get into your fingers. by the way a better description of the buckeye is that they look like a hazelnut or chestnut but are black instead of brown/buff like the others. I do with there was a better pic of pine nuts than was shown since peeling the seeds out of a cone is hard and they taste like he77!! must have gotten the wrong thing and tried it. by the way, there is also a medicinal plant book out there that is a must for any outdoorsman's collection!!!! I have that one as well. heartburn?? they taste bad but pine needles work! headache? the green inner bark of willow. so many out there to choose from but very good at what they do at no cost.
Nice article. Well written. I would love too see more on this topic in the future.
GOOD INFO TO HAVE...THANKS
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)