Survival Foods For The Outdoor Enthusiast

So you are an Outdoor Enthusiast and you want to be prepared. In order to be ready, you must be a "Master of Disaster" which means you are prepared for just about 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 essential thing in most short-term emergency situations in the back country. One can live for weeks without eating if required. In the short-term, it's usually more of a priority to find shelter, drinking water, a place to stay dry and uninjured. However, just being confident you have the wherewithal to find food and having it in your stomach, can bolster your confidence, which CAN be fundamental to your survival.

What then, do you need to know about survival foods? First forget about trying to learn every last edible wild plant. Lots of us love learning about new edible plants, however very few of them offer enough calories to be worth the effort in a long-term survival scenario. What you need to know a few fundamental 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 natural sources of edible plants and animals for the US and Canada Region. It is suggested that you study about 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 gear.

Survival Foods - The Animals

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

North American birds are all edible, and the eggs are as well. People have even eaten seagull eggs cooked on a hot rock, and report they tasted fine. Fresh water fish in North America are all safe to eat. Catching the fish is the hard part, but fish can be quickly and easily cooked over a 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, frequently recommend the latter.

Survival Foods - The Plants

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 also 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 around ponds or wet soil, and you really should get to know this plant.

The inner bark of pine trees is edible. It's a good survival food to keep in mind, because it is available year-round. That white spongy layer between the outer bark and the wood is what you want. Although it is mostly fiber, it holds enough carbohydrates to be worth boiling into a soup especially if nothing else is available.

Edible berries can be a delicious and filling 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 you can eat, and even which flowers are safe to eat, but both have almost no calories. To learn what you need to survive, concentrate first on the common animals and the most available and energy-rich edible plants. These are the survival foods that will most likely save your life.