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 just about anything. Remembering to pack all the right survival supplies 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 scenarios in the wilderness. You can make it for weeks without eating if you have to. In the short-term, it’s always more pressing to find shelter, drinking water, a place to stay dry and uninjured. But, just being confident you have the ability to find food and can put it in your stomach, can do wonders for one’s peace of mind, which CAN be essential 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 not many of them provide enough nourishment to be worth the effort in a long-term survival scenario. Learn about a few fundamental species of animals you can eat, and some of the most abundant and calorie-rich plants in the region you are in.
The following lists are examples of food for North American Region. It is suggested that you read up on the animals and plant indigenous to the geographic location being explored. I also advise keeping notes and pictures in a notbook you can pack with other survval gear.
Plants to Consider:
Cattail is one of the most abundant and calorie-rich foods in the wilderness. 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 in swamps 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 remember, because it is available year-round. That white spongy layer between the external bark and the wood is what you want. Although it is mostly fiber, it holds enough carbohydrates to be worth the effort boiling into a soup if your choices are limited.
Ready to eat berries can be a delicious and filling survival food in the right season. 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, or which flowers are edible, but both of these 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 undomesticated animals carry parasites, it is important 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 People 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 hard part, but fish can be quickly and easily cooked over an open fire. Amphibians and reptiles 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 abundant and energy-rich edible plants. Those are the survival foods that will most likely save your life.