There’s no better way to connect with nature than going off-grid and heading out into the wilderness. Underneath the sun and stars, you’ll unplug from technology, tune into a more natural wake/sleep cycle and boost your mental well-being. You’ll also learn to appreciate the little things, like the plants and animals you may enjoy for your next meal.
Whether you’re heading out on a month-long adventure or wilderness bug out, it’s crucial to know how to scavenge for food and get the nutrition you need in the wilderness. If you’ve never foraged before, you may be surprised by how much food Mother Nature can provide.
From berries to insects to rodents, the outside world is teeming with edible plants and creatures. In a survival situation, you must know which ones are safe to eat and how best to prepare and consume them.
Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your next adventure — or evacuation emergency — so you can stay full and healthy, no matter where you are.
Do Your Research
Many mushroom species contain toxins, and researchers have identified 14 different types of mushroom poisoning worldwide. Even experienced foragers might unknowingly eat a poisonous fungus variety. Unfortunately, many survivalists make the same fatal mistake with poisonous flora and fauna and unwittingly consume plants that could kill them.
In a survival situation, you must know which plants are edible and which ones aren’t. As a general rule of thumb, don’t eat anything you can’t identify. Of course, if you never do your research, you won’t be able to recognize much, leaving you starving in the wilderness.
Therefore, you must study local plants and learn how to find which ones are edible. Take a course with an expert ranger or guide who knows the area before you begin foraging for food. Speak with Indigenous people and learn from them. They know better than anyone which flowers, roots and leaves are edible and worth harvesting and cooking.
You can also pick up a book of edible plants in the region and bring it with you on your hike if you’d rather not risk eating something poisonous. In a survival situation, you’ll be happy to have packed a plant guide, especially if you’ve gone a few days without adequate nutrition and are beginning to feel faint, dizzy and weak.
Still Pack Food!
What if you’re planning a trip into the desert or want to climb a snow-filled mountain? Odds are there’s not a lot of food in these destinations — at least, not a wide enough variety to keep you going. In this case, you’ll have to prepare, pack and preserve your food. More crucially, you must bring nonperishable items that will give you enough calories and nutrients to fuel you during your journey.
One idea is to purchase a bag of jerky or learn how to smoke meat at home to prepare and preserve a primary protein source. In the wilderness, you also have the option of sun-drying your meats, fruits and vegetables to make them last longer, providing you with more nutrients in the long run. You might even go so far as to use fermentation to create medicinal wines and alcoholic beverages that cleanse water of bacteria.
You could also enjoy a mix of the mountains’ berries, flowers and mushrooms while also receiving protein, fiber and other essential nutrients from the food you bring.
Know Your Bugs
Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of choosing what you eat. When you’re out of food and you need an energy boost, it’s time to taste a few creepy crawlies. Unless you’re lost in the rainforest, most insects are edible and nutritious. Many have a higher protein content than plant sources like lentils, and a few even provide more than meat and eggs. Look for ones with exoskeletons, a three-part body, six legs and one pair of antennae.
Insects that don’t fit this description — like millipedes and caterpillars — are less likely to be edible. Plus, most of them are harder to find and riskier to eat, so if you’re going to eat them, know what you’re getting yourself into.
For example, some spiders have small hairs that can irritate your mouth and throat if you don’t singe them off before cooking and eating. Slugs and snails, which often feast on poisonous plants and mushrooms, can also pose potential health risks, even if you cook them before consuming them.
Even if you don’t plan to eat bugs, research insect varieties in your area before heading out into the wilderness. As a general rule of thumb, avoid hairy insects with bright colors and unpleasant smells. If you’re in doubt about whether an insect is edible, cut off a small piece, cook it thoroughly, eat it and wait a few hours. If you don’t experience any adverse effects, it’s probably safe to eat the rest.
[Editor’s note: I’m not sure how long I would survive if I had to eat bugs since it’s just not my thing, but if you really want to know what’s possible, consider this field guide to edible insects.]
Learn to Hunt and Fish
The Earth’s climate varies considerably from place to place. However, animals have adapted to survive in almost any condition. Whether you’re climbing snowy peaks or trekking through a sandy desert, animals live there.
While insects and plants can provide essential nutrients, you probably won’t be able to forage or eat enough to get your daily amount of calories and replenish energy stores by foraging alone. In other words, eating only plants won’t keep you alive in the long run. Animals, on the other hand, will. Meat, fish and eggs contain protein, iron and typically more calories, so you can continue to hunt, build shelter and hike to safety.
There are many different ways to catch and trap animals. However, you’ll want to use methods that require the least amount of energy and yield the most nutritious reward. Stick snares, deadfalls and pine pitch bird cup traps are among the simplest and most effective traps to make on land. Meanwhile, catching fish will require you to make stationary and moving fish traps, spears and weirs, which will work better than hook-and-bait methods.
Cook Your Catch
Of course, once you catch an animal you must clean, prepare and cook it before digging in — unless you’re catching saltwater or cold-water fish. Be ware that carnivorous wild game, including wild boar, wolves and foxes, have a higher likelihood of carrying parasites and bacteria. Thus, you must cook meat to kill off worms, maggots and other contaminants and parasites that could make you ill.
The first step to cooking your food is skinning, gutting and butchering it after the kill. Slit the animal’s throat and collect the blood to use in a stew, as it’s an excellent source of iron. Then, skin or scale your catch, removing the tail and head. Gut the animal, removing the bladder, entrails, fat and other organs. If you’re butchering a large animal, cut the meat along the grain and intro strips to preserve or cook immediately.
[Editor’s note: I would suggest reading a detailed book on the subject of butchering and cooking wild game or, better yet, watch videos. Best of all, find someone who knows what they’re doing and ask them to teach you!]
You have several options for cooking meat in the wilderness. Fry, boil, broil, smoke or grill it using rocks, leaves, sticks and other natural materials. Of course, you’ll also have to know how to build and light a fire. Besides cooking your food, a fire will also ward off bugs and animals, provide a source of light and keep you warm.
Get Your Vitamins
Calories may be hard to come by in the wild, especially if there aren’t many insects or animals around. However, foods rich in vitamins and minerals are usually widely abundant, even in places with few signs of life. Since wild plants have adapted to grow without humans’ help, they’re often richer in essential nutrients, which is excellent news for the survivalist.
Water-soluble vitamins begin depleting the second you stop consuming them. Therefore, it’s crucial to ingest a steady stream of vitamins like ascorbic acid, thiamin, folacin, B-12 and biotin to stay healthy and level-headed. Brew pine needle tea to get your daily vitamin C intake, and munch on dandelions to boost your vitamin A, C and K levels. Pine pollen, wild citrus, violets, strawberries and nettles are just a few vitamin-rich plants that may be available to you.
Seek Sodium Sources
In the United States, most people try to limit their sodium intake because of the high salt content in processed and packaged foods. However, you must be more conscious of low sodium levels in wilderness situations. If you don’t consume enough, you may experience headaches, vomiting, confusion and muscle weakness, all of which will hinder your ability to survive in the wild.
Luckily, dandelion, walnut, hickory, pecan and dock roots are all rich in sodium and relatively easy to find. Animal blood is also high in sodium and other essential nutrients, so embrace your inner vampire and drink up. If you don’t want to consume these less appetizing foods, consider packing salt in your supplies. Sprinkle it on wild vegetables, fish and meat to refuel your body and stay healthy on the trail.
You might also choose to harvest salt from the ocean if you’re camping on an island or along the coastline. However, you can still extract salt from inland surroundings, even if your only water sources are freshwater rivers and lakes. Use various methods to take salt from rocks, sand, brine springs and even plant ashes. While the result may not look like typical table salt, it will still contain the sodium you need to survive.
Stay Hydrated
Water may not contain any calories or nutrients. However, it is essential to your survival. On average, a person can only live three days without it. Water aids in digestion, supports enzyme function, gives you energy and helps your body absorb nutrients and minerals from food. Plus, it allows you to think straight, which is always vital in wilderness and survival situations.
If you don’t bring enough water with you on your journey, you’ll have to locate natural sources to wet your whistle. Fortunately, potable water is relatively easy to find — as long as you’re not stuck in the desert. However, you should still analyze each water source to determine whether it is suitable for human consumption. Animal tracks, fish, lichen, bugs and green vegetation are all good signs. Fast-moving water may also be safer than groundwater.
Those who can’t manage to find running water may have no other choice but to drink standing water, groundwater or rainwater. These sources are less reliable and are more likely to contain harmful pathogens like cholera and dysentery. Rainwater and standing water can also carry air pollution, bacteria, excrement and other contaminants that can cause sickness and disease. Therefore, you must purify any water you harvest from these sources.
Boiling water remains one of the best water purification methods. After using moss, sand or a cloth to filter out all dirt and debris, boil it in a can or pot to remove toxins. You can also use a distillation or sedimentation process to purify it. Practice these methods at home to perfect your craft. Otherwise, you may be better off bringing a water purification kit or tablets to ensure your water is safe enough to drink.
Move Wisely: Conserving Energy in the Wild
Getting the nutrition you need in the wilderness is only half the battle. Once you know how to pack, hunt, forage, cook and preserve your food to support optimal health, you must make those nutrients last as long as possible. In the wild, survival is a delicate balance of work and rest, of burning and consuming calories. The last thing you want to do is burn through energy stores without having the means to replace them, so move wisely.
Everything you do should have a purpose and help you accomplish your goal of survival. Carefully weigh the risks and benefits of foraging and hunting. Is making a bow and arrow in the desert worth it? Should you spend your energy making a fire if you can cook your food on a rock in the hot sun? As with anything, work smarter, not harder. Doing so will teach you valuable lessons in problem-solving and significantly increase your chance of survival.
[Note: This was a guest post.]
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