Flax plant – the many uses of the flax plant in the wild
Flax plant identification The flax plant is an excellent source of food, natural fibers, and oils. Flax grows to about 4-feet tall and 2-feet wide. Leaves are wider in the middle and shaped like a lance tip and grow alternating on the stalk. Leaves are typically bluish, pale green,…
Preparing acorns to be a nutritious source of food
Acorns as source of food Many people are not aware that acorns are edible. Acorns are high in protein, fiber, carbohydrates, fats, calcium, and other minerals and with tannins removed, they offer a sweetish taste making them an excellent option for use in stews and breads. The best tasting acorns come…
Easy recipe for healthy, high calorie Survival Food Bars
Here's a treat for survivalists, backpackers, hikers, or anyone else looking for a dense, high-calorie food source that is non-perishable, easy to transport, and healthy. These “survival bars” can be cut into 2 inch by 2 inch squares and provide approximately 600 calories, 10 grams of fat, 25 grams of…
Build a cheap min-greenhouse out of old shelving units
A greenhouse is great for starting off young seedlings or growing plants year-round. By utilizing transparent barriers around the greenhouse framework, solar radiation is allowed to enter the greenhouse (heating it up) while retaining heat and moisture needed for optimal plant growth. Here's how to build a simple, and cheap,…
Eat bugs for survival? The U.N. says it’s a good idea in new promotion for Entomophagy
The has begun promoting edible insects as a low-fat, high protein food for people, pets, and livestock. According to the , they come with appetizing side benefits: reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating jobs in developing countries, and feeding millions of hungry people around the world. And yes, bugs can be…
Is human waste OK to use for compost or fertilizer?
Any farmer will tell you that when it comes to efficiently growing food, compost is "black gold". But some fear that fertilizer or compost made from human waste could be at risk of containing heavy metals, pathogens, or pharmaceuticals causing many environmentalists to consider it unsafe for enhancing plant growth.…
Food in a survival situation – edible plants, animals and rations to survive in the wild
Introduction You can live for several weeks without eating but regardless, food provides life-saving energy to your body and replenishes substances that your body burns during physical and mental activity. The average person needs 2,000 calories per day to function at a minimum level. Any less than this and your…
Using plants as food in the wild – how to find, identify, test, and prepare plants for eating.
Introduction After having solved the problems of finding water, shelter, and animal food, you will have to consider the use of plants you can eat. In a survival situation you should always be on the lookout for familiar wild foods and live off the land whenever possible. You must not…
Using animals as food in the wild.
Introduction One of man's most urgent requirements is food. In contemplating virtually any hypothetical survival situation, the mind immediately turns to thoughts of food. Unless the situation occurs in an arid environment, even water, which is more important to maintaining body functions, will usually follow food in our initial thoughts.…
Cleaning, cooking, and storing (preserving) wild game in a wilderness survival situation
You must know how to prepare fish and game for cooking, storage, and preservation in a survival situation. Improper cleaning or storage of wild game can result in inedible, or possibly worse, wasted fish or game. The following explains the process of preparing and preserving the animal for cooking and how…
Don’t have a fishing pole handy? Here’s how to make items you can use to catch fish in the wild
Introduction If water is nearby, fishing can be a very productive means to acquiring meat for your survival diet. If you do not have fishing tools available, you can still make your own fishhooks, nets, fish traps, and even fish poison to capture fish for food. Making Fishhooks You can…
All about animal hunting devices, including a few you can build in the wilderness in a pinch.
There are several killing devices that you can construct to help you obtain small game to help you survive. The rabbit stick, the spear, the bow and arrow, and the sling are such devices. Rabbit Stick One of the simplest and most effective killing devices is a stout stick as…
Traps and snares – how to build, bait, and place traps to acquire food in the wild
Introduction You can typically acquire more animal food using traps than shooting – and trapping requires much less time and energy than stalking and hunting. The time saved by trapping can be allocated to foraging for additional food sources. To be effective with any type of trap or snare, you…
You can do a lot more with plants than just eating them. Here are a collection of miscellaneous uses for plants.
Plants can be your ally as long as you use them cautiously. Be sure that you know the plant and how to use it. Some additional uses of plants are as follows: Make dyes from various plants to color clothing or to camouflage your skin. Usually, you will have to…
Medicinal use of plants in the wild – sedatives, antihistamines, antiseptics, anti-fungal washes and more
When using wild plants for medical treatment, positive identification of the plants involved is as critical as when using them for food. Proper use of these plants is equally important. Many plants have the ability to synthesize chemical compounds that help them defend against attack from a wide variety of…
Yam bean – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus) The yam bean, commonly known as Jicama (and also known as Mexican Turnip or Mexican Potato), is a climbing plant of the bean family, with alternate, three-parted leaves and a large root. They can reach a height of a few feet given suitable support and grow…
Yam – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Yam (Dioscorea species) These plants are twining, tuberous vines that creep along the ground or occasionally climb trees and other structures. The woody rootstock, or tubers, is pale brown, knotty, and cylindrical in shape. Stems are reddish-brown and can grow to over 30 feet in length. They have broad, alternate,…
Wood sorrel – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wood sorrel (Oxalis species) There are over 800 species in the Oxalis family. Wood sorrel (also known as Woodsorrels, Yellow Sorrels, or Pink Sorrels) resembles shamrock or four-leaf clover, with a bell-shaped pink, yellow, or white flower. The plants can grow up to 15 inches tall. The leaves are divided…
Wild rose – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild rose (Rosa species) The Wild Rose shrub grows 60 centimeters to meters (24 inches to 8 feet) high. Larger stems are usually densely covered with straight prickles. It has alternate, sharply serrated edged leaves with 3-7 oval or slightly spear-head shaped leaflets per leaf. Its oval to pear-shaped flowers…
Wild rice – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild rice (Zizania aquatica) Wild rice (also known as Canada Rice, Indian Rice, Marsh Oats, and Water Oats) is an tall, erect, aquatic grass that typically is 1 to meters (3 to 4 feet) in height, but may reach meters (15 feet). The leaves are flat, strap-like, about 3-4 feet…
Wild pistachio – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild pistachio (Pistacia species) Wild Pistachio plants can grow as shrubs or trees up to a height of 7 meters (23 feet). It branches are spreading and form a dense crown. The bark of the Wild Pistachio is typically ashen gray in color and deeply fissured often giving the tree…
Wild onion and garlic – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild onion and garlic (Allium species) Allium cernuum and Allium canadense are examples of the many species of wild onions and garlics, all easily recognized by their distinctive onion-like or garlic-like odor. Many have leaves located at the base that wither away as the flowers begin growing but the main…
Wild grape vine – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild grape vine (Vitis species) The wild grapevine climbs with the aid of “tendrils” on stems that are hairy when young but grow into hairless vines. Its bark is twining. The tendrils that are used for support grow opposite the leaves. Most grapevines produce deeply lobed leaves, alternately arranged, broad…
Wild gourd or luffa sponge – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Wild gourd or luffa sponge (Luffa aegyptiaca, Luffa cylindrica) The luffa sponge (also known as Smooth Luffa, Egyptian Luffa, or Wild Squash) is widely distributed and fairly typical of a wild squash. There are several dozen kinds of wild squashes in tropical regions. Like most squashes, the luffa is a…
Wild fig – how to identify figs and prepare for food
Wild fig (Ficus species) Collectively known as “fig trees” or “figs”, there are nearly 1,000 species of Ficus ranging from woody trees to shrubs and vines. Most are of the “strangler” variety, with aerial root systems, and hence easy to identify. The sticky seeds are spread by birds to other…
