| Knowing a few edible wild plants can make your next | | | | Park: Blueberries, Service Berries, Rose Hips, |
| backpacking trip, or any trip into the wilderness, a lot | | | | Blackberries, High Bush Cranberries, Strawberries, |
| more enjoyable. | | | | Rasberries, Thimbleberries, and Currants. Berries are |
| You can pack lighter if you eat wild berries every | | | | the most convenient, calorie rich and nutritious of the |
| morning for breakfast, for example, and leave your | | | | edible wild plants out there. They are also the easiest |
| oatmeal behind. So push the bears out of the way and | | | | to learn to identify |
| gorge yourself on blueberries. Less weight on your | | | | Edible Wild Plants And Survival |
| back always feels better. | | | | If you travel in isolated wilderness areas, learning to |
| You'll also enjoy your backpacking more when you | | | | identify a few edible wild plants can keep you safe |
| know that you won't be completely helpless the | | | | also. Someday you may be lost or injured, or a bear |
| moment you lose your pack, or a raccoon empties it | | | | will push you out of the way to gorge himself your |
| for you. You don't have to be a survivalist to see the | | | | freeze-dried meals. In a survival situation, food isn't |
| value of knowing which of the wild plants around you | | | | usually a priority (warmth and water are), but a pile of |
| can be eaten. | | | | roasted cattail hearts sure will cheer you up and warm |
| I eat dandelions, wild courants, pine nuts and other | | | | you up, and they even taste good. |
| edible wild plants regularly. I ate hundreds of calories in | | | | Stay away from protected plants, of course, unless |
| wild rasberries during a break, while hiking in the | | | | you are in a true life-or-death situation. Also, don't eat |
| Colorado Rockies. During a kayak trip on Lake | | | | all the beautiful flowers, or kill off the lilies by eating all |
| Superior, a friend and I spent half a day stopping at | | | | the bulbs. Use common sense. If you aren't sure if |
| every litle island, to fill our stomachs with wild | | | | you're doing harm, stick to eating wild berries. |
| blueberries. We were almost out of food, so our | | | | Check out a few books on harvesting wild food. You |
| foraging helped us get through the rest of the trip. | | | | don't need to become a wilderness survival fanatic. |
| Edible Berries | | | | You really only need to learn to recognise a dozen |
| Here are just some of the wild berries my wife and I | | | | high-calorie, abundant wild edible plants to be a lot |
| ate while hiking to Grinnel Glacier in Glacier National | | | | safer in the wilderness, and to enjoy it more. |