Survival Food
Animal Food: Animals are a good source of protein and most North American mammals can be eaten in their entirety.
- There are a few arctic animals that you should avoid eating the livers.
- Remember that animals carry parasites and you should wash you hands after handling them and cook them thoroughly if possible.
- Birds in North America are edible and so are their eggs.
- Fish are hard to catch, but they offer significant calories and vitamins and are easy to cook.
- You can also consider eating amphibians and reptiles as long as you remove the skin and cook them thoroughly.
- Cattails are one of the most calorie dense plants in the wilderness. New shoots and the white parts at the bottom of the stalk can be cooked or consumed raw. You can also cook the flower stalks corn on the cob style while they are green. Another way to prepare it is to mash the roots up with water and use them in a soup and the pollen can be shaken into a bag and used in soup as well. These plants grow in wet soil and swamps; it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with their appearance.
- The spongy layer of the pine tree between the outer bark and the wood is another good survival food. It is available year round and provides a good amount of carbohydrates. If nothing else is available this spongy layer can be boiled into a soup.
- Berries are another source of nutrition when you are trying to survive. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries all have a wild version. Look for berries that look like these and are a little smaller. These should be safe to eat; remember if the berry tastes like its domestic counterpart, it is probably safe to eat.
- A good source of protein that is much easier to catch that mammals and fish are insects. While this may seem unpleasant at first, it can make a difference how long you survive. Not all insects are safe to eat and it is best if you stick to wood grubs and grasshoppers. Both should be cooked before eating and remove the legs and wings from grasshoppers. You can find grasshoppers in grassy areas and wood grubs can be found by breaking open rotten logs.
You will want to have more than canned vegetables on hand because green beans are not going to get you very far. Try stocking up canned meats, beans and starchy vegetables; these will be good survival food. If you will be on the move, and at some point you probably will be if order is not restored very soon, canned goods are not a very good option because of their weight. For the short term you can carry nuts, dried fruit and protein bars; these are all light weight and calorie dense.
When disaster strikes and you have to survive without grocery stores and take-out you need to have a plan and know what you are doing. There is a good chance that no one is going to swoop in and save you and your family. Knowing what foods have the most calories and where to find them is an important first step in being prepared to survive.
Action Steps:
- Learn how to set up some simple traps and weapon making and how to make a fire
- Practice fire making and wild game cooking before the real thing happens during some family camping trips
