are plants worth eating?

[asurvivor]

wild edibles are good source of vitamins but are they worth the risk? i have eaten a few edibles but i want to know if in a survival situation it is worth to eat them unless your starving to death. i dont know if anyone saw the movie "into the wild." that movie really shook me up at the end because i knew it was a true story. Thanks.

[dixieangler]

I would say yes of those that you know and are familiar with. Also, it is a lot easier to hunt, catch, and kill a plant than to hunt, catch, and kill an animal. For this reason alone it is worth it. Get to know some of the plants you would consider most useful to you in your area and study them from literature. You can get help from county extension offices like master gardeners, college botanist professors, forest rangers, foresters, and so on if you need verification beyond the literature. If unsure even after studying the plant from literature, bring the plant in to them for verification. These types of sources don't charge anything for their services since they get paid by the State or Federal government. Or enroll in a survival school that concentrates on plant study (botany).

[asurvivor]

thanks ill see if i can find any schools on botany

[trailingtricia]

i haven't seen into the wild but i know that disaster can strike if you eat the wrong wild plants from various books about frontier times.

[dixieangler]

i know that disaster can strike if you eat the wrong wild plants from various books about frontier times.

All the more reason to get up to date "proven research" literature and consult botanical authorities. I have read in the Peterson Guides that very few North American wild plants are lethal and can kill. Many wild plants will probably be poisonous enough so that you wish you were dead but all it takes is one bad judgment for one of the few lethal plants. Best to make sure of your plants and be familiar with them before you get into a situation where you need them. So the best thing to do is know your wild plants and be familiar with them before you head into the woods with the intention of eating them or using them medicinally. If you don't know what it is or are unfamiliar with it, leave it alone. Better safe than sorry.

[Raiders2win]

It is difficult to feed yourself in a survival situation. Especially if you are going to limit yourself to four legged food only. Fruits, nuts, berries and plants are excellent with vitamins, and also it will keep you going while trying for game. Not to mention the hunger feelings....

[Kortoso]

Many wild plants are more nutritious than their domestic cousins. Plenty of tasty stuff out there too.
Don't expect all of your answers to come from this place. Do your research.

[Kingoftheflock]

i wouldnt take the risk. if you dont know your plants by heart and you eat the wrong thing, then i guess the whole point of surviving would be defeated.

[Curdog]

if you dont know your plants by heart and you eat the wrong thing, then i guess the whole point of surviving would be defeated.

Is that an argument for not eating plants or for learning them?

I say learn them- they are not that difficult. Can you tell the difference between a zuchinni and a cucumber? THat is more difficult than most wild plants.

[dixieangler]

I agree with Curdog. You can catch a plant a lot easier than an animal but you just have to do your research first. Plants are the most abundant food source. Learn them one at a time if need be. Just confirm the identity of the plant (even if you are certain) from a botanical authority like county extension services (Department of Agriculture) or from college or university botany professors. For you school guys, take a plant sample of what you think it is (after you have researched it) to your science teacher to either confirm it or not. It is not that hard to learn them.

[Kingoftheflock]

hey i just dont want to screw up when it comes to foraging. find food is the biggest problem for me. i can make a shelter, a fire, and find water in under 3 hours, but then the whole aspect of finding food is very difficult to me.

[coon4492]

Finding and identifying plants is a skill just like hunting but its worth learning. I'm studying the edible and poisonous plants and eventually I'll actually start eating the plants. It's worth eating plants

[dixieangler]

I'm studying the edible and poisonous plants and eventually I'll actually start eating the plants.

Just make sure you get confirmation of the plant's identity from a botanical authority (take a sample in) before you chow down. It would be great if you made it to your next birthday.

[Kingoftheflock]

Just make sure you get confirmation of the plant's identity from a botanical authority (take a sample in) before you chow down. It would be great if you made it to your next birthday.

if not from plants then its going to be something else. we have some pretty bad ideas for the summertime.

i was landscaping today and one of the guys that i was working with told me that clovers are edible and they taste kinda tangy. is this true or is that a bad idea?

[Kortoso]

Ask your friend to eat the "clover" and watch his symptoms.

It may not be clover. I don't know of a poisonous clover, but there may be something that looks like a clover that is.

He may be talking about wood sorrel:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_sorrel
It's kind of tangy.

Some people are sensitive to oxalic acid, which is present in many wild plants. It's also present in spinach and the like, so there you go.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalic_acid

Get your hands on the Peterson Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants in your area. In addition, see if your local parks have guided plant walks on this subject.

Our ancestors survived and thrived on wild plants. Your existence is proof of that. But they did it by learning about what was growing around them.