Eating to survive

[Flowerchild]

Would you be able to survive in the woods, even if you didn't have any food with you? What would you eat?

I would not be able to survive on my own. I could if my other half was with me. He has wilderness smarts.

[calanta]

I would but knowing my luck I would leave my leatherman at home or something dumb that day and have to figure out what in the woods I would use to catch and cut things with. My nails are not that sharp.

[Newanderthal]

Spent 8 days in the Blue Ridge Mountains in NC and only used a few day's worth of food. I forraged for the rest.

I could get by short term on assorted weeds and bugs, but after a few days I'd run the risk of turning cannibal on the first person I saw.

[southerngal]

I could survive on what I could find if I had the right equipment with me. Without some equipment leatherman or knife etc. I am not so sure.

[paloma]

I am not so sure that I could survive alone even with the right equipment with me. I do not know how to distinguish poisonous food in the wilderness.

[carolyn]

Learning how to distinguish poisonous plants from edible ones is certainly a good skill to have. I think we all could do it if we had to...the will to survive is strong!

[HappyFeet]

I will cross the bridge when I get there.

Honestly though, I have no idea if I can make it alive when I will be left in the wilderness without any food. I don't want to eat bugs because they sure will taste yucky but who knows what I will do just to survive.

[3ofusnow]

Insects are definitely one of the most prevalent edible things you can find to eat in the woods. I wouldn't want to do it but I would if I had to in order to survive.

[Bruen]

You're right Carolyn, it is an important skill and one that is worth checking into before something happens. The will to survive will not give you the knowledge to do so. There are many poisonous plants, nuts and berries that look totally harmless. It depends on where I'm stranded and what I have with me. I'm pretty knowledgeable on plant, nuts and berries native to the East Coast.

[primitivesite]

Where I live I know of a few things that I would be able to easily identify. The easiest things to identify are things like apples and pears growing on trees. Beyond that, I would eat dandelion and chive. Chive is easy to identify because of it's oniony odor. There are also seasonal berries that are easy to identify. Strawberries are pretty easy to identify, although they can be hard to see. Blackberries are easy to see, and tend to be pretty plentiful when you find a patch of them.