How to Survive in the Wilderness Without Food

If you are ever unfortunate enough to be stranded in wilderness without food, eating the first plant you see might not do you any favors. It is estimated that about 60 percent of the world's plants are inedible. Many could kill you. There are 700 kinds of deadly plants in North America alone.

If you are not sure which plants are safe, avoid anything that smells like peach pits or almonds. Don't eat anything with a sharp, bitter or burning taste. Avoid any plant with red coloration or milky, rubbery sap. Also don't eat five-segmented fruit or old/dried out plants. If you see a plant you think is ok, try rubbing it on your wrist. After 20 minutes or so, and no allergic reaction shows, try rubbing it on your lips. Then try the corner of your mouth tip of your tongue, and under your tongue. Be sure to wait for allergic reaction in between each. If there is no reaction you are probably ok. Start by chewing a small amount.

If you can find a body of water without too much trouble, you're in luck. Water attracts bugs and animals. Edible greens like grass, shoots and twigs can also be found near water. A rotting log may offer grubs, earthworms, ants or centipedes. If you're hungry enough, you'll consider eating a centipede.

A few things to keep in mind when eating bugs: there are 1,462 edible species, they are low in fat and high in protein, and the hard-shelled variety has parasites. Also, some are poisonous - like the brightly colored caterpillars.

If you find yourself stranded and need to eat bugs, feed them something and wait a day before eating them. This will purge their systems. Remove any shell and smash them up. Definitely don't eat anything that is dead when you find it. Things like moths and caterpillars can be roasted. Stay away from cockroaches; their digestive systems need a lot of cleansing before you can consume them. Wasps and bees have poison but thoroughly boiling them can break it down. Ants are very edible.

Small mammals, like squirrel, may wander into your camp looking for scraps. You can also find them in trees or in their burrows. These small critters are easy to lure and trap. Twigs and branches can be used to make a fish dam.

If you catch small game, you will need to clean it (drain blood and remove intestines, skin, head and feet). Don't let the game sit before you clean and cook it or you could get food poisoning. Clean quickly because other game might be attracted by the smell. Store meat before it spoils. You can slowly smoke it over your fire.

If you want to keep the skin from your game, scrape off any fat or gristle and thoroughly clean the hides. It may sound gross, but one part fat to one part brains cleans hides well. Then soak the hide in water and stretch it over a smoky fire.

Avoid eating organs because you could get sick. Some fat can be used in cooking and blood can make a base for soup or gravy.

Sources:
Come Back Alive; Pelton, Robert Young; Broadway Books, 2000.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Surviving Anything; Sauer, Patrick and Zimmerman, Michael; BookEnds, LLC, 2001.