You can survive in the wild in many ways, but one of the best skills to learn is how to forage for food. How else will you survive the zombie apocalypse? But seriously, learning how to forage for food is the pinnacle of survival skills, right next to learning how to build a shelter and campfire. So, sit back, relax, and discover what you need to know about foraging for survival.
Foraging Rules for Radicals
If you’re new to foraging, you have a plethora of pertinent information to navigate. For instance, there are poisonous plants in the wild, so it falls on you to learn how to avoid them. These foraging rules will help keep you safe and sound:
- Never eat anything that you can’t confidently and correctly identify. If you make a mistake in pegging a food source and eat the wrong thing, the results could be detrimental to your health, or, at best, you’ll have some unpleasant and unexpected side effects.
- Be careful where you forage. Some places might be off limits because of local ordinances, and others could put you in a potentially perilous situation, such as disturbing a bird or hornet’s nest, which will not be a pleasant experience. Learn the terrain.
- Stick with a few edible plants you know well and learn about others in your spare time. Doing so allows you to spend less time wondering whether the mushroom in front of you will harm you and more time foraging for foods you know.
Grow Your Food
One of the best ways to learn more about the food you’ll come across in the wild is to experiment with growing them yourself. Try growing a yield of mushrooms at home, and set homegrown herbs on the kitchen counter under an LED light. Growing your mushrooms will help you understand their anatomy and the best times of year to grow them. How much you learn by doing may surprise you.
Areas To Look for Edible Plants
You can find edible plants in many surprising places. Understanding where they are is a key part of learning what to know about foraging for survival. Where do you find your plants? Start with your lawn. We classify many edible plants as weeds that you can find growing in your backyard. In humid regions, you should look for clearings and sunny areas. In dry climates, you can find wild plants near water sources. If you’re out in the woods, look for plants that grow in abundance. All these areas are likely going to have some form of edible plant. If you take these rules to heart, you’ll learn how to best survive and thrive in the wilderness by foraging for plants.