Wilderness Survival: Food

What can you find to eat in the wilderness?

It is important to keep up your strength if you are lost in the wilderness for an extended period of time.  Find out how to identify safe and unsafe food sources.

Photo by Rachel Aspenson http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/

You are lost in the wild and you're starving. Would you eat?

Photo by Aaron Sperduto http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/

Try these links to find out about animals that exist in the area:

Click for a recipe

Is that plant really edible?

Photo source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/158700-wilderness-survival-edible-plants/

Before you eat it, here are some ways to test it out:

Table source: http://www.wilderness-survival.net/plants-1.php#fig9_5

Go Fish!

You may find yourself in a situation where you need to catch fish for your food.  Watch this video to find out how to make a fish hook if you don't have one with you.

Keep edible insects in mind when foraging for food.  The common rule of thumb is, "black, green or brown, wolf it down; red, orange or yellow, forget this fellow."

Read more at Answers.com

Fork and spoon animation by Free Animations http://www.free-animations.co.uk/

Dandelion photo by Rachel Aspenson http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/

Otter photo by Aaron Sperduto http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/

Cricket photo originally taken from w3i_yu at flickr and modified

Blueberry photo source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/158700-wilderness-survival-edible-plants/

Universal Edibility Test table source: http://www.wilderness-survival.net/plants-1.php#fig9_5

Edible insect information from Answers.com http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_insects_are_edible#ixzz1Sg2vXMMJ

Grilled fish photo by Ray LaPoint http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/

Trail mix photo and recipe source: http://www.backpacking-tips.com/trail-mix-recipes.html

Photo by Ray LaPoint http://ideas.wisconsin.edu/

If you are in the wilderness for a while, you may find it necessary to look for sources of food beyond raw plants.  Consider catching a fish in the stream or lake you used to find water.

Trail mix can be the perfect food for hiking since it doesn't need to be refrigerated, is easy to carry, and can provide many of the nutrients you will need for a hike.

You may have heard it called "GORP" or "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts." 

Mix and match any of these ingredients for a great trail mix:

Here is a basic homemade trail mix snack recipe:

• 2 cups salted peanuts
• 1 cup whole pecans
• 1 cup sunflower kernels
• 1 cup dark raisins
• 1 cup light raisins

Source: http://www.backpacking-tips.com/trail-mix-recipes.html

Additional terms you may use when researching wilderness food include:

• edible plants
  
• fishing
• survival hunting
  
• edibility

Meg Farnung

farnungmt31@uww.edu