Method of the Week: Determine Plant's Eatability
Honing Your Survival Skills: Every week, we'll share insightful guides from our archives to help boost your survival savvy. This week, let's delve into the wild world of foraging!
Many outdoors enthusiasts are familiar with the tale of Christopher McCandless, initially chronicled by author Jon Krakauer in his book, Into the Wild. After enduring over a hundred days in Alaska's unforgiving wilderness, the daring adventurer met his demise in a deserted bus. The reported cause of McCandless' death was starvation, but Krakauer suspected a different story. In his journal entries a few weeks prior to his passing, McCandless wrote, "Extremely weak. Fault of pot. seed . . ." He was referring to seeds from Eskimo potato, also known as alpine sweetvetch.
After years of relentless investigation, Krakauer and a chemist uncovered a toxin in the potato seeds that could have ill effects on the body, if consumed in sufficient quantities.
The story of Christopher McCandless serves as a stark reminder that foraging in the wild can be a perilous endeavor. As a hiker or backpacker, you may encounter myriad plant species on a single journey, and countless of them could prove fatal.
To ensure your survival, it's essential to study up before you ever hit the trail. Familiarizing yourself with edible plants is key to your success, and it's a skill that takes time and practice to hone. To aid your knowledge, consider carrying an edible plant identification guide to help you make informed decisions while in the wild. But, if you find yourself in a dire situation, and you're unsure if a plant is safe to consume, there is a universal edibility test to help guide your choices.
Are you eager for more survival tips? Then you'll love our book, "The Illustrated Art of Manliness"! Grab a copy on Amazon today!
Interested in more survival tips and tricks? Check out:
- Foraging in the Wild: 19 Common Edible Plants
- The Ultimate Army Field Guide to Wild Edible Plants
- Cooking Up a Miracle: The Incredible, Edible, Microwavable Egg
- Cowboys of the Wild West
- Piste Etiquette: An Illustrated Guide
- The Perfect Manly Mustache: A Style Guide
[1] Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants[2] Practicing Sustainable Foraging[3] Universal Edibility Test and Additional Tips for Foraging[4] Pl@ntNet: A Helpful Plant Identification App[5] Learning the Plant Parts for Effective Identification
- To venture into the world of foraging safely, consider studying the edible plants before you set foot on the trail, a skill that requires time and practice to hone.
- It's wise to carry an edible plant identification guide to aid your knowledge while in the outdoors, making informed decisions easier.
- In uncertain situations, employ the universal edibility test to ensure the plant you're about to consume is safe.
- For comprehensive survival tips, check out "The Illustrated Art of Manliness," available on Amazon, part of our lifestyle collection encouraging outdoor-living, home-and-garden, and gardening enthusiasts alike.
- As you embark on your foraging journey, explore other resources such as Sam Thayer's Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants, guides on sustainable foraging, tips about the universal edibility test, helpful plant identification apps like Pl@ntNet, and books that cover diverse topics like piste etiquette, classic manly mustache styles, and cooking creative meals with common wild edibles like microwavable eggs.
