Introduction
You can live for several weeks without eating but regardless, food provides life-saving energy to your body and replenishes substances that your body burns during physical and mental activity. The average person needs 2,000 calories per day to function at a minimum level. Any less than this and your body will cannibalize itself and burn its own tissue for energy. When no tissue is left to burn and hence no source of energy, the body’s organs begin to shut down.
There are three sources of food – plants, animals, and rations that you carry with you. It is important to note that during survival mode, food that is carried with you is intended to augment plant and animal foods that you gather while in the wild.
Plants
Plants as food are an excellent source of carbohydrates which are the main source of energy for the body. The natural sugars contained in many foods provide calories and quick-burn carbohydrates. Many plants also provide enough protein to keep the body at normal efficiency.
Plants can be dried (via wind, air, sun, or fire) to retard spoilage. Hence, plants can be treated in order to preserve their nutrients and carried with you for a long period of time. And of course, plants are also easier to gather than meat.
Edible Plants
Below you’ll find more details, including identification properties, photos, and drawings of common edible plants you will find in the wild.
- Abal – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Acacia – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Agave – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Almond – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Amaranth – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Arctic Willow – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Arrowroot – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Asparagus – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Bael Fruit – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Bamboo – how to identify bamboo and use for food, weapons, tools, shelters, and more
- Banana and Plantain – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Baobab – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Batoko Plum – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Bearberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Beech – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Bignay – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Blackberry, raspberry, or dewberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Breadfruit – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Burdock – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Burl Palm tree – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Canna Lily – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Carob Tree – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Cashew Nut – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Cattail – this edible plant is also an excellent source of weaving material, tinder, and insect repellent
- Cereus Cactus – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Chestnut – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Chicory – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Chufa – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Coconut – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Cranberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Crowberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Cuipo tree – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Dandelion – the easy-to-identify (and find) edible plant
- Date palm – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Daylily – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Duchesnea or Indian strawberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Elderberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Fireweed – this edible plant also has medicinal uses
- Fishtail palm – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Foxtail grass – foxtail grass grains are edible, with a bit of preparation.
- Goa bean – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, (and other uses) for survival.
- Hackberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Hazelnut or wild filbert – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Horseradish tree – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- How to survive a climate change apocalypse with these top edible foods that grow in hot conditions.
- Iceland moss – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Jujube – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Juniper – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Lotus – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Malanga – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Mango tree – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Manioc – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Marsh marigold – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Miner’s Lettuce or Indian Lettuce – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Mulberry tree – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Nettle – this prickly plant is edible (and nutritious), and its fibers can be used to weave string or twine
- Nipa palm – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Oak trees – the many uses of oak in a survival situation (yes, it’s even edible).
- Orach (Saltbush) – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Palmetto palm – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Papaya or pawpaw – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Persimmon – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Pincushion cactus – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Pine trees – pine provides a bounty of uses in survival situations.
- Plantain, broad and narrow leaf – many uses including food and medicine
- Pokeweed – the edible plant that also makes an excellent poison (good for dye and maybe even arthritis too)
- Preparing acorns to be a nutritious source of food
- Prickly pear cactus plant guide – Surprise! All parts of this plant are edible!
- Purslane – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Rattan palm – use for food, water, and tool construction
- Reed – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Reindeer moss – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Rock tripe – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Rose apple – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Sago palm tree – where to find and which parts are edible
- Sassafras – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Saxaul – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Screw pine – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Sea orach – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Sheep sorrel – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Sorghum – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Spatterdock or yellow water lily – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Sterculia – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Strawberry – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Sugar palm – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Sugarcane – how to identify sugarcane and use as a nutritious food source
- Sweetsop – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Tamarind – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Taro, cocoyam, elephant ears, eddo, dasheen – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Thistle – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Ti – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Tree fern – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for the tree fern plant in a survival situation.
- Tropical almond – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Using plants as food in the wild – how to find, identify, test, and prepare plants for eating.
- Walnut – the many uses of Walnut trees in survival situations (including of course, eating the walnuts)
- Water Caltrop – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Water lettuce – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Water lily – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Water plantain – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild caper – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for the wild caper plant.
- Wild crab apple or wild apple – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild desert gourd or colocynth – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild dock and wild sorrel – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild fig – how to identify wild figs and prepare for food
- Wild gourd or luffa sponge – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild grape vine – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild onion and garlic – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild pistachio – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild rice – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wild rose – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Wood sorrel – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Yam – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
- Yam bean – edible wild plant – how to find, identify, prepare, and other uses for survival.
Animals
Meats from animals are more nourishing than plant foods but they may be harder to obtain. Keep in mind that there are easier to gather sources of meats such as insects, crustaceans, fish, and reptiles. These can be used to satisfy your immediate hunger while you are preparing traps and snares for larger game. Animal food can also be dried or smoked in order to prepare the animal meat for longer term storage.