Roots, Leaves, Nuts, and Bugs: It's What's For Dinner!

Here is a short list we've compiled to help you decide what's on the menu when you are inevitibly caught out in the middle of nowhere without anything to eat. We've even added a couple of pictures to help wet those palettes! YUM. On a serious note though, the main thing you are going to need for survival purposes are protein's and fats. Plants, nuts, and bugs have an abundance of both.

EDITOR'S NOTE: this particular blog is geared towards the indigeanous species of North America. We tried to pick a wide variety to cover as large of a geographical footprint as possible, but this list is far from all-inclusive. Also, while note technically "recipes", these are the basic ingredients you will need to cook some of them.

PLANTS: (here's the easy part)

Dandelion - You want to go for the smaller "young" leaves here because the older ones are bitter. Do NOT eatthe stems or flowers of this plant, only the small leaves.  Fry in a pan with cooking oil. Add water if it gets too dry and season with salt/pepper.


Cattails - These are found mainly in swampy areas, but the important thing here to remember is that basicallythe entire plant is edible. From the roots, to the shoots, to the pollen heads, you can fill that hungry belly up for sure with this main-stay of any survivalist. Fry the pollen heads in a pan, or eat the roots and shoots raw.

Grass - We aren't talking about reefer, although it is edible as well, but moreso the stuff you walk on, or cut with your lawnmower. All grasses are edible, however you need to remember that you want to suck out thejuices of the blades and spit out the undigestable fibers or you will be spending most of your time taking a squat rather than foraging. If you really want substanance in your belly though, you can take the small white part of the stem that meets the root (called a root corm) and roast it like a potato if you want.

Acorns - Contrary to popular belief, the nuts produced by oak trees are not poisoness. They do, hoever, possess avery bitter tannic acid which should be removed before eating. To remove the acids, the acorns should either be filtered with running water over at least 24 hours, or boiled several times. The nuts themselves provide an excellent source of proteins, fats, and calories.

BUGS: (oh come on, it's better than death, right?)

Worms - Not just the basis of any good witches stew, these suckers are also a survivalist's slimy dream. What's even better is the wide variety you get to choose from without any fear of poison. So far, nobody has discovered a poisoness worm in North America, YAY!! Looks for these under rocks or in rotted tree limbs/stumps.

Grasshoppers - The most annoying part about this grand hunt will be catching them. We suggest using your shirt as a net.

Crickets - Good for fishing and consumption, these guys have been a staple of "low man on the totem pole" for human endeavors for years. Mix with water, close your eyes, and pretend you just bought a box of Captain Crunch!

Ants - While the chocolate covered assortment won't be readily available, these little guys will still be crawling all over the place. We recommend the common black ants, rather than the red fire ants. Go ahead and try them both though, if you like, and let us know in the comment section what you liked/disliked about either. :)

That's all for today folks, we look forward to hearing from you and there will be more on survival recipes to come!