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Eat Plants While You Hike
By Steve Gillman, Thu Dec 8th
Knowing a few edible wild plants can make your next backpackingtrip, or any trip into the wilderness, a lot more enjoyable. You can pack lighter if you eat wild berries every morning forbreakfast, for example, and leave your oatmeal behind. So pushthe bears out of the way and gorge yourself on blueberries. Lessweight on your back always feels better. You'll also enjoy your more when you know that youwon't be completely helpless the moment you lose your pack, or araccoon empties it for you. You don't have to be a survivalistto see the value of knowing which of the wild plants around youcan be eaten.
I eat dandelions, wild courants, pine nuts and other edible wildplants regularly. I ate hundreds of calories in wild rasberriesduring a break, while hiking in the Colorado Rockies. During akayak trip on Lake Superior, a friend and I spent half a daystopping at every litle island, to fill our stomachs with wildblueberries. We were almost out of food, so our foraging helpedus get through the rest of the trip. Edible Berries Here are just some of the wild berries my wife and I ate whilehiking to Grinnel Glacier in Glacier National Park: Blueberries,Service Berries, Rose Hips, Blackberries, High Bush Cranberries,Strawberries,
Rasberries, Thimbleberries, and Currants. Berriesare the most convenient, calorie rich and nutritious of theedible wild plants out there. They are also the easiest to learnto identify Edible Wild Plants And SurvivalIf you travel in isolated wilderness areas, learning to identifya few edible wild plants can keep you safe also. Someday you maybe lost or injured, or a bear will push you out of the way togorge himself your freeze-dried meals. In a survival situation,food isn't usually a priority (warmth and water are), but a pileof roasted cattail hearts sure will cheer you up and warm youup, and they even taste good. Stay away from protected plants, of course, unless you are in atrue life-or-death situation. Also, don't eat all the beautifulflowers, or kill off the lilies by eating all the bulbs. Usecommon sense. If you aren't sure if you're doing harm, stick toeating wild berries.
Check out a few books on harvesting wild food. You don't need tobecome a wilderness survival fanatic. You really only need tolearn to recognise a dozen high-calorie, abundant wild edibleplants to be a lot safer in the wilderness, and to enjoy itmore.
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