Can You Survive
By Foraging Food In The Wild
Is it really possible for 'modern man' to actually survive by foraging for food in the wild?
If we are to believe the TV programs, where the so called 'experts of survival' proceed to show us all manner of strange survival methods, then the answer is yes.
But in the real world, the answer is a very pronounced, highly unlikely....
These programs will have you believe that living off the land is an ideal survival scenario - it's not.!
Bear Grylls Famously Drinking Dung..!!!
During the height of our summer months, it would appear there is an abundance of readily available, nutritious foods to forage for.
In fact, during the summer there are many different and easily foraged wild foods ready and waiting to be harvested for our evening meal.
So, on face value it could be quite plausible to survive on foraged foods, provided it's summertime and your in a big enough woodland, and of course there's only a few people about.
So for the TV shows to insinuate that anyone can survive by foraging for food in the wild, requires a little bit of investigation, as the truth can be quite different.....
How Long Can You Survive On Foraged Wild Foods
The vast majority of wild edibles are to be found in our woodlands, with a small amount along the hedgerows.
But one of the biggest problems we face when searching for wild edibles is actually finding a decent woodland in the first place.
The fact of the matter is that the UK is predominately farmed land, leaving only smaller areas of woodland where you can forage for foods on a large enough, and varied enough scale.
If you are a city dweller, then the chances of finding a woodland and actually foraging for food is pretty much non existent.
Could You Actually Live Of Foraged Wild Foods
Watch any survival expert and you will see they are very specific about what they show you to forage for.
They tend to go for leafy plants and vegetables, berries and fruits, nuts and tubers. All very well and good but:
All these wild foods are relatively low in calories, and in any survival situation 'Calories Are King'.... Yes, they do offer excellent nutrition, with high vitamin and mineral content, as well as a host of 'micro nutrients', but simply lack in their calorific count.
With such low calories on offer you would need to eat huge amounts and finding these amounts, for meal after meal, is almost an impossible task.
Especially on a year round basis - you would only have a small window of harvesting time to accumulate a supply, and then what?
Preserving these foods will help see you through the winter months, but knowledge and equipment may be your downfall here.
So, can you survive by foraging food in the wild? In conclusion I think we have to say that it would be a very hard task to try and live of the land by foraging around in the woods for any amount of time.
It would almost be an all day task, collecting enough to be a sustainable and worthwhile chore.
Wild edibles and plant-life do have a very specific place in survival, and must not be dismissed, so it is vitally important to know the good from the bad.
Plants are especially good for treatment of a whole host of medical conditions, if you are interested in this side of plant life, have a look at this previous article here: Top 5 Herbal Plants For Survival
How Can You Increase
Your Calories
And Add To Your Wild Edibles
Fortunately there is a very simple way to add high calorie, high protein foods to your survival diet, and supplement you wild edibles at the same time, essentially giving you an all round nutritious diet, that's high in calories to ensure you have enough energy to survive.
The answer is simple: Meat & Fish
Both meat and fish will provide copious amounts of calories, as well as adding important proteins and other nutrients to your survival diet.
We have derived from carnivores who would not have survived and thrived without these two essential foods.
Want to know more? Checkout these articles below:
Yes & no is the answer! It really depends on how much knowledge and experience you have - I would always say, it is essential to learn a few of the wild edibles that you can forage and eat safely, but as with all bushcraft, survival and prepping, knowledge is king, and it certainly applies to wild edibles.
There are many plants that are very poisonous and extremely dangerous to eat raw.
Happy Prepping Folks, Steve
