Foraging in the wild for survival.

Mother nature again saves our lives! There are so many things we take for granted in our busy lives that we fail to remember that it all came from nature. Obviously the first question that comes to you mind is, how do I know what plants are edible? The second question to come to mind should be, how do I know which plants might be poisonous. As a child, running around near Texas swimming holes in the summers, I knew I had come in contact with poison ivy and poison oak before because I spent the next week covering up the itching rashes that I acquired playing on the banks of the river in the wrong field of weeds. There are some risky ways to decide for yourself if a plant is edible, and I do many it’s your life at risk if you are out in the wilderness surviving. You can rub the plant part in question against the skin of your inner elbow and if it itches or burns than don’t eat it. If there is a strong or unpleasant odor when you go to smell the part of a plant in question, definitely don’t eat it. You can test it further by preparing the plant the way you were going to eat it, test it for burning or itching up against your lips, any burning or itching not good to eat. And if you really dare, chew the part of the plant without swallowing it for fifteen minutes and if there are any reactions spit it out and don’t eat that plant! Only the really brave would take the edibility test any further than that! Be Warned! But remember on the brighter side of things, we eat things like berries and nuts all the time in our daily sophisticated lifestyles, and these edible plants grow naturally in the wilderness. If you are in a place where raspberries, blackberries, or even grapes can grow in the wild, have a party at your campground and thank mother nature. Apple trees and cherry trees, strawberries and nut producing trees might be in your good fortune to find. You just never know… http://www.waterfordpress.com