Edible Wild Plants For Backpackers

Knowing a few edible wild plants can make your next backpacking trip, or any trip into the wilderness, a lot more enjoyable.

You can pack lighter if you eat wild berries every morning for breakfast, for example, and leave your oatmeal behind. So push the bears out of the way and gorge yourself on blueberries. Less weight on your back always feels better.

You'll also enjoy your backpacking more when you know that you won't be completely helpless the moment you lose your pack, or a raccoon empties it for you. You don't have to be a survivalist to see the value of knowing which of the wild plants around you can be eaten.

I eat dandelions, wild courants, pine nuts and other edible wild plants regularly. I ate hundreds of calories in wild rasberries during a break, while hiking in the Colorado Rockies. During a kayak trip on Lake Superior, a friend and I spent half a day stopping at every litle island, to fill our stomachs with wild blueberries. We were almost out of food, so our foraging helped us get through the rest of the trip. Edible Berries

Here are just some of the wild berries my wife and I ate while hiking to Grinnel Glacier in Glacier National Park: Blueberries, Service Berries, Rose Hips, Blackberries, High Bush Cranberries, Strawberries, Rasberries, Thimbleberries, and Currants. Berries are the most convenient, calorie rich and nutritious of the edible wild plants out there. They are also the easiest to learn to identify

Edible Wild Plants And Survival

If you travel in isolated wilderness areas, learning to identify a few edible wild plants can keep you safe also. Someday you may be lost or injured, or a bear will push you out of the way to gorge himself your freeze-dried meals. In a survival situation, food isn't usually a priority (warmth and water are), but a pile of roasted cattail hearts sure will cheer you up and warm you up, and they even taste good.

Stay away from protected plants, of course, unless you are in a true life-or-death situation. Also, don't eat all the beautiful flowers, or kill off the lilies by eating all the bulbs. Use common sense. If you aren't sure if you're doing harm, stick to eating wild berries.

Check out a few books on harvesting wild food. You don't need to become a wilderness survival fanatic. You really only need to learn to recognise a dozen high-calorie, abundant wild edible plants to be a lot safer in the wilderness, and to enjoy it more.

Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate ultralight backpacking. His advice and stories can be found at http://www.TheUltralightBackpackingSite.com

---

Retired LoWs Do Yuma

Yuma, Arizona. In the winter, it's the best town in America with a year round population of some 50,000 and a winter population of 150,000. We retired... Read More

Rafting on the Rogue River in Oregon

Oregon's Rogue River is one of the nation's most beautiful. The Rogue River begins in Crater Lake and extends 215 miles until it empties in the Pacific... Read More

Scuba diving in South Africa

This truly beautiful country at the southern tip of dark and mysterious Africa offers diving and wildlife experiences beyond your wildest dreams...Whether you want to dive sharks... Read More

Spanish Courses in Spain

Spain: sun, sea, sand and Spanish... discover us! Spain, a golden country in the heart of Europe and gateway to the Americas. A mini continent blessed with... Read More

Join the American Hiking Society

Have you taken up hiking as a new form of family recreation? Are you a serious hiker that spends hours on challenging trails? Do you want to... Read More

A Torrent of Influences ? Tourism in Goa

Sun, Sand and Surf ? an apt description for Goa? But Goa is much more. Ancient temples and old churches? Yes. Portuguese Colony? Carnival City? The original... Read More

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Trekking Poles

How to get the most out of your trekking poles is one of the biggest concerns while considering buying a new pair or using your existing trekking... Read More

African Safari Gear Packing List - What To Take Along

The last thing you want on an African safari is to realise that you have left any important safari gear behind.Because of the nature of safari there... Read More

RV Vacations: Ten Tips

Perhaps you have wondered about taking an RV vacation. It seems like fun and you'd like to try it, but you aren't sure if it's for you.... Read More

Kerala Backwaters - Gently Down the Stream

The quaint little balcony was large enough to accommodate two cane chairs, a table and little else. To reach it we had to climb over the ledge... Read More

Shark Pictures Not The Real Thing

Pictures of a massive dead Great White shark on the back of a bakkie are doing the rounds on email with the subject line saying "Caught at... Read More

Find a Camping Gear Outlet Near You

When you search online for a camping gear outlet you will find camping gear at great discounts like tents, sleeping materials like sleeping bags, navigation and survival... Read More

New Technologies in Camping and Outdoor Clothing Enhance the Outdoor Experience

Camping is an excellent way to explore and experience the outdoors. The weather needn't be an obstacle to what sorts of climates and places you might trek... Read More

Adventure Travel on Horseback

When you think of "adventure travel," what crosses your mind? Hiking? White water rafting? Scuba diving? Something as sedentary as a cruise ship or land rover safari?... Read More

Dont Forget that Camping Gear Checklist Before You Leave on that Family Camping Adventure

A camping gear checklist is an important tool to help you prepare and pack for that annual family camping trip. The last thing you want to remember... Read More

Top Five African Safari Destinations

Any vacations in Africa will not be complete without going on a safari to experience the wild animals and the peace and tranquillity of the bushveld.But there... Read More

Bird Watching in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania

The Usamabara Mountains are very special mountains, often that tired cliché is used comparing them to Switzerland. These mountains are defiantly African mountains, not European but African.Baron... Read More

Your Horses Back May Not Be the Same Next Month

A saddle is a static object, but your horse is a living, dynamic creature. Even slight changes throughout the year in your horse's weight have a significant... Read More

Bicycling Down The River

My river-rafting adventure started on a bicycle. The small daypack I wore carried a hatchet, a saw, some scraps of rope, food, water, a garbage bag bivy... Read More

Lake Jipe straddling Tanzania and Kenya

So unknown is this treasure of Lake Jipe not many Tanzanians know of its existence or location. Sandwiched between the Pare mountains and Kilimanjaro this small lake... Read More

Zambia Safari Top Five National Parks

Zambia is Africa's best kept secret as far as safaris go. The country is a virtual unknown in comparison to other more traditional destinations but a Zambia... Read More

GOA ? A Carnival of Beaches

The state of Goa on the West coast of India, is located in the coastal belt known as Konkan. While this tourist magnet has much to offer:... Read More

Greek Food

A meal in Greece is highlighted with a selection of hot and cold plates known as mezedes. Soups are few but they are meals by themselves.- The... Read More

Disneyland for Hikers: A Walk to Mt. Whitney

Base camp sits at 12,000 feet - stark, windy, unshaded from the blazing August sun, but an otherwise great place to stop for a snack. Voices echo... Read More

Unforgettable White Mountains Vacations ? The Most Scenic 100 Miles in New England

This amazing drive through the White Mountains of New Hampshire has a gorgeous vista at every turn, oodles and oodles of family vacation fun, and a visit... Read More

Experience The Real Florida

Every year around 40 million visitors come to Florida for the sun, sea and attractions. Most visit the world famous theme parks or enjoy the fabulous palm-fringed... Read More