RegionSpecific Food Considerations
THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN GATHERING AND CATCHING FOOD in a wilderness envi
ronment is knowing a few plants and creatures native to each region. The
wild plants and creatures listed below are safe to eat, easy to identify, and
found in relative abundance.
Arid Regions, Deserts, and Canyons
Top Three Wild Edibles:
pads of the prickly pear cactus
fruit of the prickly pear cactus
mesquite beans
Top Three Critters:
mice and rats
grasshoppers and scorpions
rattlesnakes: Be sure to cut off and bury the head and its potentially lethal fangs.
Boreal and Other Temperate Forests
Top Three Wild Edibles:
cattails
berries (in season)
wild teas (from needles, leaves, and fruit): spruce, blueberry, blackberry,
raspberry, Labrador
Top Three Critters:
creepy crawlies (earthworms, grubs, grasshoppers)
rodents (including squirrels)
rabbits
(^208) | Survive!