Knowing what is edible.

[Strider]

to tangent210 your last thing about animals eat things that we can't ... very true. deer love to eat poison ivy...

[Sarge47]

One are to be cautious of is fungi. Wild mushrooms can be extremely deadly and can be difficult to tell apart from edible varieties.

I only pick & eat the Morel, which is not really a mushroom, but rather an edible fungus. It's highly addictive when in season and sells for over $20.00 a pound at times around here.

[trax]

lmao at that one Sarge, well done. I just wanted to throw in here...I'm pretty familiar with what I can or can't eat in the environment I grew up in and spent most of my life hunting/hiking/canoeing, I'm not going to start creating lists here because one mistaken piece of advice could be very bad for the reader making the mistake.

The US Navy has a wonderful survival guide, it's about the size of the ol' family Bible and has sections on basically surviving in every environment imaginable on earth, the very basics of survival, including what's edible. For anyone spending time in the wilderness, whether they use that guide or another credible one, and there are quite a few good ones, it's worth the time to get to know those kinds of things. Even if it isn't a survival situation, one can learn some pretty interesting new additives for the camp stew. Most mushrooms are edible, that doesn't mean a person should guess, there's wild carrots, wild onions and many other yummy things out there in most woodland environments in North America.

[Sarge47]

lmao at that one Sarge, well done. I just wanted to throw in here...I'm pretty familiar with what I can or can't eat in the environment I grew up in and spent most of my life hunting/hiking/canoeing, I'm not going to start creating lists here because one mistaken piece of advice could be very bad for the reader making the mistake.

The US Navy has a wonderful survival guide, it's about the size of the ol' family Bible and has sections on basically surviving in every environment imaginable on earth, the very basics of survival, including what's edible. For anyone spending time in the wilderness, whether they use that guide or another credible one, and there are quite a few good ones, it's worth the time to get to know those kinds of things. Even if it isn't a survival situation, one can learn some pretty interesting new additives for the camp stew. Most mushrooms are edible, that doesn't mean a person should guess, there's wild carrots, wild onions and many other yummy things out there in most woodland environments in North America.

Just avoid McDonald's and you should be alright! ;>)

[trax]

Oh yeah, if you ever get to the point where you're so starving and thirsty that you're starting to see mirages ...and it's MacDonald's ...go ahead and kill yourself, it's too late for you my friend... (Or you could just keep crawling right past I suppose)

[Sarge47]

Oh yeah, if you ever get to the point where you're so starving and thirsty that you're starting to see mirages ...and it's MacDonald's ...go ahead and kill yourself, it's too late for you my friend... (Or you could just keep crawling right past I suppose)

Would you happen to know where someone might find a copy of the Navy surl book you mentioned?

[trax]

Public library in a town I lived in many years ago is where I got it, Sarge. It had to go back They really did seem to cover things quite well, too.

[wareagle69]

hopefully its not a false morrel sarge

peronally i have over 10 books in my library just on edible plants, i have also purchased a nikon f 40 to use for my own folder on plants in my local area and in sept am taking a 3 day course from a couple who live primarily off the land. once again great reason for my camera.

[Sarge47]

hopefully its not a false morrel sarge

peronally i have over 10 books in my library just on edible plants, i have also purchased a nikon f 40 to use for my own folder on plants in my local area and in sept am taking a 3 day course from a couple who live primarily off the land. once again great reason for my camera.

Been pretty fortunate so far,Wolf bro. The false Morel is solid where the true morel is hollow, right?

[trax]

Volwest,

That could be, overall, the best posting I've read here yet. Keep 'em coming.

Go Wolfpack!

[wareagle69]

hey sarge

i am not aware of the true morrel being hollow,for me the true morrel is rather phallic in shape and size where the false morrel is shaped like a brain(quit snickering everyone) from what i have read from several sources you could actually eat the false morrel in small amounts and not get ill,now that being said, with all edible fungi and mushrooms eveyone has the potential to react differently i may be able to eat lots of portobella and trax may get ill from just one bite. volwest is right on when he says that of all the aspects of survival that knowing which foods toeat in the wild is the most diffucult skill to learn and master. in my collection i have a few books on knots a few on map reading and afew on survival but i have amassed over 20 on edible plants and mushrooms

if you know the difference other than i can explain please fill me in , but that is an experiment that i will try to find an answer to


always be prepared

[Sarge47]

hey sarge

i am not aware of the true morrel being hollow,for me the true morrel is rather phallic in shape and size where the false morrel is shaped like a brain(quit snickering everyone) from what i have read from several sources you could actually eat the false morrel in small amounts and not get ill,now that being said, with all edible fungi and mushrooms eveyone has the potential to react differently i may be able to eat lots of portobella and trax may get ill from just one bite. volwest is right on when he says that of all the aspects of survival that knowing which foods toeat in the wild is the most diffucult skill to learn and master. in my collection i have a few books on knots a few on map reading and afew on survival but i have amassed over 20 on edible plants and mushrooms

if you know the difference other than i can explain please fill me in , but that is an experiment that i will try to find an answer to


always be prepared

Well, according to my Peterson Field guide of "edible Wild Plants" you are right. It actually describes the False Morel as being "convoluted like a brain (not pitted)", also they "have caps that hang skirtlike about the stem (not attached at lower end)" Finally it warns "avoid morel-like mushrooms in the summer and fall; they are usually false morels." There is also instructions at the top of the page (pg238) that reads "WARNING: There are no foolproof methods for determining edible or poisonous mushrooms. Beginners should limit themselves to the four readily identifiable species below." One of the four listed is the Morel. I have never got a bad one, but then I've been taught the difference. That being said, even the well-educated Dr. Ron hood got a bad one on his "solo" camping trip; it's on one of his videos. I always look for morels in April to early May. Once you've seen the real kind your usually pretty safe. However (tongue is going into cheek) if any of you pick some and you want me to check them out to make sure they're edible let me know & I'll come get 'em.

[wareagle69]

hey sarge left you a post somewhere else about this but you are correct the false morrel is hollow and little critters love to hide out in it, i am fortunate enough to have found a couple of experienced people in wild foods in my local as volwest suggests learning you local area i feel much more confident to live in the woods with less gear armed with more knowlege and experience thanks for the tip always love to research things that i read about


always be prepared

[HOP]

I wish I had a litle more info on this story but I think it is worth sharing anyway
There was this young guy that when he graduated from coledge he went on the road did a lot of foraging and geting with people of that life style he went to Alaska and went into the wildernes s with a 20lb bag of rice and a rifle and he was very good at forageing and hunting but he was found with plenty of fod with him in his casmp but he was starved to death . It turns out he was eating a tubar proabably think it was a indian potato or some thing and this tubar caused his body to stop obsorbing the nutrition from the food he was eating.
Myself I injoy oserving edible foods in the wild but just can't take that first bite with the exception of wild ramps here in WV.

[jdbushcraft]

I wish I had a litle more info on this story but I think it is worth sharing anyway
There was this young guy that when he graduated from coledge he went on the road did a lot of foraging and geting with people of that life style he went to Alaska and went into the wildernes s with a 20lb bag of rice and a rifle and he was very good at forageing and hunting but he was found with plenty of fod with him in his casmp but he was starved to death . It turns out he was eating a tubar proabably think it was a indian potato or some thing and this tubar caused his body to stop obsorbing the nutrition from the food he was eating.
Myself I injoy oserving edible foods in the wild but just can't take that first bite with the exception of wild ramps here in WV.

Better check that story again, and not the TV version. McCandles died of starvation. He was out of food and very obviously emaciated when found. They have pretty well dismissed the plant poisoning theory. He just plain and simple didn't have enough food. Foraging for plants doesn't provide many calories unless you eat many pounds of them a day.

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[jdbushcraft]

hey sarge left you a post somewhere else about this but you are correct the false morrel is hollow and little critters love to hide out in it, i am fortunate enough to have found a couple of experienced people in wild foods in my local as volwest suggests learning you local area i feel much more confident to live in the woods with less gear armed with more knowlege and experience thanks for the tip always love to research things that i read about


always be prepared

False morels are not deadly and some people can eat them with no problem. Some can't eat true morels without stomach upset.

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[Rick]

You know, of course, that HOP hasn't been around in seven years and that post is nine years old?

[jdbushcraft]

You know, of course, that HOP hasn't been around in seven years and that post is nine years old?

It was in timeline at the top with the new posts. I only read timeline and subscribed .

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[oldsoldier]

I definitely prefer Survivorman .

He's to busy chasing bigfoot now!