I understand the merits , but I doubt I could identify any of the plants

[SemperFi]

In other words this is a field that takes considerable knowledge , sadly our forefathers knew how to find and pick edibles , but the modern age has destroyed the very basic nature of this with grocery stores! Theres so much more available even in your own back yard . But we have become complacent , we dont hunt anymore for our food ,we dont forage , I really would love to know how to spot and find edible plants , but Im not that smart , I am afraid to just look at books and "Hope" I choose the right plant , I mean Ive seen mushrooms that look exactly the same , one is edible and one is poisenous ,I wouldnt eat those !

Im very grateful to those in here who know because even though I wont "test" my knowledge out its things like this that might spur memory in case something does happen someday!

I'd be curious if there Survivalist's who have seminars on this subject or even have "camping trips" which require you to only eat the available plants around you , I know when I was in survival school I ate everything that was available in the Phillipines ,that was many years ago , but I would love to learn again , I plan on reading everything in here regarding this subject and also would like to know if there are so-called "schools" for learning this?

[crashdive123]

There are all sorts of classes and information available on wild edibles. My knowledge of them is pretty much at the beginner level. I've studied some and taken a class, but it really requires (IMO) a dedication to learning about them. Here is some information for your area.

http://www.okwildcrafting.com/

[SemperFi]

Wow thanks thats a cool site!

[Rick]

I don't consider myself anything more than a novice but I'm growing all the time. There are many plants that you can safely pick and won't confuse with others. And once you know them it's super easy to spot them. Purslane, dandelion and cattail are three that are easy to pick out, great to eat and you won't confuse them with anything else. Those three can get you started and they are probably in your yard except for cattail, which is no doubt close by.

The other thing to consider is WHERE you pick them. You certainly don't want to pick anything in a ditch outside the local chemical plant for example.

[crashdive123]

The other thing to consider is WHERE you pick them. You certainly don't want to pick anything in a ditch outside the local chemical plant for example.

Uh oh. That explains some things.

[SemperFi]

well I was wondering why those cattails were over 20 feet high, this explains it!

[your_comforting_company]

SemperFi, I recommend meeting with your local Cooperative Extension agent and ask him which books he uses to identify "lawn pests". Many of our "wild edibles" are considered by the masses to be "weeds". There are many things that grow right in my yard that are completely safe to eat, as Rick mentioned, like purslane (portulaca oleracea) which is one of my favorites.
Another good suggestion is the playing cards from SafezoneLLC.com. Great pictures and decent descriptions on the cards, which also list the top poisonous plants. IMO the poisonous plants are MORE IMPORTANT to learn than the edibles.

I have been invited to teach some simple and common wild "usable" plants to youngsters this fall. Rather than teach them things to eat, I will mostly focus on what NOT to eat, and plants that can be useful in other ways, like cordage, or soap, or fire. It's something I've been studying for a little while now, and have a good bit of confidence in my knowledge of poisonous common plants in my area. I'm sure I'll demonstrate some plants that can be used to make fire in one way or another, whether it's friction fire, or just sparking in tinder. Plants are good for much more than just food. Even if you have no intention of eating them, many of them are still useful and should be added to your mental notebook of "Plants to know".

I'm glad to assist in any way I can, but I'll be up front in telling you I probably don't know many plants in your area.

[Rick]

YCC - That's an excellent suggestion on the County Extension!!! Nice. I hadn't even considered that as a resource. "Weeds" are what we look for!

[SemperFi]

Ive never even heard of that , I dont think the rednecks in this town even no what that is, but Ill try1 By the way , if I was hiking near Mayhaw road would you be able to tell me the edible plants?

[your_comforting_company]

Yes I would! Mayhaw Road is just a few ticks down the road I live on. Mayhaws are one of the edibles, btw, with a little preparation. This area is famous for it's mayhaw jelly, and the next town north of here is the mayhaw capitol, with a festival coming soon as they are just about ready for harvest. I do a lot of hiking in the mayhaw WMA too.

[Cousin-IT]

a good way to tell if a plants bad for you is to split it open and rub it on your wrist (the underside), if after 5 min it don't sting try it on your gums, if it doesn't sting after 10 minutes.... there is a better chance it won't kill ya ...saw it on one of those B-rate docos

[your_comforting_company]

If you can't Identify it with confidence, do not put it in your mouth (including rubbing it on your gums). If you do that with water hemlock, you'll regret it.

[SemperFi]

I used to think if the critters were eating it , then I can eat it too (Ok ,I know what your gonna say , if the dog eats **** are you gonna eat it) , what Im referring to is if they eat berries and certain grasses , however Ive seen deer eat poison ivy , birds eat berries that are too stout to eat , chances are though if a bear eats something you can damn well eat it too!

[hunter63]

DW always has me save a piece of what ever i try........ To show the EMT what I poisoned myself with

[Rick]

You obviously can't go by that. You can eat chocolate but it can kill your dog. Human physiology is much different that most wild animals.

Learn the plant. Don't take the chance. You either won't wake up or do the Tijuana Dance.

I just made that up. No, really, I did.

[crashdive123]

a good way to tell if a plants bad for you is to split it open and rub it on your wrist (the underside), if after 5 min it don't sting try it on your gums, if it doesn't sting after 10 minutes.... there is a better chance it won't kill ya ...saw it on one of those B-rate docos

How many times have you done this with an unidentified plant?

[Cousin-IT]

once....... my mates (they can be stupid) saw a tree full of tiny red berries, and obviously they dared eachother to eat one... i made them do the test i mentioned, it stung their wrists, they still ate them..... idiots didn't feel to good after that tho :P

-i'm not saying it's the be all and end all.... just a good trick to know

[jake abraham]

this is a subject I know very little about,but Ihave been reading about it on this site also Ihave learned quite a bit so far @Iwant to thank you guys for sharing your knowledge

[Winter]

a good way to tell if a plants bad for you is to split it open and rub it on your wrist (the underside), if after 5 min it don't sting try it on your gums, if it doesn't sting after 10 minutes.... there is a better chance it won't kill ya ...saw it on one of those B-rate docos

This is what we were taught in survival Phase of LRSLC. Test it on your lips before your gums. Then chew a piece and spit out the piece. Wait 3 hrs to see if your butt explodes or you start tripping balls.

Then eat a small piece and wait 6 hrs. Then eat it at will.

Problem is that if you add all that time up you are starving.

[crashdive123]

I'm familiar with the universal edibility test. I was just curious how many times the poster had personally tried it since he was offering up a version of it for advice.