Food

I know that we have had a few threads here on food, and they were all great. But what happens when you run out of MRI's? I have watched the show Survivor Man a few times and I think some of what he teaches about being stranded in the wilderness is of good knowledge.

After a catostrophic event, we will likely be forced to live in nature. We will bring food and water, but that will last only a short period of time. What I'm wondering is what can we do when all else fails and we must eat bugs, hunt, ect. What kind of things can we survive on when you have no other choice?

You ahould begin working on a minimum 1 year food supply for your whole family. This will give you enough time to start living off the earth. I would expect to utilize my food supply along with other food procuremennt methods to prolong my supply.

You can find water at the base of trees, if you dig more than a foot into the ground. We had to survive for 2 days using this type of water (boiling it too, of course). It will be muddy and taste bad, but adding a sugar cube or packet of kool-aid/lemon aid, will help with the taste.

Be weary of insects with bright markings. Generally, insects with yellow, red, blue, or bright green will tend to be poisonous. Snakes can be eaten, even poisonous ones, as long as the head and a few inches of the neck are avoided from being eaten. Some plant leaves can be eaten, but it's best if you have a book that can show you which leaves are edible. One of the students on my team tried eating leaves from a plant the professor never went over, and they ended up failing because it made them sick.

NEVER ever drink river water that hasn't been boiled or cleaned. This mistake was also made by someone in my team. They drank water, without adding a drop of bleach to it, and they caught some kind of stomach virus. We trekked up the river and found there were mud wallows in the river for the warthogs in the area, which ran their feces into the river. This also means not to drink from any bottle lip that has touched the water. If the bottle was used to collect the water, make sure you clean the cap of the bottle too.

If you find a honey hive, make sure to smoke the bees out, by creating a smoky fire underneath the hive, and waiting at a safe distance. When the bees have left or fallen asleep, take the hive. There might be bee larva in the hive too. Eat both the honey and larva, since both will give you tons of protein and much needed carbs.

If you catch large game, like birds or rabbit, it's only safe to eat the game if the meat is salted and cured. Eating it raw will most likely make you sick. Never eat dead carcasses, because the bacterial growth on it would be very hazardous if it entered your system. Though, you can eat the insects that are feasting on the carcass, such as maggots, worms, or beetles. If eating any beetles, or insects, make sure you tear the mouth/pincer of the insect fist, to avoid any poisons or pinching.

If you find an ant hill, dig into the hill with a stick and try to find larva. The ants themselves can be eaten, but you will have to kill them to avoid being stung. Collecting them in a plastic bag while they escape, and then slowly crushing them in the bag will prove effective.

If you collect rain water, make sure you store it in a clean container, to avoid any bacterial build up. Collected water will not last long, unless you add chlorine or a drop of bleach to it.

Carry lots of condiment packets with you. Not only are they easy to transport, open, and eat, they provide quick little boosts of energy, as well as a means of leaving as trail to your location. Do not leave these on the floor in areas know for bear communities, because the trail will just lead them to you. Condiments I recommend are ketchup (also makes water taste better when added to it), relish, honey, mustard, tea, sugar/sugar cubes, bullion cubes, salt, and any candy/candy bars.