The amount and type of food carried is highly dependent on what food can be collected or purchased during the journey. However, even when food is readily available it’s a good idea to carry some basics just in case of late arrivals or early starts. The average person requires 2000 (resting) – 5000 (working hard) calories a day. These calories are obtained from carbohydrates (sugars and starches), protein and fats (oil, butter, lard), supplemented with numerous vitamins and minerals. In general fats and carbohydrates are used for fuel, providing energy, proteins to restore body tissues and build muscle (may also be used for energy), with minerals and vitamins being essential to preserve well being and to prevent disease (not an important concern for short journeys). I read somewhere that your energy intake should be based on approximately 25 percent protein, can be higher up to 50 percent (not recommended) but not less than 15 percent.
Back to IndexA reliable source of wild edible plants is highly dependent on the season and locations, best times are normally spring and autumn. However, in general its very difficult to find sufficient plants to meet a persons calorie requirements. It can also be very difficult to find sufficient food that you would choose to eat. There is a big difference in just tasting the flavours one or two leaves, roots, berries or nuts to them forming the basis of your dietary requirements. Spend a few days living off the land and towards the end of it you definitely had to make a mental effort to keep eating e.g. Hawthorn berries, one or two ok, one or two bowls a day for three days, their taste becomes not so palatable. Same for Thistle roots etc. Don’t have a great knowledge of edible plants but here are some common ones that I have tried or have been suggested. NOTE: be very careful when collecting plants as similar species may be inedible or poisonous, only use recognised reference books when identifying plants, don’t trust the judgement of others unless you know that they know what they are talking about. Below are some useful documents on edible plants ive found on the web (due to possible copyright conflicts these are only accessible from the local machine) :
Figure 7.3.0 : Common Elderberry
Common Elderberry : normally found in moist ground in woods, hedgerows and river banks, a member of the honeysuckle family, branches grow straight and hollow with a spongy white pith. From mid-summer to early fall produces clusters of tiny, spherical, juicy, purple-black to black, seedy berries (large quantities). Flowers can be made into a tea or eaten, added to bannock or batters (best described as an interesting fragrance). Berries clusters easily gathered, takes a bit of time to remove from stem. Only use ripe berries, cooked or dried, raw and green berries can make you feel nauseous (never tested this fact). Tastes better than they smell, but a good source of minerals and vitamins.
Figure 7.3.1 : Acorns
Acorn : oak tree, can be found during October to November, contain large amounts of bitter tannins. Use acorns in the white oak group, those species with blunt-tipped leaves.
The acorns in figure 7.3.1, boiled 5 times, water still turning a light red / brown colour, tasted ok, bland, bitter aftertaste. Ive read an alternative to boiling is to dig a deep hole and bury them until the spring, during this time the tannins will be leached out making them more digestible.
Figure 7.3.2 : Sweet Chestnuts
Sweet Chestnut : flowers appear in late June to July, in the autumn female flowers develop into spiny cupules containing 3-7 brownish nuts that are shed during October to November. Bark often has an unmistakable net-shaped pattern. The nuts may be eaten raw (peel off inner skin), roasted in a fires embers or ground to make flour. From what I have seen the size of the nut is effected by location e.g. down south its easy to find good sized chestnuts, however, up north they tend to be very small, not really worth the effort.
Figure 7.3.3 : Hawthorn (left), Hawthorn, Elderberry and Blackberry (right)
Hawthorn : from September to November (and later) the dark red fruits known as haws can also be eaten. Sometimes referred to as "bread and cheese", fruits have a mealy, creamy taste, ok to eat. I was told you should not eat the seeds as these are toxic. Can be cooked gently to form a pulp, seeds and skin removed by squeezing through cloth to make a jelly. Commonly find Hawthorn, Elderberry and Blackberry growing in the same areas, seeds spread by birds etc.
Figure 7.3.4: Beech
Beech : from September to November beech nuts can also be eaten (peel off inner skin). Nuts are very tasty raw or cooked (my third favourite after hazel and chestnut), however, nuts can be quite small and not all pods contain fruits
Figure 7.3.5 : Hazel
Hazel: my favourite nut, however, its also liked by squirrels, birds and mice, so they can be hard to find. Nuts can be found from September to October, best spotted from the underside of the branch. Takes a while to get your eye in, but, once you get tuned in it is possible to collect a good bag full. To crack open, hold the flat base of the nut on a stone and hit the top with another, hitting from the side tend to crush the nut. Again not all shells contain an edible nut.
Figure 7.3.6: Juniper
Juniper: fruits ripen over three summers, green in the first year, turning to waxy blue in the second, ripening in the third to blue black. Only eat the dark blue fruits, green berries are poisonous. Very strong spicy flavour, only need a few to add flavour to a dish.
Figure 7.3.7 : Rowan
Rowan: berries ripen from August to November, can be eaten raw, however are normally quite bitter, best pick late to allow them to fully ripen. Don’t mind eating one or two whilst walking, you cant eat a lot of them. Like hawthorn seeds should be removed. Some texts state that large quantities can be toxic.
Figure 7.3.8: Whitebeam
Whitebeam: easy to identify by the silver leaf undersides, berries have small seeds and that can be eaten, bland mealy taste, not bad to eat.
Figure 7.3.9: Rosehips
Rosehips: can be found from late August, well known for their vitamin C, contain small seeds covered in tiny hairs which can irritate your stomach, therefore, must be removed. After cleaning use to make rosehip tea, after being blanched can be eaten (can also be eaten raw). I’ve read that they taste sweeter after a frost.
Figure 7.3.10: Sea buckthorn
Sea buckthorn: Not really a food source, but a very good source of vitamins (A, C and E) and minerals, especially in the winter when other sources are in short supply.
Figure 7.3.11 : Blackberry
Figure 7.3.11.1 : Raspberry
Blackberry and Raspberry: can be found in the autumn, when fully ripened, one of few wild fruits that is truly sweet. Good eaten raw or cooked, one of my favourite methods is to simply simmer / stew down a good couple of handfuls to form a “jam” that can be spread on bread or bannocks. Found in wood, scrub and heathland.
Figure 7.3.12 : Sloe
Sloe: dark blue-black berries of the blackthorn, a small deciduous shrub with spiny twigs, commonly found in hedgerows. The fruits are quite tart/sour can’t really be eaten raw. I was told that they are a lot better after a frost or when cooked. Can be seeded and dried for cooking or best known for wine making and gin.
Figure 7.3.13 : Bullance (Damsons)
Bullance (Damsons): a small deciduous tree normally found in hedgerows, I believe its a natural hybrid of the sloe and plum. A dark blue-black fruit, with a grey waxy coating (like a plum), can be quite bitter. Fruit on the south side of the tree that gets the full sun are better. Another technique to sweeten the fruit is to warm them in an inside pocket with body heat, or roll them in your hand for a few minutes. If you have a fire they can also be stewed down in a pan, or warm on a stick over some embers. Can be used to make jellies etc.
Figure 7.3.14 : Bilberry
Figure 7.3.15 : Bilberry, Blackberry and Elderberry
Bilberry: small evergreen shrub commonly found in woodland, heaths/moors in the north of England. A dark blue-black fruit, with a grey waxy coating, high vitamin C content. Sweet, juicy (stains cloths very easily) can be eaten raw or used to make jellies, pies etc. I was told that they have the strange effect of lowering blood sugars so they can’t be used as a source of energy.
Figure 7.3.16 : Crab Apple
Crab Apple: deciduous tree found in hedgerows and old woodlands. The fruits are quite sour, approximately 3cm in diameter, yellowish green in colour. Heating over coals can soften and sweeten the taste of the fruit. Alternatively, the fruits can be sliced and pushed onto a thin stick or root to dry, improving storage and taste.
Figure 7.3.17 : Pine nuts and bark
Pine Nuts and bark: all Pine nuts are edible, however some species are too small to be harvested. To open the cones to allow the nuts to be removed they can be placed by a fire or in a sheltered sunny spot to dry them out. The nuts can be shelled between a couple of stones and eaten raw or roasted. Another food source that can be taken advantage of is the inner bark or cambium bark layer. This is the living layer of bark rich in sap and sugars. Cut and peel off the bark, then separate the outer and inner layers. I’ve read that this can be eaten raw, but I found it quite resinous in taste. Drying / heating the bark to remove its moisture improved its taste quite a bit.
Mushrooms are very common and easy to collect, only one small problem, get it wrong and your dead. Therefore, the golden rule is “IF IN DOUBT – LEAVE IT OUT”. The second rule I would add to this is only trust recognised reference books when identifying fungi, don’t trust the judgement of others unless you know that they know what they are talking about. Do not collect baby or old fungi as they are difficult to positively identify.
Figure 7.3.16 : Hedgehog fungus
Hedgehog : commonly found in mixed woodland i.e. broad leave and conifer, an easy fungus to identify. The hedgehog fungus has spines under the cap that can be easily brushed off. In the UK none of this family are poisonous although some are better than others. Has a nice mushroom smell and taste, some people recommend brushing off all the spines as they say they can cause a bitter taste.
Figure 7.3.17 : Jew’s ear fungus
Jew’s ear : commonly found on rotting Elder, as the name implies looks like an ear. When fresh soft and flexible, brown in colour, as they dry (especially in the summer) darken in colour to a black, becoming quite hard, looking a bit like a burnt crisp. Dried specimens can be stored and re-hydrated before use. Note, when re-hydrated the mushroom will swell many times its original volume as shown in the bottom frame of figure 7.3.17, transforming from a small burnt crisp to a large jelly ear. A nice mushroom taste, can be a little bit chewy, best cooked in a stew.