Odd survival tips

[Spots]

What are some weird, obscure things you guys know that may help in a bad situation?

This one is becoming more well known, but tampons are amazing first add tools. As well as having dozens of uses.

Heres the newest one I learned. A crayon will burn like a candle for about 30 minutes. So I picked up a couple boxes of crayons tonhave emergency light and another flammable thing for fire starting.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[UncleJak]

I carry a square of aluminum foil in my kit. It can be used as a bowl to cook or purify water, to direct sunlight for emergency fire starting, as a signal mirror for rescue, and as a makeshift hat when the aliens try to steal my brain.

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[Parker's Safes]

Here's one I learned and used in Canada.

You can use a folding knife in a side cut manner by partially closing the blade and putting what you want to clip between the blade and the handle. Then you just grab both the handle and the back of the blade with your hand and squeeze. With this process, you can easily prune branches, clip off small game apendages, etc.

[Spook]

The oil in Fritos will also burn and they can be used as tinder.  I have always liked the Swedish Candle.  Link here:

 

http://www.bushcraftstuff.com/tutorials/the-swedish-candle/

[JAB]

Has anyone else heard of this one?  I read it years ago in a 'natural remedies' book.  I'm trying to verify it on the 'Net but can't find much:

 

Anyhow, the idea goes that the reason raw Irish potatoes turn reddish-brown when left exposed to air is because they contain a high amount of iodine.  In fact, I remember the source I read claiming that eating too much raw potato, while probably not a significant risk for an adult, could cause iodine poisoning in a small child.  The source claimed that, in the absence of a chemical antiseptic, a slice of raw potato can be applied to a cut/scrape just as one might put iodine on a similar wound.

 

In trying to find verification of this claim, I found other, supposed uses for raw potatoes in 'first aid'.  One claim was that a slice of potato placed (and, presumably, left for some time) over the sight where one has a splinter can help 'draw' the splinter out.  Another claim was that a poultice of mashed up raw potato could be applied early on in order to prevent a black eye.  A third claim was that a poultice of mashed, raw potato -  when applied immediately to [first degree] burns - can help prevent blistering or scarring and speed healing of the burn.  I have also, personally, heard (again, can't verify) that a slice of raw Irish potato placed on a boil will 'draw' the boil and reduce it or even make it go completely away.  Can anyone verify any/all of these claims?

 

Other information I found while attempting to verify my original point was that the potato is very nearly a 'complete food' as it provides protein, many vitamins and so on.  In fact, there are apparently only two essential vitamins that aren't contained in potatoes.  The sources I saw said that Irish peasants actually got a pretty complete diet by eating potatoes, drinking buttermilk and eating oatmeal.

 

So, it sounds like potatoes are pretty good things to have around for SHTF.  Even better, they are easy to store fairly long term - when we used to grow lots of potatoes, mom and dad would spread them out on the (dirt) floor of a storage building and cover them with lime.  We'd eat on them all Winter and often have a few left to sprout/plant for the following growing season.

Edited June 18, 2013 by JAB

[Timestepper]

1. A non-lubricated condom inserted into a sock then filled with water makes a passable field expedient canteen.

 

2. Learn everything you possibly can about cattails - there's a reason they're called "Nature's Grocery Store." (Not an "odd" tip, just an extremely useful one!)

 

3. Nearly every fur bearing animal and six-legged insect is edible.

 

4. When camping in bear country with the O.P., always carry a pair of track shoes, keeping in mind that in a close encounter, outrunning bears is not nearly as important as outrunning Spots.

 

:whistle:

[Moped]

You can use silver to purify water, to slow spoilage of liquads and as an antibiotic in Colloidal form.  Here is a good article on the subject.

 

http://www.quantumbalancing.com/news/cs_universal.htm

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_uses_of_silver

 

There are some adverse effects when using colloidal silver as an antibiotic.  So take some of claims as a cure all end all, with a grain of salt.

[Timestepper]

5. Raw honey is a great natural anti-biotic (internally and externally) and bee's wax makes for a good natural wound protectant. (Case in point: Several years ago at the Rocky Mountain Nat'l Primitive Rendezvous outside Creed, Co. I found out the hard way exactly how sharp my tomahawk was and cut my left index finger to the bone. By all rights I should have at least gone to the Medic Tent (if not to the nearest hospital for stitches). Instead I had my best friend dig through our supplies while I put water on to boil and poured copious amounts of "Taos Lightening" both on my finger and in my gullet. When the water had heated and I'd cleaned it as best I could, I daubed a bit of raw honey onto and into the cut, then warmed some honey comb to make it pliable and completely sealed the wound then wrapped & tied the whole thing with gun cleaning patches. By the time we left for home a week later it had almost completely healed.)

 

6. Whether or not you choose to carry "flint & steel" for fire starting, it's a good idea to carry a piece of flint, chert or obsidian for emergency cutting and/or surgery. (Several years ago a couple of scientists used an electron microscope to examine the edges of flint, obsidian and a scalpel blade. Under severe magnification both flint & obsidian edges were smooth, whereas the surgical scalpel looked "like a saw blade.") A little practice will teach you how to knap a fine, thin cutting edge.

 

7. One of the most useful skills you can teach yourself is basic cordage making. I mean, you can carry 6 jillion feet of paracord wrapped around everything in your entire kit, plus both arms and legs and eventually you'll still run out or it will otherwise be rendered untenable. BUT if you learn (and practice!) making cordage from natural materials, it will always be available.

 

8. Tapping hardwood nut & fruit trees like black walnut, pecan, hickory, cherry, apple, sassafras and maple is a good way to secure nutritious, delicious & PURE source of hydration. Tapping evergreens like pine & cedar will render a supply of natural sealant.

In this part of the country where river cane (bamboo) is readily available simply cut a short piece (2-3 inches long and up to 3/8" in diameter) cut or taper both ends of the cane at roughly 45 - 60 degrees - this is your "spile." 2. Whittle another 3-5 inch stick to a sharp point. 3. Take the point of your knife and "drill" a small hole roughly 1/2 inch into the bark about waist level. Pound your sharpened stick tightly into the hole you've just created. This will give you something to hang your collection vessel from. 4. Using your knife "drill" another hole about 3-5 inches below your peg at a slight upward angle, making sure to go completely through both outer and inner bark. 5. Very carefully work your sharpened (and hollowed) bamboo piece into the bottom hole. 6. Hang your collection vessel from the top peg and check twice daily for several days. Depending upon the time of year the yield will vary, but other than straining bugs or other debris, no processing is necessary. (7. An alternate collection method is to fit a length of surgical tubing into the end of the bamboo spile and run it into a one or two liter bottle. If you cut or drill a hole into the cap of the bottle the same diameter as the tubing, then run the tubing through the cap, you can completely eliminate the need for straining or otherwise purifying.)

 

Hope some of these "odd" tips help.

 

:hat:

[Oh Shoot]

Unlike grass, you can eat and digest all types of clover.

 

- OS

[jgradyc]

Not odd exactly, but learning how to tie hitches and knots is extremely useful. Here's a website that shows all major knots and hitches without hands and fingers getting in the way.

http://www.animatedknots.com/

[Caster]

Always buy your dog food in the plastic woven bags, not paper. Never cut them open. Take the time to unstitch them. When you save several, you can use some duct tape to make some very good tarps or even tents. I have a buddy who saves horse feed bags for me.

Yes you can buy them at harbor freight but that's everyone's problem nowadays. MAKING things yourself teaches you to use your hands. The more you make yourself, the more things make sense to you. Take a man who makes everything he can by himself and you'll see a man who can make things work in a pinch. Even if he's never done a certain thing before.

The best survival tools you have were given to you by Gods design. One sits between your ears and the other two are attached to your wrists. Exercise them and you'll be much better for it.

A so called survivalist that bought all his kit off the Interwebz will be long dead before the man who actually practices bushcraft the old fashioned way.

[Spots]

Always buy your dog food in the plastic woven bags, not paper. Never cut them open. Take the time to unstitch them. When you save several, you can use some duct tape to make some very good tarps or even tents. I have a buddy who saves horse feed bags for me.


Yes you can buy them at harbor freight but that's everyone's problem nowadays. MAKING things yourself teaches you to use your hands. The more you make yourself, the more things make sense to you. Take a man who makes everything he can by himself and you'll see a man who can make things work in a pinch. Even if he's never done a certain thing before.


The best survival tools you have were given to you by Gods design. One sits between your ears and the other two are attached to your wrists. Exercise them and you'll be much better for it.


A so called survivalist that bought all his kit off the Interwebz will be long dead before the man who actually practices bushcraft the old fashioned way.

Thats a good idea caster, never thought of that. You hit the nail on the head about doing it all yourself. I make, build, and do everything possible myself. I figure the more I learn the more I will know in a bad spot and the more money I save. So far I'm a blacksmith, farmer, I can do carpentry, lay block and brick, I'm an ASE mechanic, wood worker, hunter, helicopter mechanic and air crew and a Marine. I"ve never balieved in paying someone else to do something I can do myself, and I don't buy anything I can make.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

[Caster]

Thats a good idea caster, never thought of that. You hit the nail on the head about doing it all yourself. I make, build, and do everything possible myself. I figure the more I learn the more I will know in a bad spot and the more money I save. So far I'm a blacksmith, farmer, I can do carpentry, lay block and brick, I'm an ASE mechanic, wood worker, hunter, helicopter mechanic and air crew and a Marine. I"ve never balieved in paying someone else to do something I can do myself, and I don't buy anything I can make.

Sent from the backwoods of Nowhere

Here's a 7x12 I made.  All seams are machine sewn, sealed with RTV silicone and covered in duct tape.  Corners were reinforced with duct tape and then I put in brass grommets.  

These things HAVE to be washed thoroughly to make the tape stay in place but if you get it clean, it's there.  THis is a seriously tough tarp given it's made from trash.

 

 

 

 

[URL=http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/Reloadingfool/media/photo-18_zpsc3802047.jpg.html][/URL]

Edited June 19, 2013 by Caster

[Guest ochretoe]

Spider web is a great blood stopper and has antibiotic properties. Nettle leave thorns or bristles or whatever you want to call them, are pure vitamin K,  a great coagulant.  Sugar, just like honey has antibiotic properties also.

This may be a little much but I'll try it just the same.  This is information I got at a conference this winter.  It is part of a program we put on at my Park.;

Plant

Edible Parts

Preparation

Notes

Air Potato, native, (winged yam)

Leaves, seeds, roots

Raw, boiled, grind  seeds for flour

 

Alligator Flag (Swamp Weed)

root

Use leaves to wrap food for cooking

plant sways when gators are about

Amaranth

leaves

Cook as spinach

 

American Burnweed

Root and base of stem

Raw/boiled

 

American Chestnut

Nuts

Raw, roasted, can be crushed into paste

 

American Eelgrass

Rhizome & leaf bases

Chew for carbs

 

Australian Pine

Seeds and resin

Raw or roasted, cones be stored for later

Roast on fire to release seeds

Avocado, native

fruit

Raw, tastes like liquorice

Leaves toxic to all creatures except humans

Bacopa Monnieri (Water Hyssop)

leaves

Raw or as tea, very bitter

Good for memory function, cramming for exam

Bamboo

Center pith

Always boil to get rid of cyanide

*Apple seeds have cyanide – 20 could kill

Bayberries

Leaves,

Add to stews, use as bay leaf substitute

 

Beautyberry (American Beauty)

Berries, bark & leaves

Raw – chewed, infused for tea

Rub leaves on skin to repel insects. Berries are an antioxidant

Bee Balm

Young leaves

Use for mint flavoring or infuse for tea. 3-5 leaves makes relaxing tea, 8-10 leaves very relaxing tea.

Bunch of leaves will make house smell nice

Biden’s Alba

Leaves , berries, flowers and seeds

Raw or boiled, leaves have piney flavor – good for salads

Twice as much goodness as spinach, young leaves as tea good for sore throats. Old leaves can be dried as tobacco-substitute. Can be used to combat blood sugar, blood pressure. Anti-inflamatory

Bitter Cress

leaves

Eat raw, tastes like peppery water cress

 

Bitter Gourd

gourd

Edible when green (not when yellow)

Rich in lycopene

Blackberries

Berries and leaves

Raw, as tea and wine

Tea cures diarrhea

Black Cherry

fruit

Eat raw

 

Black Tupelo (Sour/Black gum)

Eat ripe fruit

Raw/cooked

Bark is an emetic

Blueberry

fruits

raw

 

Blue Porterweed

flowers

Raw – taste like portabella mushrooms

Infuse leaves for tea or beer

Brazilian Pepper

berries

Use as spice

 

Buckthorn

Berries and seeds

Eat berries raw when fully ripe

 

Bulrush

Young shoots and roots, seeds

Raw or roasted like potatoes

Rich in starch. Member of sedge family – all sedges have edible seeds

Burnweed

Unopened flower pods

Eat raw

 

Cabbage Palm

Roots, bud and heart

Raw, boiled, crush roots for flour

 

Cactus

Oval pads

Eat raw or roasted. Skin edible after spines removed

Avoid all pads with white sap

Caesar Weed

leaves

raw

Sandy texture but good famine food

Camphor Tree

Leaves, one inch tip only of root and steep in water

Use dried leaves as spice. Tea reduces colds and flues and induces abortions.

Crush leaves in hot water as decongestant vapor. Seedlings contain saffrol, ingredient of ecstasy and MDMA.

Cat’s Claw (Invasive exotic)

roots

 

Strengthens immune system, promotes kidney health, may aid dementia patients.

Cattails

Young shoots,  stalk, flowers, pollen and roots

Raw or boiled – tastes like asparagus

Dried cattails are an insect repellant

Cedars, Southern

Berries and cones

Use as spice or to make gin

Member of juniper family

Ceriman

Fruit, seeds

Fruit raw, roast seeds

 

Chicj  Chickasaw Plum

leaves and berries

raw

Fruit always all gone by July 4

Chickweed

Leaves, young stems and shoots. Winter crop (4-6 weeks season)

Raw (tasted like uncooked corn) but best boiled for five minutes, tea or tincture

As a tea is a good internal cleanser. Antibacterial.

Chinese Elm

Leaves, immature fruits

Raw or cooked

Bark is a diuretic

Cirtus - wild

fruit

Raw, very acidic

Peel and zest deters insects

Cocoplum

fruit

Raw - tastes like persimmon

Contains lots of water, good for rehydration

Commelinas (Day Flower)

Leaves and blossom

Raw, good trailside nibble, but better cooked

 

Creeping Charlie (St. John’s Mint)

Leaves

raw

Infuse for an invigorating  tonic

Crowfoot Grass

seeds

Grind for flour or thickener

Helicopter rotor-like plant

Creeping Cucumber

Unripe green fruit

 

Strong laxative when fruit is black

Cucumber Weed

leaves

Eat raw or infuse

Used as a diuretic

Dandelions

Young leaves, flower, roots

Raw/boiled, roast root and grind for flour

Infuse blossoms and leaves for tea

Date Palm

fruit

Eat raw when ripe

 

Deadly Nightshade

berries

Only eat when very black and fully ripe

Toxic when not fully ripe

Dioscorear alata (Purple Yam)

tubers

Boiled, roasted

Tubers can weight up to 100lbs

Dock

leaves

Eat raw but bitter

Astringent leaves can be used as bandage

Dollar Weed

leaves

Tea bitter but lowers blood pressure

All plants with similar stem are edible

Ear Tree

seeds

 

If seeds can’t be counted externally don’t eat.

Easter Coral Bean

Flowers and young leaves

Boil for 15 min – like spinach

Rich in antioxidants, seeds are toxic

Elderberry

Berries, blossoms, leaves and young shoots

Eat berries when raw, infuse for tea or tincture

Use berries and flowers for tea, wine and champagne. Antibacterial

Epazota

All edible

 

Natural antiseptic

False Hawk’s Beard

Young leaves

raw

 

Feijoa Tree

Flower petals and fruit

Raw, add petals to salads

 

Ferns

Young shoots

Fry or sauté

Served in NE USA as fiddleheads.

Feverfew

leaves

Infuse for tea

Reduces headaches and fever

Fireweed

Leaves, stems, flowers

Split stems and eat pith raw

 

Florida Betony

Roots, leaves

Use as tea or tincture, roots in salads, stir-frys

Leaves reduce headaches

Florida Elm

Seeds, young leaves and bark

Raw or cooked, cook inner bark

 

False Hawks Beard

Blossom, leaves and root

Eat raw or cooked

 

Fox grapes

berries

Very, very  acidic

Can burn hands while crushing

Gallberry. Holly

leaves

 

Dried, crushed leaves for decaf-coffee type drink

Glasswort

Tender stems

Raw in salads

Salty to the taste

Goldenrod

Flowers as tea or tincture

Batter and deep fry inflorescence

Mild diuretic

Goose Grass

Seeds

raw

 

Goto Kola

Leaves

raw

Reduces blood pressure

Grapes

berries

Raw or crushed for drink

Very acidic, stems yield water

Greenbrier

Young shoots and roots

Shoots – raw – have nutty flavor,

Grind roots for flour

Ground Cherry

berries

Eat only when ripe – very sweet.

Unripe berries are toxic

Ground Nuts

Seeds (nuts)

Raw or cooked

 

Guinea Grass

seeds

Raw or cooked, good nutritious trailside nibble

 

Hackberry (Sugar berry)

berries

Eat when dark orange

Best berries are at top of tree

Heartleaf Drymaria (chickeweed)

Leaves and young shoots

Raw and cooked

 

Hercules Club (Toothache tree)

Fruit and leaves

Chew or infuse as tea

Tea relieves toothache

Hibiscus

flowers

raw

 

Hickory

Nuts

Raw or roasted

 

Holly

Leaves for tea

 

Yaupon has caffeine, Gallberry is decaf

Horsemint

Leaves for tea

Make a weak tea and use sparingly

Tea good for sweating out colds

Horseradish

 

 

 

Horse Weed

Seeds, young shoots

Use as spice – celery/lemony smell

Use stems on willow  twig to start fires

Huckleberry

berries

 

Always 10 seeds to each fruit

Juniper

Berries and very young twigs

Eat berries raw, infuse twigs for tea

 

Koontie (Coontie)

roots

Wash, boil and grind

Sago flour

Large cane

Young shoots and seeds

Raw or boiled – tasted like asparagus

 

Lemon Bacoba

leaves

Infuse for tea

Smell more like limes than lemon – go figure

Lemon Grass

Grass blades

Rub on skin

Insect repellant, hang inside tent

Laver

fronds

Boil until tender, use as vegetable

 

Lantana

berries

Must be ripe, mildly toxic when unripe

 

Lichens

Edible if not bright yellow or lime green

Soak to reduce acidity

Some lichens can be 3,000 years old

Loquat

fruit

Fresh or cooked

Rich in vitamin C

Magnolia

Leaves, petals, bark

Bay leaf substitute, petals can be pickled and make great sweet and sour relish

Use tea for anti-inflamatory. Use sparingly as strong flavor.

Maples

Inner bark, sap, seeds, leaves

Seeds raw or roasted, young leaves raw

Year round food supply. Supply full of nutrients

Melaleuca alerniflolia (Tea Tree)

pollen, leaves

Pollen as sweetener, leaves for tea

Introduced to drain marshes

Milkweed vine

Everything above ground

 

Fruits year round

Mimosa (Invasive)

Flowers, bark

tincture

Treats depression and anxiety

Monkey puzzle tree

Nuts and seeds

Raw or cooked

Rich in starch

Mulberry

fruit

Eat raw or press for high carb juice

 

Muscadine

grapes

Eat raw, wrap food in leaves to cook

 

Mustard

Young leaves, seedpods, flower buds

Raw in salads or cooked awhile to tenderize, boil buds

Always four petals & 6 stamen 4 long & 2 short

Nagi tree

Young leaves, seeds

Young leaves boiled, crush seeds for oil

 

Natal Palm

fruit

Large berries taste like cranberries

Crush for juice

Nettle

Young shoots, leaves, roots

Young leaves raw or boil to remove sting

Very nutritious

Night-blooming  Cereus

fruits

raw

 

Oaks

Acorns, leaves if pest free

White oak acorns least bitter, crush for flour or coffee substitute

Soak red oak acorns to remove bitterness. Ones that sink are less bitter.

Oxalis articulata (Pink Sorrel)

Tubers, leaves and flowers

Leaves and flowers can be eaten raw or cooked

Contains oxalic acid so don’t eat too much

Papayas (pawpaw)

Fruit and leaves

Eat fruit raw, boil leaves

 

Paperbark Tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia)

Flowers, soft wood

Flowers raw, use bark to wrap food for cooking or chew

Also known as the toilet-paper tree!

Paper Mulberry

Leaves and fruit

Eat fruit raw, cook leaves

 

Passionflower

Aerial parts, flowers

Tea or tincture, flowers in salad

Tea for depression, anxiety, insomnia, muscle pains

Pea Vine (Ground Nut)

Nuts

Raw or boiled

High in protein and carbs. Contains latex in sap.

Penny Weed (Dollar Weed)

Young leaves

Add to salad or as a trail nibble

 

Pennyworts

Stem, leaves and root

raw

 

Pepper Grass

Young leaves

Raw or cooked

Diuretic and has been used to treat diabetes

Persimmon

Fruit and leaves

Raw or infused for tea

Seeds can be roasted

Pickerel Weed

Purple flowers

Ripe when seeds drop off in hand

Usually has seeds year round

Pigeon Plum

fruit

Eat when ripe

 

Pindo Palm

Fruit and seeds

Eat raw or boil into jelly.

Roast seeds for coffee-type drink

Pines

Inner bark, seeds, shoots, needles and sap

Boil , bake or roast to get seeds. Chew or infuse needles for tea - rich in vitamins A and C. Chew sap

Inner bark can be eaten raw or fried. Young pine cones high in testosterone. Resin mixed with sand makes temporary tooth filling

Plantago

Leaves, seeds

 

Use leaves for poultice for bites/stings

Plantain

leaves

Raw, boiled or sautéed

Leaves relieve itching and toothache.

Podocarpus macrophylis

Ripe cone arils

 

Do not eat seeds

Poison Ivy

Not edible but sap medicinal

 

Used to get rid of arts

Poke Weed

Young leaves and stems

Boil twice, dispose of water after first boil

All parts poisonous if eaten raw

Poor Man’s Pepper grass

seeds

Raw – very peppery

 

Prickly Pear

Fruit and seeds

Eat raw or dry seeds and crush for flour or thickener

 

Purslane

All parts are edible

Eat raw or boil

Leaves rich in vitamins A & C, iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium

Queen Palm

Fruits and heart of palm

Raw or cooked

 

Ragweed

seeds

crush

Rich source of oil

Rattlesnake Weed (Florida Betony)

White carrot-like roots

raw

Crunchy, considered a delicacy overseas

Red Bays

leaves

Add to soups and stews for seasoning

 

Red Bud, Eastern

Blossom and seed pods

Eat raw or cooked

 

Red Mulberry

Fruit and leaves

Eat fruit raw, boil leaves

 

Reindeer Moss

All

Soak to remove bitterness

Crunchy, brittle texture

Reishi (fungi)

Fruiting body

Tea or tincture

Immune stimulant, anti-cancer properties?

Richardia (Mexican Clover)

leaves

 

Used as an emetic

Rose Moss

Little red blossoms

 

Some people are allergic -  burn throat

Rubber Plant

fruit

In small quantities

Famine food

Sabal Palm

Bud, heart and roots

Raw or boiled, grind roots for flour

 

Sandspurs

seeds

Quickly singe spines off to get to the seeds. Seeds contain oil so will burn quickly

Eat seeds off stem. You can winnow them but requires energy output.

Sarsparilla

roots

Infuse for a drink

 

Saw Palmetto

Berries, new leaf shoots

Raw in salads or boil as vegetable

Rich in good fatty acids

Seablite

greenery

Eat raw or cooked, a little salty (use as stuffing for chicken or fish

Highly nutritious and keeps well

Seagrape

fruit

Eat when ripe

 

Sedges

Roots, young shoots, stems

raw

All sedges are edible – sedges have edges, reeds are round, grasses are hollow down to the ground

Shell Ginger

Leaves, rhizomes

Leaves for tea and flavoring

 

Sida

Leaves, root

Tea, tincture or smoked

Combats hay fever, asthma (contains ephedrine)

Silver Thorn

Berries (always in February)

 

Rich in Omega 3, other fatty acids and Vit C

Skunk Vine

leaves

Chop and add for flavoring

Very nutritious

Smartweed

leaves

Use as seasoning, very peppery

 

Smilax

Young shoots

raw

 

Sow Thistle

Stalks and roots

Eat raw or boiled

Peel thorns off stalks

Spanish Bayonet

Fruit and petals

Scrape out seeds, wrap in foil and boil for 30 minutes at 350.

 

Spanish Moss

Very young green shoots

Eat raw or infuse for tea

Tea has anti-bacterial properties

Spanish Needles

Tender shoots and young leaves

Fresh, cooked or dried and used as seasoning

As a tea has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties

Spiderwort

Stems, upper leaves, buds and flowers

Cook stems as asparagus, other parts can be eaten raw

Crunchy and cooks like asparagus

Spiny Sow Thistle

stems

Raw or cooked

Tastes like celery, full of moisture

Springbeauty/Spring Beauty

 

 

 

Spurge Nettle

tubers

Cook as potatoes

Always dig from side of the plant

Sumac

berries

Use as spices or tea

 

Surinam Cherry

fruit

raw

Only eat if they easily  fall into your hand

Swamp Lily

bulb

Eat cooked

 

Sweet Gum

Sap and seeds

 

Fruit and seeds contain shishimic acid, a natural Tamiflu

Sweetbay Magnolia

Seeds

raw

 

Sword fern

Water storage organs

Found on root systems, eat raw or cooked

Good source of moisture, crunchy

Sycamore

Resin is edible

 

A filter tree so good source of water

Tansy Mustard

Leaves, seeds in pods

Young leaves raw, older leaves cooked

Ground seeds can be used as thickener

Tar Vine (Red Spiderlane)

roots

Carrot-shaped

Used to treat fatty liver

Tulip Tree

Nectar, sap

Nectar can be drunk straight from blossom

Nectar is very sweet,

Turkey Tail (fungi)

Fruiting body

Tea or tincture

Anti-tumor, anti-microbial, immunomodulating, anti-oxidant, anti-malarial

Usnea

Whole plant

Eat raw or infuse for tea, tincture or poultice

Strong antiseptic properties, treats infections

Violets

Leaves, blooms

Raw, used to make tea or syrup, use as poultice

All members of the viola family are edible. Can be used as soothing agent, for headaches and as mild expectorant.

Wapato

petals

Eat raw, taste like marshmallows

 

Water Hyssop (Bacopa)

leaves

raw

May be able to regenerate brain cells

Water lily

Flowers, seeds, rhizomes

Eat raw or cooked

 

Wax Myrtle (Miracle bush)

berries

Add berries to game, soak berries in water and oil floats to the surface

Juice from leaves and berries acts as insect repellent. Wood smoke has same effect

White Clover

Leaves, flowers and seed pods, roots

Raw or cooked. Cooks like spinach, cook root, young flowers can be eaten raw

Flowers and seed pods can be dried

Wild Garlic

Young leaves, flowers and bulbs

Roast bulbs. Flowers v. aromatic – eat raw

If it smells like onions, garlic or mint  - edible

Wild Lettuce

leaves

Cook, bitter

 

Wild Mint

Leaves

Raw or cooked, use as flavoring or green

Tea has antiseptic properties

Wild Pineapple

Ripe fruit, leaves and flower stalks

Raw or cooked or pulped for a drink

Best diluted, can burn lips. Tea treats fevers

Wild Rosemary

leaves

For flavoring or as tea

Tea is a restorative and aids mental fatigue and forgetfulness

Wild sorrel

leaves

 

Good trailside nibble

Willow

Young twigs

Chew young twigs to cure headaches

Salicin - natural aspirin-like compound

Winged Sumas

Berries, drupes

Soak berries and strain before drinking

Cooling, refreshing drink, nutritive

Yam

tubers

Roast, grind and leach in water

 

Yaupon (Ilex vomitorium) Holly

fruit

Can be dried, ground and used as tea

Rich source of caffeine and anti-oxidants. Indians made tea from 5-6 leaves for ritual purging.

Yellow Pond Lily

Seeds

Raw but very bitter

 

Yucca

Fruit and flowers

Eat raw or cook as a vegetable

 

 

 

 

 

Useful Non-edibles

 

 

 

Dog Fennel

 

 

 

Laurel Cherry

 

 

 

Swamp dock

Leaves can be used as bandages

 

Has astringent properties

 

 

 

 

Dangerous or Deadly

 

 

 

Laurel cherry

Has cyanide, smells of almonds

If it is not an almond and smells of almonds

-          DO NOT EAT IT

Rosary Peas

 

 

Most toxic seeds on earth

Virginia Creeper

 

 

Blue berries will put you on kidney dialysis

 

 

 

 

Crustaceans/Bivalves

 

 

 

Clams

All edible

Raw, steam, boil or bake

Add to soups and stews

Oysters

All edible

Raw, steam, boil or bake

 

Crabs

Body and claw meat

 

All crabs are edible

Crawfish, salt and freshwater

Body

steam, boil or bake

 

 

 

 

 

Fish

 

 

 

All species

All edible

Can be eaten raw

Eat fresh as meat deteriorates quickly

 

 

 

 

Reptiles

 

 

 

Alligator

All meat

 

Tail has most flavor, body meat darker

Gopher Tortoise

All meat and eggs

Bake eggs in shells

 

All turtles

All meat and eggs

 

 

All lizards/skinks

All species are edible

Remove head, gut and roast

Skewer smaller prey whole and roast

All Snakes

All species are edible

Remove head, gut and roast

Can be eaten raw

 

 

 

 

Birds

 

 

 

All birds

All birds and eggs are edible

Remove feathers, entrails, boil or roast.

Skin is very rich in nutrients

 

 

 

 

Animals

 

 

 

Armadillo

All meat is edible

Remove armor, gut, cut into chunks

Best roasted

Hog - wild

All meat is edible

Skin, gut and roast

 

Mice

All meat is edible

Skin, gut and roast on skewer

Meat rich in protein

Rabbit

All meat is edible

Skin, gut and roast, stew or braise

 

Raccoon

All meat is edible

Skin, gut, tenderize by boiling then roast

 

Rat

All meat is edible

Skin, gut and roast or grill

Tastes like pork

Skunk

All meat is edible

Skin, gut, remove scent sac intact and roast

 

Squirrel

All meat is edible

Skin, gut and roast, boil or stew.

 

 

 

 

 

Protected species are in italics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Timestepper]

 

8. Tapping hardwood nut & fruit trees like black walnut, pecan, hickory, cherry, apple, sassafras and maple is a good way to secure nutritious, delicious & PURE source of hydration. Tapping evergreens like pine & cedar will render a supply of natural sealant.

 

 

No guarantees 'cause I'm a sucky picture taker (especially on crutches), but I'm going to tap one of the the big Beech trees in our back yard soon in hopes of getting a pictorial "how to." If the pics come out worth a darn I'll post them here. Otherwise, it'll have to wait for one of our get togethers when we can maybe do a "hands on" demonstration.

[Guest ab28]

I agree with the improvisational thing. I have it naturally, and have made all kinds of things. One example is I turned a regular dining chair into a computer chair by making armrests out of a wire shelf, attaching it to the chair with paracord, and sewing an old towel to it for padding. The other one was made of the back of my chemistry textbook, attached to a double layer sheet of cardboard with a flattened wire coathanger bent into a U shaped bracket for reinforcement.

 

I sew a lot, and learning this skill will save you a ton of money.

 

Wear women's underwear(synthetic), they dry fast, have more support, and weigh 1/4th the weight of mens. I have several pairs that I consider "unisex" underwear, they are plain black. They weigh 0.7oz each(compared to 2.3oz for mens), will dry in a couple hours, and can be washed in a sink. Also, once they get worn out, the material can be used for many other things, it is really light and strong.

[Spots]

Wear women's underwear(synthetic), they dry fast, have more support, and weigh 1/4th the weight of mens. I have several pairs that I consider "unisex" underwear, they are plain black. They weigh 0.7oz each(compared to 2.3oz for mens), will dry in a couple hours, and can be washed in a sink. Also, once they get worn out, the material can be used for many other things, it is really light and strong.

Not sure I would have admitted to wearing panties on an open forum lol. The improv thing is good, but they say briefs are horrible for the boys because of lack of air and heat build up. Those would have to be worse. Btw you can by mens synthetics that are specially made for support and will perform as good or better than the others. Any reasons not to guy with guys specifics underwear?

sent from the backwoods
Edited June 23, 2013 by Spots

[Dolomite_supafly]

I have worn my share of women's undergarments although never panties. I always had pantyhose for times when I knew I would be making some long walks. They keep blisters at bay on your feet and keep your legs from getting chaffed. They also add a layer of warmth in winter. 

 

Crisco makes a great candle. Depending on the size of the can it can last for days.

 

A trash bag will keep you a lot warmer. I know we would use large trash bags pulled up over our feet to keep us a lot warmer. I have also had friends use body bags to do the same thing.

 

You can build a sand filter pretty easily to clear cloudy water. It is not yet safe to drink but then you can purify it by putting it in a clear container and leaving it in the sun for a day. The natural UV light will kill all the bad organisms in the water.

 

There is enough fresh water left in a house to last a few weeks.

 

ALWAYS keep Bic lighters on hand. Even if they run out of fluid they can still be used to spark.

[Guest ab28]

Not sure I would have admitted to wearing panties on an open forum lol. The improv thing is good, but they say briefs are horrible for the boys because of lack of air and heat build up. Those would have to be worse. Btw you can by mens synthetics that are specially made for support and will perform as good or better than the others. Any reasons not to guy with guys specifics underwear?

sent from the backwoods

Not worried about it. A survivalist sees everything as a pool of equipment, and chooses items that work best for the application.

 

As for lack of air and heat build up, I used them on my Appalachian Trail thru hike with no problems.

 

For the men's underwear, even the synthetic ones are heavier and overbuilt, with thick, heavy waistbands.

Edited June 23, 2013 by ab28

[JAB]

Any reasons not to guy with guys specifics underwear?
 

 

Because it is important to feel pretty.  Remember, morale can make a difference in a survival situation. :rofl:

 

Sorry.  Couldn't resist.