Methods for Identifying Wild Food and Water Sources in the Wilderness

In wilderness survival, acquiring food primarily involves two methods: hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants.

Hunting wild animals requires knowledge of their habitats and understanding their behavior. Methods such as trapping, snaring, using animal traps, and shooting are employed. Proficiency in these techniques typically requires extensive training and practice under the guidance of experts. Below is a brief introduction to edible insects and wild plants, along with methods of consumption.

Currently, globally consumed insects include snails, earthworms, ants, cicadas, cockroaches, crickets, butterflies, locusts, grasshoppers, dragonflies, spiders, mantises, and more. While consuming insects may be unconventional and even repulsive to some, in desperate situations to sustain life and maintain physical strength, it may be worth considering. However, it is crucial to cook or roast insects thoroughly to prevent parasites present in their bodies from causing poisoning or illness.

Common edible insects include locusts, which can be marinated in soy sauce and grilled, boiled, or fried. Praying mantises can be grilled or fried after removing the wings, and they can also be boiled. Dragonflies are edible after deep frying. Cicadas can be consumed raw or deep-fried, and their larvae are also edible. Centipedes, while edible when deep-fried, may have an undesirable taste. Beetle larvae can be consumed raw or roasted. Ants are edible when stir-fried, providing a good flavor. Spiders, with their legs removed, can be roasted for consumption. Termites are edible raw or stir-fried. Caterpillars can be roasted for consumption.

Edible wild plants encompass wild fruits, vegetables, algae, lichens, mushrooms, and more. Recognizing edible wild plants is a crucial aspect of wilderness knowledge. In China, with its vast geographical diversity supporting the growth of various plants, there are approximately 2,000 edible plant species. Common edible wild fruits include wild grapes, elderberries, blackberries, lingonberries, sea buckthorns, firethorn fruits, bearberries, schisandra berries, wild rice trees, hawthorn berries, and more. Chestnuts, coconuts, and papayas are easily recognizable and excellent emergency survival foods. Common edible wild vegetables include bittercress, dandelion, fish mint, purslane, thornbush, shepherd’s purse, wild amaranth, broomrape, water chestnut, lotus, reed, moss, and more. Wild vegetables can be eaten raw, stir-fried, boiled, or soaked and consumed.

However, it is advisable for the general population to acquire this knowledge under expert guidance after a certain period of training. Here, a simple method to quickly identify poisonous wild plants is presented for emergency use. Typically, a small cut is made in the collected plant, and a pinch of salt is added. Observing any color change in the plant helps identify its edibility.

Obtaining Drinking Water:

There are generally two ways to obtain drinking water in the wilderness: digging for groundwater and purifying surface water. Here, we will only discuss methods for obtaining drinking water from surface water.

Rainwater is usually safe for direct consumption. During rainfall, rainwater can be collected using rain cloths, plastic sheets, or various containers such as tin cans, cups, and helmets.

In the absence of reliable drinking water and testing equipment, one can roughly assess water quality based on its color, taste, temperature, and traces. Pure water is colorless and transparent when shallow and exhibits a light blue color when deep. This can be observed by placing water in a glass or porcelain container. Generally, clearer water indicates better quality, while cloudy water suggests the presence of impurities. Clean water should be tasteless, while contaminated water often carries unusual odors. Surface water temperatures fluctuate with air temperature, with shallow groundwater less affected by temperature changes than deep groundwater. Deviations from these norms may indicate water quality issues.

It is advisable to avoid drinking water flowing from weeds in the wild. Instead, water from cliffs or rocks is preferable. When drinking from rivers or lakes, one can dig a small pit about 1-2 meters away from the water’s edge on sandy ground. Water seeping into this pit is generally cleaner.

In the wilderness, water purification tablets, bleach tablets, alum, and other chemicals can be used to purify water. Under expert guidance, certain mucilaginous wild plants can also be employed for water purification. It is crucial to remember that, regardless of how thirsty one may be, drinking impure water should be avoided. If necessary, boil the water before consumption.