Are You Ready for a Bushcraft Breakfast?
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Do you have any bushcraft skills? If you were to become lost in the wild do you have the skills necessary to erect a shelter, start a fire, locate some water and find some nutritious food? And would you know what is safe to eat?
Living, as we do, in our supermarket served modern world many people have lost touch with the sources of their food. Some children grow up in our modern cities without any hands-on experience of where their food actually comes from. I once taught a young guy who didn’t know that burgers were made from beef. I can’t imagine what he thought they were made from.
If you are lost in the wild there are no all-night supermarkets selling soda and snacks. It’s a useful skill to be able to recognise what is safe to eat and what is potentially harmful. If you have ever seen Bear Grylls surviving in various inhospitable parts of the world he always catches and eats whatever he can find. Something you may have noticed is that Bear is never without his bushcraft knife, an essential survival tool.
Wild berries can be an excellent source of nutrition. Our ancient ancestors would have gathered nuts, berries and grain when in season and eaten these routinely. There are many wild berries which are actually deadly poisonous.
Yew berries are very poisonous causing many poisonings every year. The berries are scarlet in colour and about 8 to 10mm in diameter. The berries look deceptively appetising leading many young children to eat then.
Another berry that results in many visits to the hospital emergency room each year is Deadly Nightshade. The clue is in the name, not in the appearance. Also known as Belladonna this plant also produces berries in September and they taste quite sweet, making them attractive to young children.
Insects can be a valuable source of protein and energy and they are a lot easier to catch than many larger animals. It may seem surprising but most insects are actually edible. Many species are actually very low in fat and high in protein.Crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms and wood grubs are all a safe bet. Most insects taste better when barbecued and you can even grind them up into a flour like powder.
Rabbits, birds and other small animals are all good to eat but can be difficult to catch. This especially true if you are lost in the wild without any form of weapon. In these circumstances some form of trap will possibly provide the best chance of catching an animal.
You’d be excused for thinking that you will never find yourself lost in the wild, seriously thinking about a supper of insects and berries. But being lost in the wild could happen to any of us. All you have to do is stray from the main path through a forest, as I once did, and before you know it you are disoriented and lost. That’s when you’ll wish you’d paid more attention to Ray Mears Extreme Survival.
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