566 Common Edible Wild Plants

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    The Art of Manliness

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    Surviving in the Wild: 19 CommonEdible Plants

    by Brett & Kate McKay on October 6, 2010 40 comments

    in Manly Skills

    1.3k

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    So youre stranded in the wilderness. You consumed the last nub of your Clif Bar two

    days ago, and now youre feeling famished. Civilization is still several days away, andyou need to keep up your strength. The greenery all around you is looking more andmore appetizing. But what to nibble on? Some plants will keep you alive and arechock full of essential vitamins and minerals, while some could make you violentlyill.or even kill you.

    Which of course makes proper identification absolutely critical.

    Below weve given a primer on 19 common edible wild plants. Look them over andcommit the plants to memory. If youd like to discover even more edible wild plants,we suggest checking out the SAS Survival Handbook and the U.S. Army Survival

    Manual.

    In the coming months, well be publishing articles on edible wild roots, berries, andfungi. So stay tuned.

    Plants to Avoid

    If you cant clearly identify a plant and you dont know if its poisonous, its better tobe safe than sorry. Steer clear from a plant if it has:

    Milky or discolored sapSpines, fine hairs, or thornsBeans, bulbs, or seeds inside podsBitter or soapy tasteDill, carrot, parsnip, or parsley-like foliageAlmond scent in the woody parts and leavesGrain heads with pink, purplish, or black spursThree-leaved growth pattern

    Many toxic plants will exhibit one or more of the above characteristics. Bear in mind

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    that some of the plants we suggest below have some of these attributes, yet theyrestill edible. The characteristics listed are just guidelines for when youre not confidentabout what youre dealing with. If you want to be completely sure that an unknownplant is edible, and you have a day or two to spare, you can always perform theUniversal Edibility Test.

    Amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus and other species)

    Native to the Americas but found on most continents, amaranth is an edible weed.You can eat all parts of the plant, but be on the look out for spines that appear on

    some of the leaves. While not poisonous, amaranth leaves do contain oxalic acid andmay contain large amounts of nitrates if grown in nitrate-rich soil. Its recommendedthat you boil the leaves to remove the oxalic acid and nitrates. Dont drink the waterafter you boil the plant. With that said, you can eat the plant raw if worse comes toworst.

    Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis)

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    The vegetable that makes your pee smell funny grows in the wild in most of Europeand parts of North Africa, West Asia, and North America. Wild asparagus has a muchthinner stalk than the grocery-store variety. Its a great source of source of vitamin C,thiamine, potassium and vitamin B6. Eat it raw or boil it like you would your

    asparagus at home.

    Burdock(Arctium lappa)

    Medium to large-sized plant with big leaves and purplish thistle-like flower heads. Theplant is native to the temperate areas of the Eastern Hemisphere; however, it hasbeen naturalized in parts of the Western Hemisphere as well. Burdock is actually a

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    popular food in Japan. You can eat the leaves and the peeled stalks of the plant eitherraw or boiled. The leaves have a bitter taste, so boiling them twice before eating isrecommended to remove the bitterness. The root of the plant can also be peeled,boiled, and eaten.

    Cattail (Typha)

    Known as cattails or punks in North America and bullrush and reedmace in England,the typha genus of plants is usually found near the edges of freshwater wetlands.Cattails were a staple in the diet of many Native American tribes. Most of a cattail isedible. You can boil or eat raw the rootstock, or rhizomes, of the plant. The rootstockis usually found underground. Make sure to wash off all the mud. The best part of the

    stem is near the bottom where the plant is mainly white. Either boil or eat the stemraw. Boil the leaves like you would spinach. The corn dog-looking female flower spikecan be broken off and eaten like corn on the cob in the early summer when the plantis first developing. It actually has a corn-like taste to it.

    Clovers (Trifolium)

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    Lucky you-clovers are actually edible. And theyre found just about everywheretheres an open grassy area. You can spot them by their distinctive trefoil leaflets. Youcan eat clovers raw, but they taste better boiled.

    Chicory(Cichorium intybus)

    Youll find chicory growing in Europe, North America, and Australia. Its a bushy plantwith small blue, lavender, and white flowers. You can eat the entire plant. Pluck offthe young leaves and eat them raw or boil them. The chicorys roots will become tastyafter boiling. And you can pop the flowers in your mouth for a quick snack.

    Chickweed (Stellaria media)

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    Youll find this herb in temperate and arctic zones. The leaves are pretty hefty, andyoull often find small white flowers on the plant. They usually appear between Mayand July. You can eat the leaves raw or boiled. Theyre high in vitamins and minerals.

    Curled Dock(Rumex crispus)

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    You can find curled dock in Europe, North America, South America, and Australia. Itsdistinguished by a long, bright red stalk that can reach heights of three feet. You caneat the stalk raw or boiled. Just peel off the outer layers first. Its recommend that youboil the leaves with several changes of water in order to remove its naturally bittertaste.

    Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

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    Sure, its an obnoxious weed on your perfectly mowed lawn, but when youre out inthe wild this little plant can save your life. The entire plant is edible- roots, leaves,and flower. Eat the leaves while theyre still young; mature leaves taste bitter. If youdo decide to eat the mature leaves, boil them first to remove their bitter taste. Boilthe roots before eating as well. You can drink the water you boiled the roots in as atea and use the flower as a garnish for your dandelion salad.

    Field Pennycress (Thalspi vulgaris)

    Field Pennycress is a weed found in most parts of the world. Its growing season is

    early spring to late winter. You can eat the seeds and leaves of field pennycress raw orboiled. The only caveat with field pennycress is not to eat it if its growing incontaminated soil. Pennycress is a hyperaccumulator of minerals, meaning it sucks upany and all minerals around it. General rule is dont eat pennycress if its growing bythe side of the road or is near a Superfund site.

    Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

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    This pretty little plant is found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. You canidentify fireweed by its purple flower and the unique structure of the leaves veins;the veins are circular rather than terminating on the edges of the leaves. SeveralNative American tribes included fireweed in their diet. Its best eaten young when theleaves are tender. Mature fireweed plants have tough and bitter tasting leaves. You

    can eat the stalk of the plant as well. The flowers and seeds have a peppery taste.Fireweed is a great source of vitamins A and C.

    Green Seaweed (Ulva lactuca)

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    If youre ever shipwrecked on a deserted island, fish the waters near the beach forsome green seaweed. This stuff is found in oceans all over the world. After you pullgreen seaweed from the water, rinse with fresh water if available and let it dry. Youcan eat it raw or include it in a soup. Or if youre particularly enterprising, catch afish with your homemade spear and use the seaweed to make sushi rolls, sans rice.

    Kelp (Alaria esculenta)

    Kelp is another form of seaweed. You can find it in most parts of the world. Eat it rawor include it in a soup. Kelp is a great source of folate, vitamin K, and lignans.

    Plantain (Plantago)

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    Found in all parts of the world, the plantain plant (not to be confused with

    the banana-like plantain) has been used for millennia by humans as a food and herbalremedy for all sorts of maladies. You can usually find plantains in wet areas likemarshes and bogs, but theyll also sprout up in alpine areas. The oval, ribbed, short-stemmed leaves tend to hug the ground. The leaves may grow up to about 6 long and4 wide. Its best to eat the leaves when theyre young. Like most plants, the leavestend to get bitter tasting as they mature. Plantain is very high in vitamin A andcalcium. It also provides a bit of vitamin C.

    Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia)

    Found in the deserts of North America, the prickly pear cactus is a very tasty andnutritional plant that can help you survive the next time youre stranded in the desert.The fruit of the prickly pear cactus looks like a red or purplish pear. Hence the name.Before eating the plant, carefully remove the small spines on the outer skin or else itwill feel like youre swallowing a porcupine. You can also eat the young stem of theprickly pear cactus. Its best to boil the stems before eating.

    Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

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    While considered an obnoxious weed in the United States, purslane can provide muchneeded vitamins and minerals in a wilderness survival situation. Ghandi actuallynumbered purslane among his favorite foods. Its a small plant with smooth fat leavesthat have a refreshingly sour taste. Purslane grows from the beginning of summer tothe start of fall. You can eat purslane raw or boiled. If youd like to remove the sourtaste, boil the leaves before eating.

    Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)

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    Sheep sorrel is native to Europe and Asia but has been naturalized in North America.Its a common weed in fields, grasslands, and woodlands. It flourishes in highly acidicsoil. Sheep sorrel has a tall, reddish stem and can reach heights of 18 inches. Sheepsorrel contains oxalates and shouldnt be eaten in large quantities. You can eat theleaves raw. They have a nice tart, almost lemony flavor.

    White Mustard (Synapsis alba)

    White mustard is found in the wild in many parts of the world. It bloomsbetween February and March. You can eat all parts of the plant- seeds, flowers, andleaves.

    Wood Sorrel (Oxalis)

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    Youll find wood sorrel in all parts of the world; species diversity is particularly rich inSouth America. Humans have used wood sorrel for food and medicine for millennia.

    The Kiowa Indians chewed on wood sorrel to alleviate thirst, and the Cherokee atethe plant to cure mouth sores. The leaves are a great source of vitamin C. The roots ofthe wood sorrel can be boiled. Theyre starchy and taste a bit like a potato.

    AoM Man Up Challenge

    Go take a hike or a walk in the woods and try to locate and identify three edibleplants.

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    { 40 comments read them below or add one }

    1 Bruce williamson October 6, 2010 at 1:48 am

    Good to know that I can eat some of the weeds growing in my yard (dandilionand plantain).

    Like 1.3k

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    2 Bruce williamson October 6, 2010 at 1:56 am

    I forgot to mention arrowhead root is edible. So if youre collecting cattail lookfor arrow root too. I think stinging nettle is edible as long as it is boiled first.

    3 Chris Kavanaugh October 6, 2010 at 1:59 am

    A standard ( but worthy) edible wild plants review with some standard

    mistakes.So called energy bars as noted with the CLIFF bar remark arenutritionaly poor compared to many readilly available rations. We are enteringthe annual appearance of that most unappreciated food source, the fruitcake;eggs,flour,nuts,fruit and a often added preservative of rum or brandy. Get a froggig and watch your unknowing nieghbors toss out this treasure.The obligatorysurvival kit bulion cube is mostly salt and flavour. But in a survival situationfamiliar flavours will make the unpalatable palatable. Ditto the small tobascosauce bottles available. A stressfull situation is no time to introduce our stomachto new cuisines. And this brings me to the universal taste test nonsense. Is that ashitake mushroom? YUMMMM I love shitakes, only its a deadly mushroom and

    even a tiny ingestion means an agonising death. An extreme example, but whyplay botanical russian roulette when a little preplanning like actually learningthe edible plants AND WHERE THEY ARE EACH SEASON in each major biozoneahead of time. And finally, most of us pack a substantial fat reserve that willprovide our physical, if not emotional need for nutrition for some time.

    4 sam_acw October 6, 2010 at 3:49 am

    It should also be noted that if you get lost in the woods food is you last worry.Most healthy people can go over a month without food and water and shelter arefar, far greater priorities.Due to these natural foods being low in fat they tend not to be very calorific.Theres lots of good literature about this out there, it will all agree that unlessyou get a certain amount of calories, fat and carbohydrate youre better off noteating. If you keep eating small amounts you stop your bodys fasting mechanismkicking in and hasten starvation.

    5Jordan October 6, 2010 at 8:53 am

    Shelter and water are the main priorities in a survival situation. One can goweeks without food, but only days without water and possibly hours without

    warmth/shelter.

    6 Nate October 6, 2010 at 9:19 am

    Glad to see people have pointed out that food (esp. Plants) are the last thing youhave to worry about.

    7 Dustin October 6, 2010 at 9:29 am

    Statistically, many people who are lost or stranded are rescued within 72 hoursPROVIDED they let people know their where-abouts in advance and have a

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    proper contingency plan within this time frame, food is not a primary concernthe two biggest killers in that stressful 72 hours are the elements (hyper orhypothermia), dehydration, and panic.

    A healthy adult can go about 3 weeks without food, provided the caloriesexpended are MINIMAL in a survival situation, just keeping warm andhydrated can boost your caloric output into the 4000-5000 calories per dayexpense. That said, after about 2-3 days without food, muscle fatigue becomesdebilitating, exhaustion sets in quickly, and the mind becomes overpowered byhunger, often incurring tunnel vision (which can be VERY dangerous in a survivalsituation).

    Were not talking about sitting around fasting, or skipping a meal here or there were talking about survival. You will likely not get sufficient calories solely byforaging, but they can round out a diet and provide tremendous sustainabilitylong-term.

    Put down your SAS Survival Handbook, switch off Survivorman, get out of your

    arm chair and go live in the woods/wilderness in a primitive setting for a longweekend and tell me how effective you are on the 3rd day without food.

    8 Eric Granata October 6, 2010 at 9:31 am

    Someone once told me that you can use your lighter to singe off the tiny thornsof a prickly pear fruit. I havent tried it but certainly will the next time I pick onefor the kids (my thumbs were sore with those tiny thorns for days).

    9 Titus October 6, 2010 at 10:27 am

    Youve left out two of the most common: Queen Annes Lace, the tall stalk withlacy flowers that is actually nothing more than an un-domesticated carrot, andpoke weed, the ubiquitous broadleaf weed (but edible only before turningredthe reddened stalk is poisonous).

    10 Michael October 6, 2010 at 10:49 am

    I believe that Queen Annes lace was left off (and plants with carrot-like foliagenotice for active avoidance) because they resemble hemlock, which is poisonous.Without hands-on experience most people probably couldnt tell the difference.

    11 Mike R October 6, 2010 at 10:55 am

    Dustin is right IF the person in the survival situation does not have the skill setand basic tools to see him or her through. One of the hardest lessons is thatwhen you step off the hard surface you become part of the food chain and youneed to be ready to face the challenges that that simple fact brings.

    With a simple lighter the issue of staying warm and cooking food can bemitigated. With a plain bit of copper wire animals can be trapped. A pocketfishing kit in a snap cap vial gets you a chance at some fish. A pocket knife can

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    turn that animal or fish into something you can cook and eat plus help withshelter making and fire building. Good old 550 (Para) cord can help with sheltermaking. I could go on and on but my point is simple, the biggest killer whengoing off the hard surface is being unprepared and stupid.

    As Heinlein wrote:

    Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation.Stupidity is not a sin, the victim cant help being stupid. But stupidity is the onlyuniversal capital crime: the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and executionis carried out automatically and without pity.

    I agree with Dustin in that people should stop watching the survivor shows andquit reading the S A S books. GO GET SOME REAL TRAINING and get out thereto see how life really is.

    BTW to the list of edible plants you could add some very tasty mushrooms likeShaggy manes and Morels depending upon the season. They can be eaten after

    being cooked and really help with the meal. But remember while there are oldmushroom pickers and bold mushroom pickers, there are no old and boldmushroom pickers. (;~>)

    12 Michael October 6, 2010 at 10:55 am

    What if you dont see any plants you recognize? This page has information onhow to find plants that (probably) wont kill you in an extreme emergencysituation:

    http://www.wikihow.com/Test-if-a-Plant-Is-Edible

    Im pretty sure I first encountered this info in my Boy Scout manual, this was justthe first place I found it online.

    13 Elizabeth October 6, 2010 at 10:58 am

    Beware Of Clover! Red clover is indeed edible, but white clover is poisonous.Look at the conditions where plants grow. Of course, avoid foliage near animalskat. Beware of a patch of edible plants in soil contaminated by toxins, orsurrounded by poisonous plants. In some cases plants can pick up toxins fromthe soil.

    14Joe October 6, 2010 at 12:17 pm

    And to think, I spent all that time ripping out purslane from my garden andthrowing it away when I could have been selling it to a natural foods store. Dontyou feel sad for the folks who taught us by example that certain plants arepoisonous?

    15 CRW October 6, 2010 at 2:33 pm

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    Wow. you forgot a great one- the day lily- practically a supermarket, and it growseverywhere in North America. The flowers can be fried as fritters, the buds canbe boiled and eaten like green beans, the stalks steamed like asparagus, and thetubers cooked like potatoes.

    16 Haden October 6, 2010 at 11:24 pm

    Eating edible wild plants certainly is interesting, though not necessarily a goodthing to first try under duress, because your immediate reaction will be foodwhen that should be last. Purslane is quite tasty, cant stand dandelions, though,bitter little things. The common reed is a good plant to remember, to be treatedlike other grains. If you get lost duck hunting and youre out of ducks, its a goodlast resort. But emphasize last. Like everyone else said, shelter fire water. Foodsfor long term.

    17 P.M.Lawrence October 7, 2010 at 2:46 am

    Theres a reason the French call dandelion pisse-en-lit, which means piss-in-bed:

    its a diuretic which can affect you at inconvenient moments.

    18 flek October 7, 2010 at 4:43 am

    Dont forget the stinging nettle. The plant protein alone is amazing.I eat it regularly in many dishes. The Dutch mix it in cheese and make tea fromdried leaves, the Germans also use the root-extract for prostate enlargementtreatment. An important and nutritious free food source.

    19 hp October 7, 2010 at 11:32 am

    Before there was an Earth Day, an EPA or even hippies, there was EuellGibbons, an American treasure.Euells book, Stalking the Wild Asparagus, the Bible of the outdoors asrestaurant, should be entered into the Smithsonian hall of fame.Not only surviving but thriving is the goal here, as well as how to conductoneself as a civilized human being, a gentleman/woman.

    Just Google: Stalking the Wild Asparagus

    20 KR October 7, 2010 at 11:51 am

    Say water was scarce and you were worried about how to make sure it wasdrinkable. Ive read about how to make a still, etc but wouldnt eating some ofthese plants provide some hydration because of their water content?

    21 Mark P October 7, 2010 at 11:58 am

    The Sego Lilly is common in the western United states in mountainous regions.The Flower and tuber are both edible raw. Boiling or roasting the tuber is akin toa baked potato. they usually grow in open meadows and pine forests and can begathered by the manly handful.

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    22 Billy October 7, 2010 at 5:44 pm

    You omitted my favorite, polk salut (poke salad) Need to boil twice. Better thanany store bought greens. The purple stems and roots are poison.

    23 Brian October 7, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    We *had* a thick growth of Purslane in the flower bed round the Japanese

    Maple. I wish I had known it was edible before ripping it all out and compostingit.

    24 Will Hudson October 8, 2010 at 8:49 pm

    I would add wild violets to this list (viola genus). Theyre the ones with the heart-shaped, serrated leaves which grow from a basal rosette. The flowers are variouscolors: most commonly purple (that is..violet).

    Elizabeth,

    I believe you are mistaken. White clover is quite edible.

    25 Derek Sullivan October 9, 2010 at 8:52 pm

    Why do these need to be regarded as survival food? I eat many of thesewhenever I can, theyre highly nutricious, they taste great if you know how tomake them, and you feel manly for finding your own food. Do it for fun, not forsurvival!

    26 Derek Sullivan October 9, 2010 at 8:56 pm

    OH, and by the way, clovers arent entirely edible. You can eat them raw, but ifyou eat too many raw youll get very sick. If you need to eat large amounts, boilthem.

    27 CateB October 12, 2010 at 9:17 am

    You guys forgot Lambs Quarters! (Sometimes called Goosefoot or pigweed.) Itgrows all over the place in much of North America and is considered a weed, butis more nutritious than spinach, being high in vitamins A, C, and calcium, whilehaving a mild spinach-y taste. The leaves taste just fine raw or are great cooked.

    I use them in place of spinach in quiches and other recipes. As long as you dontpick from an area thats been contaminated with pesticides or right along theside of a busy road with car exhaust dousing them (which, I guess in the articlesscenario, you wouldnt be,) then they should be good. I also am a fan of stingingnettles (though tricky to pick without getting stung,) as someone elsementioned.

    28Jessica October 12, 2010 at 10:13 pm

    A note about plantain plants: The seeds (grow on a long shoot where all theleaves meet) are also edible, and high in fiber too! I add them to salads and pasta

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    dishes. I also heard that eating a lot will keep mosquitoes from biting (mightwant to research correct amount).If you are going to eat anything from your yard or someone elses, make surepesticides havent been used!

    29 Cindy October 12, 2010 at 11:56 pm

    Here in Texas we have a lot of mosquite trees in some areas and the beans areused to make flour or you can eat them raw. The flour is available online and issuppose to be full of nutients and protein. I have spent a great deal of time tryingto rid my farm of these trees that I use to consider a nusance.I have also started growing pomegranate trees that seem to do quiet well inTexas. We have mustang grapes that grow wild on fence lines during thesummer.I wish there were books that told of the edible plants in your specific area.

    30JBB October 14, 2010 at 12:08 pm

    Augh, your identification of some of them isnt right! That isnt clover, itswood sorrel. Clovers have rounded leaves.

    Lots of things have three leaves in a group. Poison ivy for one

    31 Tys October 15, 2010 at 1:01 am

    Thats not a picture of Asparagus!! what the heck?

    32 Dave9 October 17, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    What plants are edible is highly area and season specific. The best strategy is togo learn in person from someone who has expert knowledge of the local plants.In Southern California, Christopher Nyerges is one of the local gurus of edibleplants. Ive gone with him on a few foraging trips into the foothills. He is veryknowledgeable and a good guide. But as mentioned by others, your primaryproblem in a survival situation is not food.

    33 Elizabeth Swigar October 17, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    Very interesting. Makes me think about these less than in a survivor situation butmore of a possibility of looking into free, healthy, available food outside of the

    supermarket.

    34 Atomic Shrimp November 9, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    The photo labelled Asparagus actually looks like Bath Aspraragus Ornithogalum pyrenaicum. Related to Asparagus, but not the same thing.

    35 marzo November 23, 2012 at 11:54 am

    I read that clover with white discoloration contains cyanide.

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    36 Bo November 24, 2012 at 11:02 pm

    Thanks for the tips!! and please ignore most of the above comments, boastingthat they could live a month without food, blah blah blah they are forgettingthe part that they would be too exhausted to stand up after about five dayssome people just want to be an ass

    37Virginia Lawhorne December 9, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    Great pictures and descriptions; the best Ive seen. About half of these grow inmy yard. In fact, Im snacking on Chickweed right now.

    PS: I might be able to live 3 weeks without food, but I would NOT be happy!

    38 The Crafty Gyppo December 15, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    Mate, this is a great blog.

    Reading this article reminds of that film Into The Wild. If Im ever in a plane

    crash or head out on a camping trip gone wrong, this article will be a life saver

    39 bill January 18, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    here in the mountains of virginia, we have a lot of wild cherry and wild grapes.very good.

    40 BoBJanuary 18, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    hey this sight needs to describe all edible plants and create a pamphlet

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