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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3

Chapter 1 ..................................................................................................................................... 3

…but I Can Live for Weeks without Food ................................................................................. 3

What Does Food Actually Do for You? .................................................................................. 4

Chapter 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 6

Finding and Storing Food in a Survival Situation ...................................................................... 6

What Can I Eat? ................................................................................................................... 6

Food Preservation and the Survivalist – Storing Your Food .................................................. 7

Chapter 3 ..................................................................................................................................... 9

Game, Fish, Fowl and Insects .................................................................................................. 9

Game Animals ...................................................................................................................... 9

Special Notes on Rabbits and Squirrels .............................................................................. 10

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) ........................................................................................ 11

Fish and Shellfish ............................................................................................................... 13

Notes on Shellfish and Crustaceans ................................................................................... 14

Fowl .................................................................................................................................... 14

Creepy-Crawlies – Eating the Insects ................................................................................. 15

Preserving Meat, Fish and Fowl .......................................................................................... 16

Chapter 4 ................................................................................................................................... 19

Vegetables, Fruit and More .................................................................................................... 19

Wild Plants .......................................................................................................................... 19

Vegetables .......................................................................................................................... 21

Fruit .................................................................................................................................... 24

Storing and Preserving Vegetables and Fruit ...................................................................... 24

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 29

Works Cited: .............................................................................................................................. 30

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IntroductionFood – it’s a necessity. While you can go without it for a long time, you must eat in order

to live. In any survival situation, finding food will be one of the largest challenges you

face. And finding food is only the start of the process. If it might be days or weeks before

you see a rescue, or worse, there’s no rescue coming, you’ll have to store that food and

preserve it.

For most of us, finding food is as simple as hitting the grocery store on the way home

from work. As a culture, we’ve lost much of what allowed earlier cultures and

civilizations to thrive without modern technology like refrigeration. We’ve lost the skills

that allowed hunter-gatherers to survive even without the benefit of agriculture.

Where does that leave you in an emergency or a full-blown disaster? How will you

survive against the odds? How will you ensure your family survives?

Do you know where to find food in the wild, away from the overly burdened shelves of

today’s grocery stores?

Do you know what makes one food safe to eat, and another a deadly peril?

Do you know how to store and preserve that food so you have a safe supply of vital

nutrients for the coming days, weeks, months or even years?

There is good news – this book will teach you where to look for food in an emergency or

disaster situation where your survival hinges on knowledge. It will even teach you about

growing your own food – fruits and vegetables that you can grow at home and get off

the grid. Finally, it will even teach you how to preserve your food, from meat and fish to

fruits and vegetables, so you and your family have a safe supply of food that will last

into the future.

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Chapter 1

…but I Can Live for Weeks without FoodWe all know that water is more essential to

survival than food. You can live for up to

three weeks without taking in any actual

food, as long as you have water, right?

That’s only partially correct.

Yes, a healthy human being can live for up

to three weeks without food. The problem

there is that you really have to be in peak

condition, and the environment around you needs to be just right as well.

You need to refrain from activities that burn calories (your body’s energy stores that will

sustain you until your next meal). You need to have adequate water at all times (a

minimum of three cups per day, but more is better). You need to have shelter from the

elements.

That’s a perfect storm of conditions that are rather unlikely to coincide. You might be

healthy, but have very little water. You might be injured. You might lack shelter. You

might simply have to use up your body’s store of energy in the daily quest for survival,

burning precious calories with every second that ticks by.

Technically, you can go without food for up to three weeks when everything else is just

right, but you can’t afford to pin your hopes on that sort of “what if” situation. Not only

that, but every hour that you go without eating, you lose energy. You lose your edge,

slipping farther and farther from being able to defend yourself or your family in a

dangerous situation. You lose your ability to move quickly and make clear, rational

decisions.

It’s a bad place to be.

Survival requires that you find water and shelter first, but you can only afford to ignore

your food situation for so long before your body begins deteriorating.

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Imagine this:

Your flight across the country hits trouble. Maybe it’s a massive storm. Maybe it’s a

terrorist attack. You go down, crashing in the remote mountains. You emerge, the sole

survivor of the little aircraft, faced with the prospect of surviving in a harsh, hostile

environment.

Or maybe it’s something even direr.

Perhaps the unthinkable happens and the nation is attacked, enemy forces punching

through weakened defenses. You’re caught away from home, away from help and away

from your supplies. You’re now faced with the prospect of running, hiding and fighting

with nothing but your wits and whatever you actually had at hand when this nightmare

began.

Your first mission is to find water, and then you must find shelter. Those two

requirements are definitely more important than food, at least initially. However, as

those hours turn into days, your body begins to decline. It consumes what little fat

reserves you might have, and then begins cannibalizing your muscle tissue.

You lose weight.

You lose strength.

You lose stamina.

You lose agility.

You lose mental clarity.

You begin the long, slow slide toward starvation and eventual death.

And, if there’s no help on the way, you’re on your own here. You are the only defense

against the seemingly inevitable.

Food might not be the most important consideration when faced with a survival

situation, but it will become a vital one very shortly. The good news is that food is all

around you, particularly if you find yourself in a remote wilderness environment. The

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trick is knowing where to find food, what’s safe to eat and being able to store it for future

use.

You’re on your own here. Your wits and your knowledge are the only things standing

between you and death.

What Does Food Actually Do for You?Why do you actually need food? The

answer to that is pretty clear – it fuels

your body. Without food, you have lower

energy, and will eventually lack even

enough energy to keep breathing.

However, there’s more to it than that.

Food Delivers Vital NutrientsWhen you eat, the energy contained in the food is converted into a form that your body

can use. However, food does much more than keeping your gas tank topped off. It also

delivers vital elements needed for a healthy, functioning body and brain. Food delivers:

Vitamins

Minerals

Protein

Antioxidants

Immune system boosters

Protection from diseases

If the body does not receive the right nutrition, systems begin malfunctioning, eventually

shutting down and leading to serious health conditions, disease and potential death. It’s

much more complex than simply eating to fuel your gas tank.

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Like your car, your body needs a lot of other things to keep running correctly. Your car or

truck’s power steering system doesn’t work without power steering fluid. If your brake

fluid reservoir is empty, you have no stopping power. If your transmission fluid leaks out,

you won’t go very far.

The same concepts apply to your body. Food delivers the nutrients necessary to keep

your body’s many systems functioning, ensuring that you stay alive and healthy.

You need food to survive. Once you’ve found water and shelter, food should be your

next concern. Of course, finding food in a wilderness area can be daunting, particularly

if you’re not well versed in woods lore. The good news is that there are plenty of things

you can eat, from game to fish to plants. The trick is knowing how to find them or grow

them, identifying which are safe to consume, and then preparing and storing them

correctly.

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Chapter 2

Finding and Storing Food in a Survival Situation

In any survival situation, from suburban disaster scenarios to wilderness survival,

locating water and shelter are your first priorities, but once you’ve secured those, you’ll

need to think about what you’re going to eat. That’s particularly true in any situation in

which rescue is several days away, or not coming at all. It’s also a vital concern for

those who are hoping to make a move toward living off the land on a longer-term basis.

There’s good news here – food is easier to find than you might think in most areas.

What Can I Eat?The supermarket is gone, or out of reach. The local corner store is not an option. TV

dinners, pre-packaged foods and even most fruits and vegetables are no longer

available in the ways we’ve come to expect as consumers in the modern age – vast

quantities of food available at all times just for the taking (and paying).

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to eat, though. While you might not be able to stop in

at your grocer’s and pick up a pack of New York strips, there’s still plenty to eat out

there, and you can also grow your own food in many situations.

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MammalsVirtually all fur-bearing mammals are safe to eat (with some special caveats that we’ll

touch on in a later chapter). This goes for everything from squirrels to rabbits to

groundhogs to deer to porcupines (once you’ve gotten past the spines).

Mammals can be hunted or trapped, but if you’re in a survival situation, trapping tends

to be the better option as hunting expends more energy, requires more time, and forces

you to forgo looking for other food sources. With that being said, if you’re not in an

emergency, then hunting is an excellent way to obtain food.

FishMost freshwater and many saltwater fish are edible, but not all of them are. Even some

of those that are technically edible aren’t necessarily worth your time, either due to the

bad taste or the lack of nutrition in the flesh. Tarpon is one obvious example (a saltwater

fish), but there are numerous others.

Fish can also be caught in a number of ways, from a cane pole to nets, lines, baskets

and numerous other methods. If you live near a safe water source with a fish

population, this can be a great source of fresh food.

Reptiles and AmphibiansMost of the reptiles and amphibians in North America are safe to eat (including

poisonous snakes). You’ll need to remove the skin from all of them, but once past that

(and avoiding any poison glands in a snake’s mouth), you’ll find they’re actually rather

tasty. They’re also a packed with protein. From frogs to turtles to snakes, there’s a

virtual buffet available if you know where to look and how to catch them.

BirdsFrom waterfowl to game birds like quail, many of North America’s birds are edible and

quite tasty. You’ll find familiar critters here like turkeys and pigeons, as well as some that

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you likely have never seen gracing the freezer section of your local big box grocery

store. While catching birds might be harder than catching rabbits or fish with a trap, they

can add a lot to your survivalist menu.

Insects“Eww, gross…bugs.” That’s the reaction most people have to consuming insects of any

type, at least in the Western World. However, the fact remains that insects have long

been a valued and vital part of the daily diet for an incredible number of cultures. Insects

are high in protein, high in fat, and can often be found in large quantities.

Of course, not all insects are edible, and not all that can be eaten are really worth the

time. However gross they might seem, though, edible bugs can and should be part of

your survival menu unless you have access to plenty of other food sources.

PlantsEdible plants are all around you,

whether you realize it or not. In

fact, they outnumber other sources

of food for most people – it’s far

easier to locate edible plants in

your own back yard than it is to

trap something even as basic as a

rabbit. From dandelions to

plantains (ribgrass) to cattails and

more, you have access to a

tremendous range of wild plants just waiting to be plucked, prepared and eaten.

Many of these plants are also extremely high in vitamins and nutrients (dandelion

leaves have more vitamin A than carrots). Most can also be used for many other

purposes. Plantains (not the banana-esque varieties you likely know) are valued as

astringents, while dandelion is great for kidney health).

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Of course, you also have many other potential plants at your disposal if you’re in a

permanent or semi-permanent location and have time for gardening. Even a small

garden can supplement your food-gathering efforts, and a larger garden can actually

give you most of the food you’ll need, with the occasional meat supplement from game,

fish or fowl.

Food Preservation and the Survivalist – Storing Your FoodHaving access to fresh food is vital. You’ll need to eat to keep up your strength and

prevent your body from deteriorating. However, fresh food is only part of the equation. In

any survival situation, from “going off the grid” to disaster scenarios, food storage and

preservation is just as important, if not more so.

Being able to preserve the food you harvest ensures several things, including:

A reliable store of food against times when you’re unable to hunt or gather

A store of food against winter, when plants die and game is scarce

A store of safe food against disease, blight or insect infestation

Storing your food ensures that you are able to spend less time hunting, trapping, fishing

and gathering, and it also ensures that your body’s immune system stays strong. Of

course, there are several different storage methods that you’ll need to know, and they’re

far from being the same. Regardless of your actual method, you need to remember two

rules regarding stored food:

1. Use what you store and store what you use.

2. Rotate your stored foods to ensure taste, flavor and nutrition while protecting

against spoilage.

There is no foolproof, long-term storage method that gives you shelf-stable foods for

years on end. Whether you’re drying, smoking, curing, fermenting or canning your

foods, you will have only so much time before it begins to break down and lose

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nutritional value. This happens well before the food spoils. Use your food in the order in

which it was stored (the oldest food should be consumed first).

As a note, don’t waste your valuable food storage space on foods that you’ll never eat.

For example, while it’s fine to have several MREs on hand for your bug-out kit or

emergency situations, they’re not recommended for long-term survival in an off-the-grid

situation. Don’t waste your money on cases of MREs. Store food you’ll actually eat, and

then eat it.

What storage and preservation methods should you know? We’ll cover a wide range of

techniques throughout the rest of this book, including the following:

In-Ground: Many types of vegetables and plants can actually be left right in the

ground through the fall and winter, giving you access to fresh foods come spring,

or at need throughout the cold months of the year.

Root Cellars: Root cellars were once the preferred method of storing vegetables

and fruit for longer durations, but fell out of favor with the advent or refrigeration.

Dehydrating: By removing most of the water content from foods, you create a

food source that has a much longer shelf life than “fresh” foods. You’ll need to

spend time preparing food for dehydration, but it can be an excellent alternative

to freezing, refrigeration or sterilization necessary with canning.

Canning: Canning requires high heat, the right equipment and a lot of sterilization

to help prevent spoilage. However, it can give you an excellent long-term store of

food, particularly with vegetables and fruit. Meat can be canned as well, but it

requires additional steps.

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Smoking: Smoking foods, especially meat, is one of the oldest ways of

preserving food for future use. You’ll have minimal requirements other than a bit

of time and a place to smoke your food, as well as the salt and spices necessary

for preservation.

Fermenting: Before canning and modern pickling processes came to the fore,

fermenting was one of the most popular ways to preserve fruit and vegetables for

future use. It’s also one of the oldest food storage techniques out there. It’s

virtually identical to the fermentation process in beer brewing, and results in safe

food that also contains important microorganisms for gut health.

There are plenty of ways to preserve and store the food that you harvest, but you’ll need

to know a bit more about each. In the following chapters, we’ll discuss locating and

harvesting foods of all sorts, as well as growing your own and then storing your bounty

against future need.

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Chapter 3Game, Fish, Fowl and Insects

A person who ignores an otherwise healthy food source due to a

personal bias, or because he feels it is unappetizing, is risking his own

survival.” – US Marine Corps Survival Manual

There are many, many sources of food

available to you in the wide world, but not all

of them will look appealing, or even seem like

they’re edible. However, when faced with the

potential of starvation due to lack of food,

you’ll need to put misconceptions and

personal bias behind you. Everything from

game animals to insects can help you survive and even thrive. From worms to

cockroaches to squirrels, rabbits, deer, quail and more, there are plenty of edible

options out there.

Game AnimalsThe term “game animals” covers an incredibly broad range of creatures. Essentially,

anything that serves as food for humans or other creatures can be considered game.

You’ll find lots of familiar faces here, as well as some that might not be so familiar. A few

of the most common game animals include the following:

Pigs

Raccoons

Shrews

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Mice

Rabbits and hares

Armadillos

Beavers

Opossums

Moles

Sheep

Goats

Bison

Deer

Elk

Obviously, this is a very incomplete list, and does not include game fowl, which we’ll

cover later in this section. Essentially, any fur-clad mammal in North America can be

eaten so long as certain precautions are followed. This is particularly important with

rabbits and squirrels, but really applies to all game animals.

Signs of DiseaseThere are dozens, perhaps hundreds of diseases out there that plague game animals.

These range from things like rabies to chronic wasting disease, rabbit fever and more.

While this manual cannot provide you with a full rundown on every possible disease you

might encounter in your hunting and trapping efforts, a few common sense steps can

help ensure that you don’t eat dangerous meat.

Once you’ve killed or caught an animal, look for the following signs and symptoms to

determine if it is fit to dress, cook and eat, or if you should use it as bait in a trap or even

discard it completely. Common sense signs of infection and disease include:

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Sunken eyes Emaciation

(skeletally thin) Scabby skin Hair that rubs off

easily

Creamy discharge from body orifices

Green discharge from body orifices

Dark blood discharge from body orifices

Foul odors from gangrene or decaying flesh

Maggot infestations from previous wounds

Foul odors/lumps from abscesses

Some signs won’t be spotted until you begin dressing the animal. If the outside

appearance is safe and you begin field dressing, continue looking for signs that include:

Green discharge from organs

Black discharge from organs

Cheese-like body fat

Blood clots in muscle tissue

Black blood Bad smell from

muscle tissue

Visible parasites in muscle tissue

Tan or yellow lumps on the inside of the ribcage

Tan/yellow lumps inside lungs

As a note, vigilance against disease should actually begin before bringing down an

animal. Knowing common animal behaviors can help identify those with diseases like

CWD (chronic wasting disease), rabies and others. Look for:

Aggressive behavior in unaggressive species

Lack of control over body movements

Erratic movement

Excessive drooling (a common sign of CWD in deer and elk)

Excessive thirst

Odd articulation/barking/crying

Daytime appearance of nocturnal animals

Aimless wandering/confused behavior

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Special Notes on Rabbits and SquirrelsChances are good you’ve heard the

age-old mantra – “don’t eat wild rabbit

or squirrel during the summer.”

However, you might not be aware of

the reason for this bit of folklore.

Actually, there is some grounding in

truth. The cause? Bot flies. In some

parts of the country, they’re called

“wolves” while others call them

weevils, warbles, or some variant of the name. Really, they’re bot fly eggs and larva.

You’ll notice they make large lumps on rabbit pelts, and within the underlying muscle

tissue.

Bot flies are active during the hot months of the year, and they die off during the fall and

winter, which means no new infections. However, it does NOT kill existing infestations.

The only way to kill bot fly eggs is by cooking meat to an internal temperature of 160

degrees Fahrenheit. This applies to squirrels, rabbits and other small game.

Tularemia, aka rabbit fever, is another potential problem. It’s caused by a bacteria

spread by ticks, fleas and other insects. Rabbits and rodents (squirrels) are the most

commonly infected animals. The problem here is that the disease can pass to humans

in a number of ways. The most common means of transmission is actually from contact

with tainted blood or flesh while dressing the animal.

You can protect yourself from tularemia by wearing gloves during the process and

cleaning both yourself and the rabbit thoroughly. To make the meat safe to eat, you’ll

need to ensure that you cook it to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

NOTE: Freezing has no effect on tularemia, as it can actually survive for years in

subfreezing temperatures.

Symptoms of tularemia (rabbit fever) in rabbits include:

Slowness in movement

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Lowered head

Rubbing the nose and front feet into the ground

Staggering and spasms

Big Game vs. Small GameThere’s a natural tendency to want to bring down big game, rather than smaller animals.

While bringing down that 12-point buck might be a point of pride, there are actually

plenty of arguments against worrying about larger animals and instead concentrating

your efforts on smaller ones.

Smaller animals, like rabbits, pigeons and the rest, will provide one meal with very few

leftovers that need to be stored or discarded. They can also be stored more easily than

the meat from large animals. Because of their size, larger animals require a

considerable amount of time and effort to store, and there’s the chance that the meat

will spoil before you have the opportunity to eat it.

Generally, large game is better when there are multiple people who need to eat. Smaller

game is the better choice for individuals and single families. There’s also the question of

availability. There might be as many as 20 rabbits in a single acre of land, but likely no

deer at all. You’ll find far more food available to you if you concentrate your efforts on

smaller game.

Lastly, there’s the consideration of time, effort and the tools necessary. Bringing down

big game requires hunting, usually. You’re unlikely to catch a deer, elk or bison with any

sort of trap. That means it’s an active pursuit that takes away time you could spend on

other survival efforts, such as locating fresh drinking water or preserving the food you

already have.

Second, you’ll need the right tools to bring down larger game, possibly a gun. Guns

require ammunition, and they also make a great deal of noise. Ammunition needs to be

hoarded in a survival scenario, and depending on your situation, the sound of a gunshot

could be deadly dangerous.

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Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)Remember mad cow disease? Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is the wild animal

equivalent, and is found in deer, elk, mule deer and moose in several areas of North

America. CWD is part of the same family as mad cow disease – prion diseases, or

transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.

Is it communicable? Yes, it can be transmitted from animal to animal and from

contaminated ground to other animals. However, there is no evidence yet that it can be

transmitted from a game animal to humans. With that being said, it’s always better to be

safe than sorry. Mad cow eventually became communicable to humans, and it’s

possible that CWD will as well. If an animal is obviously infected, do NOT use it as food.

To date, chronic wasting disease is found in many different states, including:

Wyoming Utah South Dakota New York West Virginia Virginia

Nebraska Kansas Wisconsin North Dakota Maryland Texas

Minnesota New Mexico Illinois Pennsylvania

Moreover, it’s been diagnosed in captive deer populations within the following areas:

Alberta Iowa Kansas Michigan South Dakota

Saskatchewan Missouri Montana Nebraska

Colorado New York Oklahoma Pennsylvania Wisconsin

How do you recognize symptoms of CWD? It’s difficult to determine with 100% certainty

whether an animal is infected, but the following signs can be indicators. Note that

symptoms often don’t appear until late in development of the disease. CWD can lie

dormant for years:

Excessive drooling

Odd stance

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Stumbling

Emaciation

Excessive drinking

Blank facial expression

Grinding of the teeth

NOTE: CWD can be contracted by animals of any age, although it is more common in

adults. It’s a progressive disease, and it’s ALWAYS fatal.

Trapping vs. HuntingBoth hunting and trapping should be in your

skills list, as you’ll need to employ them both

if you’re going to feed yourself and your

family. However, of the two, trapping is the

more important to master, as it offers a

number of advantages over hunting.

Supplement what you’re able to trap with

hunting, rather than vice versa.

What makes trapping such a beneficial skill to master? Actually, there are several

reasons, all of them of equal importance. Let’s take a closer look.

Time Spent: Hunting can take anywhere from hours to days. During that time,

you’ll do nothing else. Anyone who’s ever gone deer hunting is familiar with

spending the entire day in a tree stand or behind a blind, possibly never even

seeing a deer. Trapping doesn’t require you to be present. You set your traps and

then leave, returning some time later to check your traps. This allows you to do

other things with your time while the trap does the job of catching your food.

21

Materials and Tools: Trapping will require a few tools and materials, but there’s

no ammunition involved and no loud noises created. In many instances, you can

make traps with all-natural materials that you have at hand, or with a few

strategically purchased supplies (chicken wire, for instance).

Game Availability: While you can certainly hunt squirrels and other small game

with a gun, you’ll find that trapping small game allows you to tap into the larger

population of game animals. As mentioned previously, there are far more rabbits,

squirrels and other small animals around than there are large game animals.

Better Chance of Success: Both trapping and hunting come with some measure

of luck involved. However, trapping allows you to even the odds a great deal

more than hunting does. Strategically placed traps and snares on game trails,

near watering holes and at dens or burrows gives you a much better chance of

success than what hunters enjoy.

Fish and ShellfishDepending on where you’re located, you may have access to freshwater and saltwater

fish, as well as shellfish. Both have been staples of the human diet for millennia. Both

fish and shellfish are high in nutrients and vitamins. You can also catch them in a

number of ways, including with traps, which is simpler and less time consuming than

attempting to fish with a line.

Almost all freshwater fish in North America are safe to eat, although environmental

contamination makes regional threats important to know. For instance, Michigan’s

Saginaw and Tittabawassee rivers are both at risk for chemical toxicity, including PCBs

(note: this also applies to fowl and wild game animals living in those river basins).

A partial list of edible freshwater fish in North America’s lakes, streams and rivers

includes:

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Trout

Bass

Catfish

Bream

Yellow perch

Walleye

Salmon

Bluegill

Crappie

Pike

This is only a partial list and there are some caveats as well. For instance, while the

majority of freshwater fish are not poisonous, that does not mean their eggs are safe to

eat. One well-known example is the gar – the eggs are poisonous.

Other concerns here are environmental, rather than natural defenses. The vast majority

of American waterways contain at least some mercury as well as other chemicals.

Thousands of streams, rivers and lakes have been posted as no-fishing zones because

of this toxicity and the danger it poses to humans. However, even un-posted areas can

be potential threats.

The best defense against environmental poisoning is to learn about your area. Most

state governments post information about freshwater fish species within their borders,

as well as no-fish areas and other threats to human health. Avoid taking fish from these

areas. It’s wise to avoid eating game or fowl that live near these areas as well, as they

can contain almost as many toxins as the fish (from drinking the water).

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Fishing vs. TrappingThere’s little that can compare with a day spent

with rod and reel in hand. However, in a

survival situation, luxuries like spending the

entire day on the lake casting for fish aren’t

that feasible. While fishing with a rod and reel

might be unavoidable from time to time, it’s not

necessarily the best option for you.

Trapping fish, like trapping small game, is

largely an automated, self-managed process.

You make the trap, set it, and then leave. The

trap does all the work while you’re able to focus your energies on other things, like

preparing and storing other food. Fishing is extremely time consuming, and it only

allows you to catch a single fish at a time. With traps and nets, you can catch multiple

fish, giving you more bang for the time spent on the water.

While you can purchase fish traps on the market, and nets can also be found, you can

also make your own if you’re in a pinch, or in an unexpected survival situation. Native

Americans as well as European settlers made their own fish traps from natural sources,

and you will have access to most, if not all, of those sources.

Notes on Shellfish and CrustaceansShellfish like shrimp, mussels and clams are excellent sources of nutrition for those in a

coastal environment. However, while shellfish offer vital nutrition, they can also be the

source of considerable danger if you’re unwary or not careful. There are several rules to

follow when harvesting shellfish for consumption and storage.

Do not harvest any shellfish from above the high tide line. These can be infected

with a number of different bacteria and can pose very serious health risks to you

and your family. Always harvest fresh shellfish under the water.

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Do not harvest shellfish/animals that have pointed shells. These are almost

universally poisonous/toxic and can lead to serious health problems and even

death.

Always thoroughly rise shellfish in saltwater, not freshwater. Immediately cool the

shellfish and cook it as soon as possible to avoid bacterial growth.

Never eat the innards of crabs (crab butter), as they can carry a considerable

number of toxins and pollutants. Always clean crabs completely and eat only the

meat.

FowlNorth America is filled with game birds and other fowl that can be caught and eaten in

survival situation. From the lowly pigeon to ducks, geese, quail and more, there are

plenty of options out there. The real trick with fowl is twofold. First, know if the bird is fit

to eat. Second, know how to bring it down.

Edible fowl can be found in all areas of the country, from urban areas to the wilderness.

You’ll find those that are partial to water (waterfowl), as well as those that live farther

from the water. Most hunters will discover that it’s easier to locate fowl near water, but

anyone can bring down a bird or two for consumption and storage no matter where you

might be located. Don’t forget bird eggs – an unprotected nest can be a source of

considerable bounty.

Some of the most commonly eaten fowl include:

Bobwhites

Quail

Partridges

Ducks

Geese

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Turkeys

Grouse

Prairie chickens

Woodcocks

Snipes

Pheasant

Guinea fowl

Wood pigeons

This is only a fraction of the birdlife you’ll find in the world, and most of the species not

listed are edible. There are no poisonous birds, but there are those that you might not

want to consume because of environmental pollution or bacteria. For instance, it’s not

advisable to eat buzzards or vultures because they’re carrion eaters and are ALWAYS

infected with bacteria (it’s harmless to the birds, but potentially devastating to humans).

Other animals to bypass can include city pigeons, as they tend to contain a lot of

pollutants and chemicals in their flesh. You should also avoid trying to kill most birds of

prey (hawks, falcons, eagles, etc.) simply due to the danger they pose through their

claws and beaks. These are predators, and can easily maim or cause and severe

injuries.

If you’re in a permanent or semi-permanent location, you might even consider raising

some birds yourself. Chickens are perhaps the simplest to manage and they pay off

with both meat and eggs, but you can raise several other species, including quail and

turkeys. Be aware that you’ll need to give them plenty of room to forage while still

providing protection from predators. This makes raising birds yourself something only

suited to individuals and families with a permanent survival location, whether that’s a

cabin in the woods or something else.

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Catching BirdsThere are numerous ways to catch birds for food. Some are more feasible than others

for individuals in a survival situation. For instance, using a dog and gun may or may not

be feasible depending on where you’re located and whether you have a dog and

shotgun. As with hunting game, using a gun for hunting birds may not be advisable,

particularly if you’re in dangerous territory and need to remain undetected.

Whether you’re facing a dangerous threat or simply trying to

live off the grid, trapping is generally a better option. There

are quite a few bird traps that can be built by hand or even

purchased outright. You’ll even find special traps designed

for different environments and bird types, from waterfowl to

upland birds. Again the same arguments support trapping

birds as trapping fish and game – it’s less time consuming,

completely automated beyond setting and checking traps,

and frees you up to do other, more important things.

Creepy-Crawlies – Eating the InsectsWe’ve saved the best for last (or the worst, depending on your point of view). Insects

are everywhere, and they can provide a vital source of protein, fat and nutrition in a

pinch. While you’ll doubtless choose a roasted rabbit over a wriggling cockroach, when

you don’t have choices, insects can serve quite well. You’ll just need to put aside your

personal bias and realize the benefits that insects can offer.

Which Insects Are Safe to Eat?While insects can be a vital food source, not all insects are safe to eat. Some can be

made safe to eat, but is it really worth the trouble? Knowing which bugs are worth your

time and effort, and which should be avoided is important. Some of the edible insects in

North America include:

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Crickets

Grasshoppers

Ants (cook them first)

June bugs and many other beetles

Termites

Centipedes (but beware of millipedes)

Scorpions (tail and stinger removed)

Mealworms

Bees and other “stinging” insects with the stinger removed

Which Insects Should You Avoid?While there are quite a few edible insects out there, some just aren’t fit for eating

because of poison, toxins and other threats. The same rule can be applied to insects as

applies to amphibians and reptiles – avoid those with bright colors. Red, yellow, orange

and the like are warnings that a particular insect has a nasty surprise weapon. Avoid

them.

Some harmless insects do have bright colors (mimicry as self-defense), but it’s always

better to be safe than sorry. You should also avoid eating insects in urban and suburban

areas due to the extensive use of pesticides. It’s also important to avoid eating insects

like ticks, spiders, flies or those with hair, as these can be poisonous, cause infection

and/or carry diseases and bacteria.

Where Do I Find Edible InsectsEdible insects can be found virtually everywhere. Of course, there are some “better”

places to look for your next creepy-crawlie meal. The underside of logs is a prime

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location, but you can also find them on, in and around lakes and ponds. Anthills are

obvious sources of food, as are termite mounds.

NOTE: Insects spoil very quickly, even when cooked. Eat them immediately and do not

store them for longer than a few days.

Preserving Meat, Fish and FowlOnce you’ve mastered catching and

killing food in the wild, you need to

take thought for food storage.

Properly preserved and stored, many

types of game, fish and birds can be

stored for weeks, months or even

longer. There are also lots of ways to

preserve and store your food for

future use.

As a note, most of these will require that you are in a permanent or semi-permanent

location, although some can be adapted to preserving food in the wilderness. Game,

fish and fowl can all be preserved through smoking, pressure canning and

dehydrating/drying. This section will cover the basics of all three methods, as well as

their pros and cons.

Smoking MeatThere’s some considerable confusion with those new to the survivalist mentality

between smoking and salt-preserving meat. Actually, they’re both part of the same

process. Smoking meat requires at least salt and smoke. You can (and probably should)

also use other spices to liven up the flavor of your preserved meat when you finally

prepare it for eating. Some spices and herbs also help prevent bacteria and further

extend the shelf life of your meat. We’ll cover those important items shortly.

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Smoking meat first requires that you salt it. Salt acts as a barrier against bacteria and

keeps the meat from spoiling. NOTE: It IS possible to preserve meat with only salt. Salt

curing is an age-old technique that has been used by cultures and civilizations around

the world. However, for the best results, we recommend combining salting and smoking.

In order to create meat that doesn’t need refrigeration, you’ll follow the process known

as hard smoking. This creates jerky, essentially, although larger pieces of meat can also

be smoked and preserved. NOTE: If you’ll be storing your meat without refrigeration,

DO NOT cook it before smoking it. Cooked meat MUST be refrigerated in order to

remain safe to eat. Raw smoked meat does not.

Smoking is a time consuming process and it requires good temperature control.

Thankfully, a handful of modern implements can make things relatively simple (you

really only need a way to tell time and a thermometer to measure the temperature of the

air in your drying environment).

There are lots of different methods for smoking your meat. However, remember that

higher temperatures (above 155 degrees Fahrenheit) will actually start cooking your

meat. For beginners, it might be better to start out at about 125 degrees and then

increase that temperature slowly through the entire smoking process until you reach

145 degrees or so. You’ll need to smoke your meat for about 7 hours or so. Smoking is

not difficult and not particularly technical – you just need smoke, low heat and time.

Herbs and Spices That Enhance Protection against SpoilageHerbs and spices bring a lot of flavor to your food, but they also protect it against

spoiling. Of course, not all of them are created equal. The following are the most

important herbs and spices to use against microbial action and food degradation:

Garlic Clove Ginger Black pepper Oregano Cinnamon

Nutmeg Allspice Mustard Bay leaves Thyme

Cumin Horseradish Onion Cayenne pepper Fennel

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Combine different options together to gain even more protection (many herbs and

spices have synergistic reactions when combined, amplifying their powers of

preservation).

Prepping and Smoking the MeatSmoking is easier with thinner strips of meat. The goal

is to remove as much moisture as possible, and that’s

easier with thinner pieces than with thick cuts. Choose

lean cuts of meat and then remove ALL of the visible

fat. If you want chewy jerky, cut with the grain. If you

prefer something less chewy, slice the meat across

the grain.

You’ll now need to marinate the meat in a brine

mixture/marinade. You can make a liquid brine easily

with just two cups of salt and two quarts of water. Add

half a teaspoon of black pepper, a cup of sugar, half a

teaspoon of garlic powder and a half-teaspoon of

turmeric powder to improve the taste and add a bit more protection from spoilage.

Soak your meat for at least three hours, but the longer you soak it, the better your

results will be. Yes, this is essentially adding more moisture to the meat, but it’s also

adding salt and seasonings necessary to the preserving process. Once you’ve soaked

the meat long enough, put it in your smoker/smoke house and start the process.

If you prefer not to use a liquid brine, you can use a dry marinade. Just mix the dry

ingredients listed above, completely coat both sides of the meat, and then pound it in

with a meat mallet. Allow it to sit in the refrigerator in a closed container for several

hours before smoking. It’s also possible to go straight from the marinating process to

the smokehouse (necessary if you lack refrigeration).

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Pressure Canning Meat, Fish and FowlWhile many fruits and vegetables can be canned using the “hot water bath” method,

that’s not the case with meat. In order to can meat in mason jars, you’ll need much

higher heat than what’s possible in a hot water bath. The same applies to many types of

produce you’ll get from your garden, but we’ll cover that in a later chapter.

You’ll need to assemble your supplies to pressure can meat, and you’ll also need to

make sure everything is thoroughly sterilized (a boiling water bath and thorough

washing of your canner, lids and jars is really all that’s necessary). As a note, you can

use either a pressure cooker or a pressure canner. A canner is preferable, as it can hold

more jars (and larger jars) than what’s possible with a cooker.

Important Canning NotesIf you’re preserving meat or any food that contains meat (stew, chili, etc.), then you’ll

need to remember the following:

The temperature must be 240 degrees Fahrenheit.

The pressure canner must reach at least 10 psi (this will vary by elevation – the

higher you live, the higher the pressure should be).

Precook your meat until the red color changes to brown (for red meat, obviously).

Fish and fowl should also be precooked.

All meat should be cut into bite-sized pieces before being added to jars.

Process quart jars of meat for 90 minutes.

Process pint jars of meat for 75 minutes.

The Pressure Canning ProcessOnce you’ve cut your meat into bite-sized chunks and

precooked it, add it to your jars. Pack the meat tight, and

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leave space at the head (top of the jar). Add boiling broth to the jar, leaving about an

inch at the top of the jar. Place the lid on and then tighten the band until you feel

resistance. Do NOT screw on tightly.

Place your jars in your pressure canner and bring the water to a boil with the lid off.

Once the water is boiling, put the lid in place with the petcock valve open (or pressure

regulator off). Allow steam to build and vent for about 10 minutes to ensure that all air

pockets have been eliminated and then close the valve or put the regulator in place.

Wait until the pressure cooker is fully pressurized. If your model has a petcock valve,

this should take about five minutes. If you’re using a model with a pressure regulator,

just watch the gauge. Once it reaches full pressure, turn down the heat to low and start

your process timing.

Once the process time is over, DO NOT open the pressure cooker. Most models have a

safety feature that seals the cooker as long as there is any pressure inside, but

accidents can happen. Let the cooker cool until all the pressure has been released.

Once open, allow your jars to cool completely before placing them on a shelf for

storage.

Dehydrating MeatWe’ve already covered one form of dehydrating meat – smoking. However, you don’t

HAVE to smoke the meat if you don’t want to, although smoke does add additional

protection from spoilage and it imparts that lovely smoky flavor. If you prefer to dry your

meat without smoke, though, the process is relatively similar. You need a good brine for

curing, and then you must have heat and air.

A decent food dehydrator can do a good job of drying meat with low heat and airflow but

without any smoke, which can be beneficial if you don’t have a smoker or smokehouse.

Just remember that you need to ensure your meat is not cooked before drying, as that

will require refrigeration. Your food dehydrator should be able to reach at least 145

degrees, although 150 would be better.

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Drying meat isn’t difficult – the Native Americans used to use the sun and wind to dry

their meat while hanging on brambles or drying racks outdoors. It’s straightforward and

simple. Just remember that moisture and too much heat are the enemies here.

Chapter 4

Vegetables, Fruit and MoreMeat doesn’t need to be your only source of food. In fact, it

shouldn’t be. Eating nothing but meat puts you in danger of

developing any number of diseases, including scurvy.

Protein poisoning is also a possibility, particularly with rabbit

and squirrel-based diets, as they are very lean meats with

little fat. Whether you’re going off grid or you’re faced with a

survival situation, vegetables, fruit and many different wild

plants can also be part of your diet, helping you protect

against disease and maintain a healthy body.

Wild PlantsYou might not realize it, but all of the vegetables and fruit we eat today were once wild.

Domesticated varieties have changed considerably over time and through judicious

growing techniques, but the fact remains that those wild versions still exist. There are

also numerous other plants that grow wild that are not only edible, but even better for

your body than most of what passes for food in today’s supermarkets.

Of course, there are just as many inedible wild plants as there are edible ones, so it

pays to know exactly what you’re getting into here. A partial list of edible wild plants in

North America includes the following:

Wild asparagus

Amaranth

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Cattail

Dandelion

Cat’s Ear (looks very similar to dandelion)

Clover

Chicory

Plantain (not the banana-lookalike)

Prickly pear cactus

Wood sorrel

Blackberries

Blueberries

Raspberries

Kudzu (if you’re in the South, you’ve got a smorgasbord available)

There’s also a whole host of nuts and seeds, including walnuts, acorns, pine nuts,

hickory nuts, hazel nuts and pecans. As you might have guessed, this is only the tiniest

fraction of possible wild edibles that you’ll encounter. However, just because a plant

LOOKS like something else doesn’t mean that it’s safe to eat. Unless you’re positive

that plant is what you think it is, use caution.

How to Determine Plant EdibilityYou’re stuck in the mountains after a fall while hiking. Rescue is days away, if it comes

at all. You’ve got water left in your canteen, and you’ve managed to build a small

shelter. Now what do you do about food? There are lots of green, growing things around

you, but are they safe to eat? Before you cram that leaf or stalk into your mouth, stop

and test things. It’s a little time consuming, but a little fasting is always preferable to

death by poisoning.

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Before you do anything else, make sure there’s plenty of the plant type around. There’s

little point in spending your time testing for edibility if there’s not enough abundance to

make a difference in your survival. It requires more than 24 hours to determine edibility

for each part of a plant, so double-check just how much of it you’ve seen growing.

Also, never test more than one part of one plant at a time. Testing two or more parts of a

plant, or multiple plants at once will not allow you to determine safety and edibility.

Finally, remember that many plants can cause discomfort and diarrhea when eaten on

an empty stomach.

To test for edibility, follow these steps:

1. Do not eat anything for eight hours before testing for edibility. The US Marine

Corps also recommends drinking nothing but purified water beforehand.

2. Deconstruct the plant into its various component parts – flower, stem, buds and

roots. Each of these must be tested one at a time. Many plants have both edible

and inedible portions.

3. During the eight hours of fasting, take the opportunity to determine if contact

poisoning occurs with the plant you’ve selected. Place a small piece of the plant

on your inner wrist and make sure the juice contacts your skin. Watch for

breakouts, swelling, itching and other signs of contact poisoning for the next 15

minutes.

4. Choose a small portion of one segment from the plant you’ve chosen to test.

5. Touch it to your lip, but do not put it in your mouth. Watch for swelling, irritation

and other signs. Leave it in place for at least three minutes.

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6. If there’s no reaction on your lip, place the plant piece in your mouth on your

tongue, but do not chew. Leave it there for 15 minutes. If there is no reaction

during that time, chew a small piece, and hold it in your mouth.

7. If there is no reaction to the inside of your mouth at the end of 15 more minutes,

swallow it. Wait a full eight hours before testing another piece of the plant. If you

notice ill effects during the time after eating the plant, force yourself to vomit it out

and drink water. Add charcoal if possible.

8. If there is no adverse reaction to the plant during the initial eight hours, prepare a

quarter-cup of the same portion of the plant and eat it. You’ll need to wait another

eight hours to determine if there are any ill effects from a larger serving. If there

are none, this portion of the plant is safe to eat.

Now, obviously this is a very time consuming process. You can reduce the need to test

plants for edibility by becoming familiar with the edible plants within your local

environment (and those you intend to travel within). Once learned, edible plants are

easily recognized wherever they grow.

Signs a Plant Should Be AvoidedWhile some plants can be tested

for edibility, others should be

avoided outright for safety and

health reasons. The following rules

apply to all situations when forced

to eat wild plants. Avoid:

All mushrooms and

funguses – while some are

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safe to eat, others are deadly. Unless you’re 100% certain of the type in question,

don’t eat it.

Plants with shiny leaves – shiny leaves are often an indication of contact poison,

such as poison ivy or poison oak.

Plants with spines, hairs or thorns – some obvious exceptions here include Cat’s

Ear (similar to dandelion, but with light hair on the leaves), blackberries and

prickly pear cactus.

Plants with milky sap – red leaf lettuce, which rarely grows wild, and dandelion

are two exceptions to this rule.

Yellow or white berries – blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, muscadines

and elderberries are always edible, and are neither white nor yellow.

Plants that smell like almonds – this is a sign of cyanide.

Grain heads with purple, black or blue spurs on their seed heads.

VegetablesWhen you talk about vegetables, you’re talking about gardening. While wild versions of

some veggies can be found, they’re not that common. Gardening is only suited to

permanent locations. You’ll need space to plant your vegetables, as well as good soil

and a ready supply of clean water to help them grow. This has some serious

connotations that go well beyond the need to till, fertilize and grow plants.

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One important factor to understand is how much garden space (and how many plants)

you need to feed an individual person. In order to feed one person a primarily

vegetarian diet for a year, you’ll need roughly 4,000 square feet of garden space.

However, to supplement your diet with fresh vegetables throughout the year, you’ll need

far less.

There are dozens of potential vegetables to choose for your garden, including the

following:

A wide range of lettuce varieties

Cabbage

Spinach

Cucumbers (both pickling and eating varieties)

Zucchini

Squash (several varieties)

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Celery

Green beans (pole or bush beans)

Bell peppers

Artichokes

Asparagus

Rutabagas

Turnips

Potatoes

Corn

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The list goes on and on and on. However, there are a few considerations you’ll need to

make when choosing the veggies you’ll plant around your home.

Considerations for Choosing and Growing VegetablesA host of considerations play into creating

your garden and then choosing the right

plants to put in. Some of the most important

include the following:

Your Preferences – There’s no point

in planting vegetables that you and

your family don’t like to eat. Sure, a

certain vegetable might be packed with vitamins, but if you won’t eat it, that’s just

wasted space in your garden. For your first garden, it’s highly recommended that

you plant varieties you enjoy eating so you can get used to the difference

between garden-fresh and store-bought produce. Once you’ve gardened for a

year, start experimenting with other varieties and vegetables.

Your Zone – A great deal of your success (or failure) with growing vegetables

hinges on where you’re located in North America. If you’re in the deep South, you

won’t have a lot of luck growing cool weather crops like spinach. Conversely, if

you’re way up north, you might not have any luck with a corn crop or other warm-

loving plants. Know your temperature zone and the length of your growing

season. Then, plan accordingly.

Your Soil Condition – When it comes to growing vegetables, one type of soil isn’t

necessarily as good as another. While you’ll likely get seeds to germinate in even

the poorest, most nutrient deprived soil, you won’t get much actual growth from

them. If you’re not sure what your soil’s condition is, you can have it tested

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(usually at your local agriculture or farm extension). Base your conditioning and

fertilizing efforts on an accurate soil test to ensure that your plants have the

minerals necessary for robust, sustained growth.

Commercial Fertilizer or Compost and Manure? – Commercial fertilizers are

available from most big box home improvement stores, as well as farm stores.

However, there’s a lot to be said for opting out of that sort of thing. Most

commercial fertilizers are nothing but chemicals, and if you’re trying to get off

grid, you’ll want to give your plants something better than synthetics.

Opt for compost and manure. Compost is easy to make on your own, and it gives

you something to do with all of your excess plant material, eggshells and other

biodegradable items. Manure is available from any farmer with cows or chickens

(try to buy from farmers who raise their cattle on grass diets only).

Your Available Space – If you’re growing a garden, you’ll need space, and lots of

it. Not only will you need enough room to plan the appropriate number of

vegetable rows, but you’ll need space between those rows. The space between

each row should be enough to accommodate people walking (in order to

harvest), as well as the space necessary for mature plants.

Growing vegetables really only requires a little space, good sunlight, clean water and

good soil. Mother Nature takes care of the rest.

The Case for Heirloom vs. HybridHybrid plants are everywhere these days. You’ll find them on virtually every flat surface

at your local greenhouse. There are some very good things about hybrids – they’re bred

to be disease and pest resistant, to produce shapely vegetables, and to be resistant to

drought and other dangers. However, they do have their drawbacks.

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The first and foremost is that most hybrids today are GMOs, or genetically modified

organisms. While there is certainly the argument that most anything you can eat today

is genetically modified in some way, these crops were augmented in a lab by adding

specific DNA sequences to their genes. It’s resulted in some scary, scary things.

Second, hybrid plants don’t replicate themselves. If you grow a hybrid tomato plant and

save the seed to replant next year, you won’t have a hybrid plant. You’ll have one of the

first plant’s ancestors, whatever that might have been.

Heirloom plants on the other hand, haven’t been tampered with on the genetic level (at

least not in a laboratory setting). These are old varieties of plants, dating from the 1930s

back into the late 1800s and sometimes even farther back. They’re not as resistant to

pests and diseases, but they don’t have the issues that GMOs do. Moreover, you can

save your own seed and replant the same thing next year without having to worry about

what’s going to come up out of the ground.

FruitFruit is highly nutritious, delicious

and can be preserved and stored in

a number of different ways. From

apples to pears to peaches and

more, you can grow a wide variety of

fruit right at home. Of course, there

are a few caveats here that can

make an enormous difference in your

food planning. For instance, most fruit trees won’t actually yield edible fruit for several

years after planting.

If you’ll be planting a survival garden, it’s important to opt for perennial fruits that will last

for years and decades to come with minimal effort and upkeep on your part. That does

include fruit trees, but it also includes things like grapes, muscadines and other woody

vines. A few of the fruit options you might consider include:

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Strawberries – Once entrenched, the plants come back year after year

Blueberries

Blackberries

Raspberries

Huckleberries

Apples (from a range of varieties)

Pears (from a range of varieties)

Figs

Grapes

Peaches

Plums

Of course, this barely scratches the surface of what’s possible, but you get the idea. As

a note, choose hardy plants that are able to withstand drought, insects and other threats

with minimal intervention by you and your family. If you’re pressed for space, opt for

dwarf trees or semi-dwarf varieties, as they can provide as much fruit as a full-sized tree

in a smaller footprint. This will help you create a fruit garden that is largely self-

sustaining and will provide you with fresh food for years to come.

Storing and Preserving Vegetables and FruitGrowing your own fruit and vegetables will let you reap rich rewards throughout the

growing season. However, it doesn’t have to stop when the cold weather sets in. For

thousands of years, humans have found innovative ways to store perishable food

against the lean times of winter, and you can do the same. The savvy survivalist or off-

grider knows several key ways to preserve and store fruit and vegetables, keeping their

nutrition intact and even enhancing their flavor.

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Chances are good you’ve already thought of at least one way – canning. It’s the most

common way to store most any vegetable or fruit crop. However, it’s not the only one,

and depending on where you live and your specific situation, it might not be the best

method. In this section, we’ll cover six different methods for storing and preserving your

foods.

In-GroundThe cooler weather is setting in and you still have crops in the field. You have two

choices. You can harvest them now, or you can consider in-ground storage. First,

understand that in-ground storage is really only doable for some specific types of

vegetables, mostly for root crops and tubers. You can store vegetables like:

Carrots

Parsnips

Beets

Turnips

Potatoes

Horseradish

Ginger

It’s really as simple as it sounds. When the days grow short and the air gets chill, just

leave those crops in the ground. Cover them with protective mulch – pine straw, hay,

wood chips, etc. – and they’ll be protected against frost and harm for a time. It’s a short-

term storage solution and will last through the winter. You can do something similar for

cool-weather crops like spinach, cabbage and cauliflower as well. Just protect the plants

from hard frost with a layer of mulch and they’ll last for several weeks.

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Root CellarsBefore the advent of refrigeration

and canning technology, many

households had a root cellar. Root

cellars have fallen away today in

favor of more conventional

technology, but that doesn’t mean

they’re not worth considering.

Most fruits and vegetables can

last for many weeks when properly stored. You need a cool, slightly moist place to store

them and an underground root cellar is the perfect option. Don’t attempt to use your

basement or garage as a root cellar, though. They tend to be too dry and too warm to

adequately protect against rot and degradation. With that being said, you can create a

basement root cellar that can serve in a pinch, although it will not be as protective as a

dug cellar.

All you really need to build a root cellar is a shovel and a means of supporting the roof

and walls. You don’t even need concrete, as a packed earth floor and earth walls are

the preferred options here to ensure good moisture levels. Choose a spot that’s

elevated to protect against rainwater running into the cellar from outside. The side of a

hill is the perfect spot to start digging, but you can also dig down vertically. You’ll find

that sandy soils work best here.

The simplest method to create a root cellar is the pit method. You only need to dig a pit

large enough to accommodate your fruits and vegetables. Flare the sides to prevent

them from collapsing. You’ll need to dig deep enough that all of your crops can be

stored under the soil level. Add straw to the hole, and then cover the pit with a thick

wooden lid. Cover the lid with soil and you’re done.

More ambitious survivalists can take things much further. At 10 feet down (10 feet of

earth protecting your produce in all directions), you’ll have a constant cool temperature

throughout the year. A few braces to prevent the walls and roof from collapsing and

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some wooden shelving to store your food, and you’re set. Make sure there’s plenty of

space between shelves, as good air circulation is the key to preventing mold.

Canning (Boiling Water Bath)The boiling water bath method of at-home canning is both the simplest form of this food

storage method and the least time consuming and expensive. You need only a few

pieces of basic equipment, and there’s no need for a pressure canner. NOTE: The

boiling water bath method is NOT adequate for low-acid foods. All low-acid foods,

including tomatoes, should be canned using a pressure canner to prevent the potential

for botulism.

Botulism: Botulism is a disease created by bacteria that lives in the soil. Improper

canning methods are insufficient to destroy this bacteria, leading to paralysis (the

bacteria produces a nerve toxin). While food-borne botulism is the least common form in

the United States (infant botulism is the most common, followed by wound botulism), it

still bears taking precautions. Use the right canning technique and always verify acid

content in your food.

To can your food, you will need the following:

Mason jars (or the equivalent) to store your canned food. Make sure you have

enough jars and that they’re the right size. Pints are easier to store, but quart jars

hold more food. There are also larger jars available if needed.

Enough two-piece lids to seal your jars – these have a vacuum seal lid and a

screw-on band. During the boil, pressure within the jar will expel air and the

resulting vacuum will suck the lid down. You simply screw the band on and you’re

done.

A container large enough to boil several jars at once. A large stockpot can work

quite well here, or a pressure canner without the lid.

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Make sure you know the pH of your food. A lot of fruit is sufficiently acidic for this type of

canning, but most vegetables are not. Tomatoes are borderline – they CAN be canned

using the boiling water method, but you must add citric acid to each jar to ensure

enough acidity to kill off the bacteria. If you don’t want citric acid changing the taste of

your favorite tomato recipes, go with pressure canning.

Sterilize your glass jars and lids in boiling water.

The jars should be boiled for a full 10 minutes.

In a separate pot, simmer your lids at about 180

degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll also need to blanch

the food you’re canning – boil it for roughly 10

minutes. This will start the cooking process, but

not complete it.

Next, add the food to the jars and place the lid on. Screw on the band finger tight (do

not over tighten). Completely submerge the jars in boiling water and leave them for 10

minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the jars and allow them to cool completely. This can

take several hours. Do NOT place hot or warm jars in the refrigerator.

Once the jars have cooled, check the seal on the lid. You can do this easily by pressing

down on the center of the lid. If it “pops” down, it did not seal. You can either store it in

the refrigerator for immediate consumption, or you can process the jar again. If you

choose to reprocess the jar, remove the lid and check for any food caught between the

lip of the jar and the lid.

Below, you’ll find a basic list of high and low acid foods. Note that this is very basic – it’s

always best to know the actual pH level of the foods you want to can.

Low Acid Food – Pressure Canning Needed

High Acid Food – Boiling Water Canning Possible

Figs Dates Asian pears Beans Corn Cucumbers Asparagus

Apples Strawberries Pears (not Asian pears) Blackberries Cranberries Peaches Blueberries

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Bananas Pineapple Peas Leafy green vegetables (kale,

spinach, lettuce, etc.) Garlic Green beans Tomatoes (without citric acid)

Raspberries Tomatoes (with citric acid added

only)

Pressure CanningWe covered pressure canning in the section on storing meat,

fish and fowl, but we’ll go over it once more. The process for

canning fruits and vegetables is identical to canning meat

with a few minor differences. The most notable difference is

that you don’t have to cut your vegetables and fruit into

smaller pieces for canning, unlike meat. However, many

home-canners prefer to break up their food as it’s possible to

fit more into a jar this way.

With pressure canning, there is no need to sterilize your jars

and lids, as the processing time exceeds 10 minutes and

ensures that any germs are destroyed. Fill your jars to within a half-inch of the top

(headspace). If you’re canning a very starchy vegetable, you’ll need to leave a full inch

of space at the top.

Start the water in the pressure canner boiling. Screw the lids onto your jars until you feel

resistance. Do NOT over tighten your lids, as pressure within the jars can cause them to

explode. Once the lids are on, place them in the canner and cover them with the lid.

Leave the valve open so that steam can escape. Let the heat inside the canner build for

about 10 minutes to force out any air pockets. Next, close the valve and begin your

processing time.

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Most vegetables will only need about 30 minutes of processing time for pint jars, or 40

minutes of processing for quart jars. Dried beans and greens should process for 75

minutes for a pint and 90 minutes for a quart (the same processing duration as meat).

Once the processing time is over, remove the canner from the heat. Do NOT attempt to

open it. The canner is still pressurized. Allow it to sit until all pressure has vented. Once

the interior pressure drops below 1 PSI, the safety mechanism will disengage and you

can safely remove your canned foods. Check the seal on all lids and reprocess any that

did not seal properly.

NOTE: Your pressure canner should come with an instruction set, and possibly several

canning recipes. Always follow the instructions specific to your pressure canner, as

different models have different requirements.

Drying/DehydratingWhile dehydrated fruit is the most familiar, you can also dehydrate vegetables.

However, there are a few differences between the two methods, so this section will be

split between fruits and veggies.

Dehydrating Vegetables

Almost all vegetables can be dehydrated just fine, and can be eaten dried or rehydrated

for use in cooking. If the vegetable is one that you would ordinarily eat raw, you only

need to clean and cut them before putting them in the dehydrator. Examples of these

include carrots, peppers, onions mushrooms and more.

However, if it’s something that should be cooked before being eaten (corn, for instance),

then you’ll need to blanch it for about eight minutes before cutting and placing in the

food dehydrator.

As with fruit, your drying time will be determined by the water content of the food.

Blanched vegetables will take longer than raw vegetables, as well, because the boiling

process adds moisture to your food.

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Dehydrating Fruits

Dried fruit has been a human staple for thousands of years, perhaps tens of thousands

of years. All you really need is a protected place with plenty of sunshine on a warm day

and you’re up and running. However, using modern dehydrators makes things a bit

simpler.

Most fruit should be peeled before being cut. However, this is not mandatory. Fruit can

be dried with the peel on, but that does make the dehydration process slower. We

recommend peeling most fruits before dehydrating them.

You’ll need to cut your fruit into small slices. Thinner is better here, as thick pieces take

longer to dry than thicker pieces. Once peeled and cut, place your fruit in the dehydrator

and start the process. The drying time will be dictated by the moisture content of the

fruit.

Rules for Both Fruit and Vegetables

Drying both fruit and vegetables will require that you follow some identical rules to

ensure quality and taste in the finished food. These include:

While dried food does not need to be refrigerated, most of the moisture that

allows microorganisms to thrive must be removed.

Both forced air and rising air methods work.

Raise the temperature of your dehydrator gradually

to help ensure even moisture removal. If the outside

dries before the inside, inner moisture might not be

removed, leaving your food open to spoiling.

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The dryer your food, the longer it will last – make sure to thoroughly dehydrate

your fruit and vegetables for the longest shelf life.

While dehydrated food can last indefinitely, nutritional value begins to be lost

after about a year, so consume your food within the first year after drying.

Rehydrating your food can be done by soaking it in water, or adding it to a soup

or stew.

Store all dried fruit and vegetables in airtight containers. Glass and plastic

containers with airtight lids work well, but you can even use zip-lock bags in a

pinch.

FermentingLong before refrigeration and canning, humans discovered several ways to preserve

food and prevent it from spoiling. Drying was one, but there were others. Fermenting is

one of the most ancient food storage and preservation methods available, and it’s not

only a good way to keep food for a longer period. Fermented food has a lot of added

nutritional value as well – it’s also a huge benefit for gut health.

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Fermented food is exactly what

it sounds like. The same

fermentation process is found in

making beer, wine and liquor, as

well as with bread dough.

Fermentation relies on yeast and

other microorganisms. Not sure

fermented food is for you? Ever

tried sauerkraut or dilly beans? If

so, you’ve had (and likely

enjoyed) fermented food.

Almost any type of fruit or vegetable can be fermented. It really only requires some salt,

some water and a little bit of time. You can add additional seasonings, spices, herbs and

more to create the flavors you want, but brine is really the heart of the matter. There’s

also no boiling, no canning and no heat involved here.

Perhaps the simplest example of fermenting food can be found with making sauerkraut.

You can do this with either a traditional crock or with a two quart-sized Mason jar.

Simply cut up a head of cabbage like you would for coleslaw (cut into quarters, then

eighths, then shred), and combine with the cabbage with one and a half tablespoons of

salt in a large bowl. Mix the salt into the cabbage while squeezing the cabbage tightly.

Do this for about 5-10 minutes. You’ll notice the cabbage becoming more and more

watery during this time.

When you’re done, add a tablespoon of caraway seeds if you want some additional

flavor, and then pack the cabbage into a Mason jar. Pack the cabbage tightly in the jar,

and then weigh it down. You can use virtually anything you like to weigh it down, but a

small zip-lock sandwich bag filled with water works very well. As the fermentation

process proceeds, the cabbage will produce its own water. As the water level rises,

small bits of cabbage will rise to the surface. If you don’t weigh it down, these can form

mold.

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Leave your sauerkraut to ferment for at least three days (not refrigerated). You can age

it as long as you like, and the flavor will only improve and become more complex over

time.

Fermenting can be done with almost anything, and all it really requires is a little salt,

some water, the right seasonings and a place to store your jars while those microbes go

to work.

NOTE: Fermented food does not have the same shelf life as pressure canned foods.

Where pressure canning can give you food that will last indefinitely, fermented food

usually lasts for several weeks or months. Refrigerating fermented foods can extend

this period.

Conclusion

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Water and shelter might be your first priorities in any survival situation; however, once

those have been secured, you must turn your mind to finding food, and then storing and

preserving it. Without a reliable store of safe food, you and your family are not only at a

disadvantage, but you’re in danger from depleted energy, clouded thinking, reduced

stamina and even the threat of disease.

The good news is that food is all around you. All you have to do is know where to look.

From small animals to big game, from wild plants to cultivated fruits and vegetables, the

earth’s bounty can sustain you at all times. Combine that immense wealth of food with

the storage and preservation techniques highlighted within this book and you will have

safe, tasty food available to you all year long.

Whether you’re preparing for an emergency or disaster, you’re fed up with being on the

grid, or you just want to start getting back to living a life closer to nature, knowledge is

the key. Use the tips and techniques set forth within this book to guide your food

sourcing, as well as your preservation and storage efforts.

Works Cited:

http://www.wilderness-survival-skills.com/survivalfood.html

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http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/survival/food.htm

http://lifehacker.com/5454722/use-the-universal-edibility-test-to-find-food-in-a-survival-

situation

http://www.thenewsurvivalist.com/edibles_from_the_wild.html

http://artcontest.nra.org/documents/pdf/youth/gamelist.pdf

MCRP 3-02H Survival, Evasion and Recovery (US Marine Corps)

FM 21-76/MCRP 3-02F US Marine Corps Survival Manual

http://www.fieldandstream.com/answers/hunting/small-game/butchering-cooking-

rabbits-squirrels-and-other-small-game/what-time-year-

http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/disease_emergence/Chapter5.pdf

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=514&objID=587240&mode=2

http://icwdm.org/handbook/damage/wildlifediseases.asp

http://www.stripersonline.com/t/524615/edible-freshwater-fish

http://www.cwd-

info.org/index.php/fuseaction/about.faqDetail/ID/4b1982dc3c3be1d312cd0bb2b8f4dcc6

http://www.cwd-info.org/

http://www.critters360.com/index.php/the-danger-of-tularemia-in-rabbits-22551/

http://www.birds-of-north-america.net/game-birds.html

http://www.identicards.com/productcart/pc/viewcontent.asp?idpage=18

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

http://www.thenewsurvivalist.com/food_preservation_techniques.html#mbp_toc_21

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/10/06/surviving-in-the-wild-19-common-edible-

plants/

http://www.twineagles.org/edible-wild-plants.html

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http://www.myfamilysurvivalplan.com/52-plants-in-the-wild-you-can-eat/

http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetable1/a/How-Much-Plant.htm

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-castle/articles/plant-your-

own-secret-survival-garden/

http://readynutrition.com/resources/considerations-when-planning-a-survival-

garden_12112010/

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/fruit/

http://www.sunset.com/garden/fruits-veggies/best-vegetables-fruit-herbs-to-plant

http://pss.uvm.edu/homefruit/hfgless.htm

http://www.almanac.com/root-cellar-build

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/building-root-cellar-your-home

http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/botulism/

http://www.pickyourown.org/food_acidity.htm

http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-vegetables.html

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