Our Tips For Safely Finding Edible Food If You Get Lost In The Woods

If you ever find yourself lost in the woods, securing food sources is a crucial task, but identifying what is safe to eat can be tricky, as eating poisonous food is one of the most common ways people die in the woods. Before consuming anything, take time to inspect it closely. "Many survival handbooks recommend trying a little bit of a plant if you want to find out if it's poisonous," says Tom McElroy, Survival and Primitive Skills Teacher, Safety and Health Consultant and Owner of Wild Survival Skills, who spoke exclusively to Outdoor Guide. "Well, [while] this may work for some plants, you are rolling the dice and could potentially kill yourself with just a small taste of the wrong plant."

Berries are a common survival food, but not all are safe to eat. If you're desperate, a simple first step is to check for signs of spoilage or if there is any milky sap. If a berry smells fermented or has a strong, sour odor similar to alcohol, it is past its safe-to-eat stage, and should never, ever be consumed. Mushrooms are another example of the last thing you should eat on the trail. "There are no shortcuts in learning edible and medicinal plants," McElroy warns. "What I tell all of my students is to learn the toxic plants in your area before learning anything else. Generally, any given area only has a few plants that will kill you."

Your best bet is to look for well-known edible plants like cattails, acorns, or rosehips, but even then, always test them cautiously. "Learning plants is a slow process. It takes many, many years, and you can never know everything," McElroy emphasizes, adding, "The only other shortcut in learning plants is to learn plant families. If you can learn the characteristics that define each family, you will at least know whether or not the plant you're looking at is from a family with a lot of poisonous members."

Once you've ruled out toxic plants, it's time to find the most beneficial edible options. Survival is about efficiency — you want to eat plants that give you the most energy for the least effort. "Best thing to do is learn the most useful plants that you can and concentrate on the things that return the most calories," says McElroy. Roots and nuts are a good starting point. A surprising but excellent survival food is insects. While they may not be your first choice, they are high in protein and easy to catch. Stick to crickets, grasshoppers (after removing the legs and wings), and ants (boil them first to remove acidity). 

Knowing what to eat is only part of the equation — where you gather food is just as important. Avoid plants growing near busy roads, industrial areas, or polluted water sources, as they can be contaminated with harmful chemicals or heavy metals. Foraging skills can be life-saving, but even experienced foragers sometimes make mistakes. Some plants can be both edible and toxic. For example, elderberries are safe when cooked but poisonous when raw, while boiling stinging nettles removes their sting and makes them edible.

 "Unfortunately, when it comes to edible and medicinal plants, there are no hard and fast rules," McElroy tells us. If you are unsure about a plant's safety, just don't risk it.