Could You Survive on Berries and Insects?

Do you have any bushcraft skills? If you were to become lost in the wild do you have the skills necessary to erect a shelter, start a fire, locate some water and find some nutritious food? And would you know what is safe to eat?

Living, as we do, in our supermarket served modern world many people have lost touch with the sources of their food. Some children grow up in our modern cities without any hands-on experience of where their food actually comes from. I once taught a young guy who didn't know that burgers were made from beef. I don't know what he thought they were made out of.

If you are lost in the wild there are no all-night supermarkets selling soda and snacks. It's a useful skill to be able to recognise what is safe to eat and what is potentially harmful. If you are a fan of the Bear Grylls survival television programs you will be familiar with how he makes a point of catching and eating whatever is available wherever he finds himself. Something you may have noticed is that Bear is never without his bushcraft knife, an essential survival tool.

Wild berries can be a valuable form of food. Our ancient ancestors would have gathered nuts, berries and grain when in season and eaten these routinely. But some berries can be deadly poisonous.

For example, Yew berries are the cause of the greatest percentage of berry poisonings each year. They are bright scarlet in color, about 8 to 10mm in diameter with an indentation at the base. The berries look deceptively appetising which has resulted in many young children being taken to the emergency room.

Another berry that results in many visits to the hospital emergency room each year is Deadly Nightshade. The clue is in the name, not in the appearance. This plant, also known as Belladonna, produces sweet tasting berries in September that have lead to many children visiting the hospital.

Insects can be a valuable source of energy, but many find the thought of eating them distasteful. Most insects are actually edible, but some taste better than others. Many species are actually very low in fat and high in protein.Wood grubs, mealworms, grasshoppers and crickets are all a safe bet for supper. You will find that most insects taste better when barbecued and you can even grind them up to make an insect flour.

Game, including birds, rabbits and other small animals is always good to eat, but can be enormously difficult to catch. This is particularly true if you are lost in the wilderness without any form of weapon. In these circumstances some form of trap will possibly provide the best chance of catching an animal.

You'd be excused for thinking that you will never find yourself lost in the wild, seriously thinking about a supper of insects and berries. But this really could happen to you. All you have to do is stray from the main path through a forest, as I once did, and before you know it you are disoriented and lost. That's when you'll wish you'd paid more attention to Ray Mears Extreme Survival.