The critter in the video on the next page is not your traditional crayfish that most of us are familiar with – it is larger, more colorful and resides at least in partially salt water, but the method of catching them is one with broad application. Crayfish are usually found in cold, clean water of…

We have been told time and again that preparedness is one of the basics of survival and if there is one thing a prepper or survivalist needs it is food. That is a given. While we will have our pantry of canned and pre-prepped items, even that great garden in the backyard – for those…

When you’re hungry, you don’t always think clearly. But when you’re starving, you become a little more desperate. Especially if you’re starving out in the wilderness, unsure of the contents or location of your next food source. To a starving person, eating a vibrant green plant that looks vaguely familiar might seem like an excellent…

Hardtack is a term not floated around much these days, but way back when it was one of the most common foods available anywhere, as it could last on the shelves almost indefinitely and was made quite simply and cheaply. Although it was baked to the consistency of a brick (not even exaggerating a little…

Usually the worst you have to worry about when having dinner is eating too much and having wicked heartburn or just going to bed with an upset stomach. Or you could burn your tongue. Very few people these days have to worry about their meal biting back in any other way. Except Bear Grylls. In…

Any thought or discussion of when SHTF usually focuses on a short-term survival situation where after the shock wears off, it’s only until days or maybe even hours before everything gets back to normal. However, that may not be true. Can we really know for certain that when the grid goes down it won’t be…

When it comes to prepping, living off the land may become a vital part of surviving the months should the SHTF. Certainly, we can eat the rations and canned foods we prepared but who knows how long such an event might last? Besides, there is nothing like really roughing it and taking advantage of the…

Before the days of modern refrigeration and pounds of preservatives being thrown into nearly all of our food, people knew precisely what foods always to have on hand in case they were ever unable to go to the market for a long time or needed to load up their pantries for winter. The foods they…

Desert sustenance can be hard to come by. In the American Southwest, cacti are scattered throughout the desert landscape. One of the best cacti you can find is the prickly pear cactus, as it’s a great source of food. These cacti have large pads for storing water and producing flowers. Their stems are filled with…

You’re wandering, looking for food to forage in the woods. You’ve gathered some nuts and berries, but you need more sustenance. All of a sudden, you see a cluster of mushrooms in the distance on some mossy roots. You run over to take a look. They appear to resemble the oyster mushroom, which you know…

Research indicates that there are about 20,000 species of edible plants in the world, yet only about 20 species make up 90% of our diets. Those are some pretty stark numbers. With unprecedented control over our growing seasons and the ability to store almost any kind of food for the long term, our diets have…

Pemmican really is the ultimate survival food! A highly concentrated mixture of fat and protein, this super food is composed of dried meat ground into a powder. Early Native Americans used lean meat from large animals like buffalo or moose and cut it into thin slices. It was then dried it out using fire smoke…

While it’s certainly not at the top of your priority list, finding food is certainly going to be a strong point of thought if you find yourself in a survival situation. You will generally be burning a much higher number of calories than usual, and it’s only natural that you’ll get hungry and start longing…

Camping out in the wilderness is an excellent way to take time appreciating nature and reflect on your thoughts. But self-reflection is difficult to do when all you can think about is the weight of your gear – your heavy backpack, your sleeping bag, your tent, and those blasted pots and pants clinking together while…