88
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Can I safely eat grass?
Just because there are grasses (Poaceae) with edible and nutritious parts does not mean that this applies to all grasses. That is pretty common-place.
A quick Google search give you all the info you ...
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31
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Is wild garlic edible? How do you prepare it?
Here in Slovenia, the use of wild garlic is quite widespread. Although the whole plant, including bulbs, is edible, leaves are most commonly used.
I tried only leaves so far, so I can share my ...
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24
votes
Can I safely eat grass?
Eating grass isn't smart because our bodies lack the enzymes to digest it, and because you never know if some animal came along and crapped on it. Don't eat grass.
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What are these strange seeds that looks like a mini porcupine which you can find all over Germany?
These are not exactly the seeds, but the hull of the seeds of the horse chestnut.
Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aesculus_hippocastanum_fruit.jpg
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How do you eat nettles?
Nettles should be blanched to destroy the formic acid before eating (Handle with gloves of course).
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil & prepare a bowl of ice water on the side.
Once ...
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19
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Eating ash in Soviet Union
This is not a survival technique.
The way to determine how many calories is in a particular food item is to measure the amount of heat energy emitted when an item is burned. Anything burned to ash ...
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17
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How do you eat nettles?
I have only had them as a tea with raspberry leaves. Refreshing enough, but nothing I'd actively forage to accomplish.
However since the USDA report (direct PDF download) says that stinging nettles ...
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Can I safely eat grass?
Apart from the low nutrients issue, grass stems are covered in tiny silica spikes, which act as an abrasive on your insides. These spikes are thought to have evolved as a defense against being eaten (...
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Can I safely eat grass?
To add to the existing answers, depending on where the grass is growing, there can be all sorts of synthetic fertilizers thrown onto it which would be very harmful to humans. You do not want to eat ...
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What kind of tree produces these seed pods looking like spiky balls?
That is a sweet gum tree.
The distinctive compound fruit is hard, dry, and globose,1–1.5 inches (25–38 mm) in diameter, composed of numerous (40-60) capsules.[13] Each capsule, containing one to two ...
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14
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Are there any reliable plants to use for navigation?
I doubt there are specific plants, but in general, yes, plants can be indicators of direction.
In the Northern Hemisphere, for example, snow will stay longer on the north facing slopes and pile up on ...
- 69.1k
12
votes
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Can I eat raw acorns?
It looks like eating raw acorns won't kill you but its not likely to be pleasant and can harm you.
That said, even “sweet” acorns should be leached to remove what tannins exist in them because ...
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11
votes
Can you eat pine needles in an emergency?
Yes & no. The U.S. Navy land survival training in Pensacola, Florida teaches students to chew on pine needles to obtain vitamin C. But you don't actually chew and swallow them.
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Back country solution to itchy insect bites
First of all don't scratch. blood sucking insects inject anti-coagulant under your skin to prevent your blood from clotting and forming a scab so they don't get their mouthes stuck inside you while ...
- 53.3k
11
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Can I safely eat grass?
A look through the veterinary literature can show you some further reasons not to just go out and eat grass. Specifically, parasites like liver fluke, different species of tapeworm, and some ...
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10
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Plant identification methods
The previous answers (1,2(now deleted)), unfortunately, exhibit why a simple google search doesn't always work. Two seemingly experienced SE users coming to two different conclusions.
So is this an ...
9
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What is a good source of vitamin C in the wild?
There are many sources of vitamin C in the wild. Some of the tricks that I have come across is to know how to extract it in ways that do not destroy the vitamin C. Berries are great in vitamin C and ...
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9
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Plant identification methods
I think your plant is a pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. I have a lot in my yard in Massachusetts. Our sister site, Gardening and Landscaping has a number of questions about pokeweed. I think this has ...
8
votes
What is the most effective method to clean skin exposed to poison oak?
As noted, the key is removing it quickly. If you like to carry around dishsoap, that will work great. However if you do not regularly carry that around, abrasives are a good alternative. I've ...
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8
votes
Do sugar maple trees ever flower in the fall in Ohio?
Sugar maples, like other maples, flower in early spring. The flowers aren't very impressive.
The leaves of sugar maple are usually fully expanded three to four weeks after the leaf buds begin to ...
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7
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What is the most effective method to clean skin exposed to poison oak?
Poison oak's "poison" is an oil-based substance; therefore any oil-removing soap will do the trick. Dish soap is a low-cost and easily available substance for cleaning poison oak from skin. This study ...
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How do you eat nettles?
This is a good place to start: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's nettle recipes.
Nettle Soup
Adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Around 150g nettle tops
30-35g knob of butter
1 ...
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Back country solution to itchy insect bites
The only thing I can recommend from experience is mud: Cover the itching area with plenty of it and the itching will go away. After the mud dried out and has fallen off, sometimes the bites start to ...
- 21.7k
6
votes
Is wild garlic edible? How do you prepare it?
Wild garlic is perfectly edible.
My usual ways of cooking it are either to eat it raw (after washing) as a salad leaf, or to saute it like spinach (and it will reduce by a similar amount). It can ...
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Back country solution to itchy insect bites
Plantago works excellent againt nettle because of its anti-histamin properties and, in my experience, also against musquito bites. It grows usually in the neighbourhoud of nettle and might be the only ...
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What is this plant? Is it Poison Oak?
I have no knowledge of the plant, but I did find some interesting information, which I hope will help you.
Western Poison Oak, also called Pacific Poison Oak, is common in your region.
Poison oak, ...
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