Preppers are telling us that our way of life might change drastically in the near future. They warn that the mod cons we all enjoy every day might disappear in a flash of disintegrating grid. Not only light and hot water but gas pumps may go down. Without gas pumps, the big trucks that keep the grocery stores stocked won't run. So how will you get your food? Well, knowing the wild foods of California might help.
Food does not come off grocery store shelves and out of their coolers, as we all know. It wanders around on land, or swims in the sea, or grows wherever there is sunlight and water. To harvest this rich bounty of wild food, you need to hunt and gather, just like in prehistoric times. (It's nice to know the big raptors are gone, isn't it?) Remember the Hunger Games books and movies? Those who have the skills and drive to go outside the walls have an advantage.
Of course, for the starving family in District 12, it wasn't a fat rabbit or wild turkey that pointed the way to survival. It was a lowly dandelion, which reminded Katniss that her father had shown her edible plants when she was a child, before he died in a mine explosion. She picked the flower and more like it and knew that she would make it.
That means that you don't have to be a mighty hunter or live near a source of seafood to feed yourself from nature. Vegetarians do just fine, as many in California could already tell you. Cultivated salad greens are no more delicious than the ones that grow all around you free for the picking.
After all, almost anyone can pluck up a green plant or pick a ripe berry. Of course, it's helpful if you know which are good to eat or which might make you sick (or worse). And plants are not hard to find. Dandelions grow everywhere, even in city lots. So do nutritious nettles and wild onions, and many ornamental flowers are edible.
There are some great books, both old and new, that have all the information you need to learn to identify plants you can eat. Some even have recipes and guidelines; the author might tell how Native Americans processed acorns to make them palatable and what they used them for (flour and pemmican). You can learn about the nutrients in a dandelion salad and the way day lily buds taste when sauteed. Of course, some things can be eaten raw, like roots, nuts, and berries.
It's fun to learn all this stuff, even if doomsday never comes. Who doesn't want a measure of independence and some sort of control in all situations. Take childlike pleasure in roaming the woods, ravines, roadsides, and wastelands for tasty treats or medicinal herbs. You can even find California plants that make soap, another thing that you routinely get at the grocery store.
The Golden State, with it's year-round growing season, is a good place to be if you have to live off the land. And think about it. It would be a shame to starve in one of the most fruitful places on earth for lack of a little knowledge.
Food does not come off grocery store shelves and out of their coolers, as we all know. It wanders around on land, or swims in the sea, or grows wherever there is sunlight and water. To harvest this rich bounty of wild food, you need to hunt and gather, just like in prehistoric times. (It's nice to know the big raptors are gone, isn't it?) Remember the Hunger Games books and movies? Those who have the skills and drive to go outside the walls have an advantage.
Of course, for the starving family in District 12, it wasn't a fat rabbit or wild turkey that pointed the way to survival. It was a lowly dandelion, which reminded Katniss that her father had shown her edible plants when she was a child, before he died in a mine explosion. She picked the flower and more like it and knew that she would make it.
That means that you don't have to be a mighty hunter or live near a source of seafood to feed yourself from nature. Vegetarians do just fine, as many in California could already tell you. Cultivated salad greens are no more delicious than the ones that grow all around you free for the picking.
After all, almost anyone can pluck up a green plant or pick a ripe berry. Of course, it's helpful if you know which are good to eat or which might make you sick (or worse). And plants are not hard to find. Dandelions grow everywhere, even in city lots. So do nutritious nettles and wild onions, and many ornamental flowers are edible.
There are some great books, both old and new, that have all the information you need to learn to identify plants you can eat. Some even have recipes and guidelines; the author might tell how Native Americans processed acorns to make them palatable and what they used them for (flour and pemmican). You can learn about the nutrients in a dandelion salad and the way day lily buds taste when sauteed. Of course, some things can be eaten raw, like roots, nuts, and berries.
It's fun to learn all this stuff, even if doomsday never comes. Who doesn't want a measure of independence and some sort of control in all situations. Take childlike pleasure in roaming the woods, ravines, roadsides, and wastelands for tasty treats or medicinal herbs. You can even find California plants that make soap, another thing that you routinely get at the grocery store.
The Golden State, with it's year-round growing season, is a good place to be if you have to live off the land. And think about it. It would be a shame to starve in one of the most fruitful places on earth for lack of a little knowledge.
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