I can't believe I forgot all the berries here in Oregon, especially the blackberries, they're considered a weed because they're so prevalent and hard to get rid of. I'll have to look into dockweed, I don't know what that looks like or if it grows here.

Yeah, there are a lot more wild foods here in Oregon than in Arizona (where I'm from originally.) I'm going to look up those plants you've suggested, so I know what to look for. Being here only a couple of years means that I have to start over again learning what the edible plants look like.

That's a pretty good one for last-ditch survival food gathering, SaltHeart. I don't think a ranger would begrudge you no matter what tactic you used to stay alive if you were in enough of a bad situation in the wilderness. I'd never thought about those glue traps, they store like so many flashcards in your emergency pack, and are all too easy to stick bait to, and anchor anywhere. Probably much more productive for the unpracticed layperson than attempting to lay snares or deadfalls. Not reusable, though, but in a pinch, that's a really good idea!

When my kids and I came home from overseas we were pretty poor. There were more that a few times that I would go down to the Big Piney and dig river worms then catch a bucket full of perch and goggle eye to feed my children. Squirrels were open season year round as was rabbits and turkeys. We would go down to the pond and collect watercress for salads, always had blackberries and rasberrys for cereals in the morning. Hickory nuts were plentiful, too.

Adam-- are pancake cactuses the ones that grow like a random collection of connected green frisbees? I've seen Mezzicans on the sides of San Diego highways all the time, cutting some of those frisbees off to eat at home. I've always assumed those were the fresh mexi's, not quite established enough to even get grocery food yet.

I've eaten that stuff, it's not that good. But it's not bad either. I guess the most apt description for them would be 'slimey lettuce' exept that they're about a half inch thick. I wouldn't have any problem eating it again, but I wouldn't be excited for the opportunity, either.

There's plenty of rabbit where I live. Every sage-choked valley is stuffed to the brim with rabbits and gophers. Right around my house I've seen plenty of deer, pheasants, and quail, mostly from the field next to me, which is connected to several strips of wilderness here and there all the way out to the end of the city and the beginning of Uinta National Forest.

Does anyone make syrup from the local plantlife?

What would you use for sugar in an EOW situation? My kids would die without their fix.

Gulf Coast is easy forage area too. From seafood to salads. Louisiana is called the Sportsman Paradise for a reason.

I think most (not all) places are easy food forage if you know the area well. You just have to know what to look for.