Jenny and Falen give me a hard time because if I had to survive in the wilderness, I could probably last a few days. I can make a fire without matches, build a shelter, find my way back to civilization, etc.
A few years ago at Philmont Scout Ranch with the scouts, I showed them a plant which is perfectly edible. They thought it was so cool they were actually eating a wild plant.
It's called a wild onion. Here's what it looks like.
The bloom is purple or pink and it looks like a firework exploding. Super-easy to spot. Grows about a foot high. You have pull it out by the bottom to get the roots.
Pull the small roots off and peel the dirty skin off and it looks like this:
It tastes like a mild onion. They never grow very big so you can't survive on them, and like any plant in nature, if you eat too many it'll give you a belly ache. BUT next time you're camping, look around for them. Obviously, if you aren't certain it's a wild onion, don't eat it.
But a handful would be great in a little foil dinner with hamburger, potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper. Or even a little soup or salad.
They are around from about June to the end of August and they taste best earlier in the season.
This has been "How to Eat in the Wilderness", With Your Host, Dave Ryan. Thank you.