[Survival] Edible Plants Test

Here is some information (with some notations) regarding survivability in the wilderness. Apparently the pared down (without my notations) version is available as the new test in the USAF ejector seat manuals. Wanted to document it, so I wrote it up and am going to post it here.

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Plant Edibility Test
Rules of Eight

Your Senses Can Identify an Unknown Plant's Edibility

SIGHT
1. First look for plant parts that contain high energy
a. Fruit
b. Seeds, grains or nuts
c. Roots, bulbs or tubers

2. Never Test:
a. Fungi (mushrooms, mold, etc.)
b. Seeds in Pods (beans, peas, etc.)
c. Plants with umbrella shaped flowers (dill, hemlock, etc.)
d. Plants with milky sap (poinsettia, poison oak, etc.)
e. Shiny/glossy leaf plants (many tropical house plants, poison oak, etc.)

SMELL
1. Stop the test if:
a. unpleasant odor is present
b. plant is moldy or musty
c. unusual odor is present
2. If there is an almond scent, STOP TESTING.

SKIN
1. Place the juice of the plant on the outer lip for 8 minutes.
(This is the fleshy part of the lip just outside the dark part of your lip or lip ridge. It has sensitive skin and is far enough away that the juice won't reach your mouth)
2. If reaction occurs, STOP TESTING.
3. If no reaction occurs, move onto the next test.

TASTE
1. Taste a small amount of the plant juice.
2. Chew a small pinch of the plant and leave it in your mouth for 8 minutes.
3. If an unpleasant taste or reaction occurs, STOP TESTING.
4. If no reaction occurs, swallow.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
1. After swallowing, wait 8 hours.
2. If no reaction occurs, then:
3. Chew a handful of the plant, swallow, and wait 8 hours.
4. If no reaction occurs, consider the plant part edible.

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Remember that this is no substitution for actual plant knowledge and just and additional tool to use in survival situations! :)

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And an update for those couple of you that follow me and haven't heard from me in ages :
I flew out two months after Morgan went back from her trip here to visit me and we drove across the country together in a pretty awesome experience. She now lives with me and we are ecstatically happy. Life is very awesome right now. :)

[Love] Morgan's Second Blog Post

I took a chance flying across many states just to meet someone, however, I rationalized that meeting any new person involves risks and besides, I could get on the plane home as quickly as I came, but honestly, I didn’t think it would happen that way, and it didn’t. Brandon picked me up from the airport, got out of his car and walked toward me with a grin on his face. I gave him the biggest hug and kiss. We spent the rest of the afternoon in Seattle, going to the aquarium and eating messy seafood, and even though I was confident I knew Brandon well, his mannerisms, confidence and charm made him all the more attractive to me. And I was a worried, however slightly, that our dynamic interaction online, and through texting and talking would somehow not translate in real life, but as we spent time together, and had our same dynamic conversations, that worry quickly vanished. Brandon had taken some vacation time for my visit and we spent our time watching movies, taking walks, making meals, eating at restaurants, and yes, touristy things like visiting the nearby Belgium-themed town littered with gift shops, and touring his hometown. I also got to meet some of his family and we all even went out eating, playing arcade games, and bowled on the last night I was there. The whole time by his side felt like I belonged there and he made it very clear that he felt that way, too. Our time together was challenged by the fact there were some problems at his work that he had to go and fix, but I knew that he had to fix what he needed to fix and patiently waited for him to come back home, and even got some studying done in the meantime. After my visit, I realized that I had to be with him, but there was school and a job to consider. After uprooting my whole life the past couple of years to go back to school, the move just doesn’t seem to be that disastrous. I mean, there are retail or childcare jobs and colleges in Washington that are every bit as good as the colleges here. If I am uprooted here, certainly I can be uprooted there and be somewhere where I want to grow and cultivate a life- my adult life. So I have made the decision that I will be moving me and only my necessities to be with the man I fell in love with. It’s extraordinary, but really, the whole thing is.