This is the only way to test plants that you don't know.
1-Inspect (try to identify)
2-Smell (crush portion ,if smells of bitter almonds or peaches throw away)
3-Skin (squeeze some juice on to tender skin if any discomfort throw away)
4-Mouth ( if no discomfort is felt then chew small bits but don't swallow wait 15 minutes)
5- Swallow (if no discomfort is felt from step 4 then swallow a small bit wait 5 hours )
6-Eating (if no reaction or discomfort and or pain the plant may be considered safe to eat)
This will not work with mushrooms if you can not id the mushroom beyond reasonable doubt don't picket it could kill you.
great list .. Item #1 is the best advice. Every survivalist should read and study good books on what is safe to eat from the wild. There are some good course at your local colleges on Edible Ontario Plants
I agree about the books and taking a course as well.
Remember 70% of the plants on this planet are not for consumption. research , research, research. You'll be amazed what you can find in your back yard. 🙂
I have Peterson's Field Guide to edible plants of Eastern/Central North America. A great resource and I recommend it to anyone. Should be in your BOB.
Also I would like to add that you must balance the risk of starvation against the risk of eating unknown plants. If you can wait, they also suggest that soaking plants in several washes of fresh water can help make many plants more palatable and in some cases safer to eat. The same goes for boiling.
I have no intention of testing unknown plants for eating. What I did when I first developed an interest in survival is go out and get a couple of good books about wild edible plants. Then I started going out looking for these plants and trying them. Now, if I ever have to bug out and have to live off the land on the way to my retreat, I already know what I can eat. The time to learn what you can eat is now, not when you have no choice. Many experts have already gone to a lot of trouble to learn what's what out there. Learn from the experts rather than maybe going through a lot of heartache and discomfort at an inopportune time.
Those who are unwilling to defend freedom, will become unfree.
I have a deck of cards in my bug out bag, that is a pack of plant identification for North American plants. I like it but it is a bit small, need to use glasses to read it, though good material.
I now have 2 glasses in my bug out bag in two different powers, x2 for reading and x3 for magnification uses.