Lost in the Woods Tea
So you found that your hike has taken a wrong turn, maybe even a few wrong turns. Well, it doesn’t hurt to have a few tricks up your sleeve to try and stay well and energetic in case such a thing were to happen. And don’t feel embarrassed as this kinda thing happens to the best of us. Most importantly you will hopefully have water or be able to find a water source. If you are really lucky you might encounter wild berries however although they are only in season part of the year the plants that bare them are potentially available to be consumed year round. If you happen upon fresh berries, just eat them and forget about this tea recipe. It can really help to have some vitamins and nutrients to help you get by in times of great need. Pine needles are my favorite for making tea and I often times will just chew on the needles while I am hiking. Pine needles contain a large amount of vitamins A and C as well as other nutrients. Of course these trees are either where you are at or not at all. In the denser forests Wild Strawberry, Raspberry, and Blackberry can sometimes be found and they make a nutritious teas as well. You will need to at least have some water, and a stove helps a lot.
Lost in the Woods Survival Teas
Pine leaves or
Raspberry, Strawberry, or Blackberry leaves
Water
Cup or water bottle
The directions are simple and the preparation just depends on what you have at hand. The first step is to identify the plant, really make sure you know how to do this before making tea(insert disclaimer here). I like Pine needles because they taste good and can be identified easily by anyone. Pine needles need to be ground or agitated before adding liquid. After removing the sappy stem either rip them apart with the hands, chop into pieces with knife, or grind them between two rocks before adding them to a cup. For leaves, just rip them up into the smallest pieces you can before adding to cup. Add hot water to cup and steep for as long as you like, at least 10 minutes. Cold water tea should be steeped for at least 20 minutes or longer. Should have plenty of time being lost in the woods n all. Ingredients can be added to a water bottle and shaken to make tea as well. If you don’t have any of the above the best method is simply to make the tea in your mouth by grinding down the plant with the teeth and sucking out the juices. When you have absolutely nothing to eat a little bit of forage scratch nutrition can go a long way. Learning to identify edible plants on hikes makes the experience more interesting and builds your outdoors confidence.
Other plants that can be used make survival tea:
Spruce needles
Birch Bark or twigs
Thistle stalks
Wild Peppermint
Dandelion
Rose Hips
by the handful 