Are mushrooms a good survival food?

QUESTION:

My family and I are pretty serious about being prepared for any eventuality. We keep enough water and canned and dried foods at home to be able to stay in place for up to 60 days.

Also, each year, we practice going into the woods for a week or two, just with what we can carry. We also do a little foraging.

Until now, we have never included mushrooms as part of our preparedness diet. Nor have we foraged any mushrooms when in the woods.

What do you think? Should we? Are mushrooms a valuable source of nutrients?


ANSWER:

Interesting question!

I’d say No… and Yes. 🙂

No, because mushrooms are low in carbs and calories. Eat all the mushrooms you like, and you’ll be hard pressed to consume much of your daily calorie intake requirement. In other words, unlike rice or beans, mushrooms are not a staple food.

Also no… because unless you really know your mushrooms, there’s a very small but real chance that you might pick and eat a mushroom that is poisonous. And if that happens, and you’re in survival mode, you likely won’t be able to rush off to the nearest hospital for treatment. So either take a course in mushroom identification and foraging, or leave them well alone.

OK… now onto a few reasons I’d say Yes.

If you have children, and want to bring some family activity into the survival or self-sufficiency mindset, it can be a lot of fun growing your own mushrooms at home. We do it ourselves and are always amazed by how quickly the mushrooms grow once they get started! And homegrown mushrooms are as fresh as they come.

Another time to say yes is when it comes to dried mushrooms. They weigh almost nothing and are super-easy to rehydrate with hot water.

Why bother when they have so few calories? Because they add flavor to soups, stews, omelets and more. Being in survival mode and eating a diet of canned food, beans and rice will keep you alive. But those bland tastes can get pretty boring! Add some mushrooms and you’ll get a welcome boost in flavor.

One last reason to include mushrooms in your survival diet is that many species support immune health. In other words, if you’re in survival mode, mushrooms can play an important part in keeping you and your family healthy during difficult times.

Bottom line… grow mushrooms at home for fun.

And… store and carry plenty of dried mushrooms for flavor and immune support.

I hope this answers your question!