Jim:
I just wanted to add a note to a well-written article. In addition to wild plant collection, I would seriously look to ornamental plants in the landscape as sources of both edible foods and medicinal plants. I currently work at a botanic garden and have been identifying and eating wild plants as well as ornamental ones for more than 20 years. I also teach plant identification.
As your article points out, season is everything. I am confident that I could walk into the woods from May through September and probably not starve to death. Late Fall and Winter are different. However, I could survive for a much longer period eating the plants that have been planted throughout the neighborhood. While most were planted for their ornamental qualities, they also have edible or medicinal qualities.
Plants such as crabapples, serviceberries, barberries, roses, certain dogwoods, and a few dozen different perennial flowers are all sources of food that should be considered.
As for the “yuck” factor that your friends have, it has been my experience that some people will never eat anything unless it comes from a grocery stand, or is prepackaged food. They have been so conditioned to believe that anything that has not been washed is going to make them sick. Most will not even give some of these plants a little taste. Or worse, some believe that it is beneath them to even try. If the Schumer hits the fan like a lot of the predictions out there, I can assure you there will be a quick, steep learning curve as to which plants you can do what with. Many will get sick, and some will die from eating the wrong plant or berry. Experimenting with the wrong plant can be deadly. And if you need food now, just walking into the woods with a book to start to learn how to identify which plants are good to eat and which will kill you will only accomplish a slower rate of starvation for yourself at best. Start learning how to identify them now. Learn where certain plants like to grow. Scout out your neighborhood and see where the best trees, shrubs, and flowers are at.
Learn how to use these plants. And most importantly, understand that “Edible” does not mean “good to eat”. “Edible” means you will not flop over dead if you do consume it. – Dan D. Lion