-- This is the second part of a multi-part series. The first article focuses on protein from insects, whereas this article will be about finding protein from nut bearing trees in North America. --

Although we all have some plans in place to be able to eat during a SHTF scenario, whether that be having stored food, or even homesteading with animals. We can never predict everything and there is always the chance that we need to abandon our place of security and set out for a new safe location.

Since it's difficult to carry enough food for more than a few days worth (while traveling on foot if things are that bad), it is important to know how to supplement your diet with food sources that you find along the way. Although water is more vital than food, water is not too much of a concern if you have a good portable filter. In most areas there will be some sort of water to be found that can be used.

Deriving protein from plants is not really a mystery, we are all aware that's what vegetarians do every day. However, much of their protein will come from sources like soy, rice & beans, and processed grains like quinoa and buckwheat. Common garden vegetables that also contain protein are peas, spinach, kale, broccoli, potatoes, and even corn.

But what if you don't have access to processed grains? What if all you had were wild (non-garden) plants to choose from?

A prepared individual might be saying, 'I won't be needing to forage at all, I've got enough food stored up to last me for months/years', or 'I've got a garden so I'll be fine with what I grow', etc... While it might be true that you would do perfectly fine at your bug out/in location for a long time, there are a number of situations that might make you leave a location that you intended to hole up in.

A situation like a fire (and there will be lots of out of control fires around urban and suburban areas), flood, or government agency evacuating an area, etc.. will force you to leave your safety zone and perhaps make you an unintended refugee. While you might have your Bug Out Bag (BOB) with you (which of course contains a portable water filter), there's a good chance that you won't have enough food to last more than a few days.

On top of those stressful conditions, you might have to be walking a good distance to find a reasonable new place to stay. This will get you burning many more calories than normal that you will need to replenish. That is where the need for some wild protein will come in.

Obviously there are many scenarios we can come up with, but whatever the reason, you might be needing to collect some extra protein from your surroundings. Meat is the primary source of protein for most people in developed countries, and so hunting and trapping will be a great source of food with the right equipment. That is until the wild life is all but extinguished from the amount of people catching everything that moves after all the grocery store food runs out.

So besides animals, where can you find protein in the wild?