The Versatile, Do-Everything ‘Survival Berry’ The Native Americans Prized

Image source: Cody Assmann.

The modern back-to-basics food movement has led many people to rediscover plants used for centuries in the past.

One particularly useful plant that grows in abundance around the country is the versatile chokecherry. Due to their quick and abundant growth, along with their tart berries, chokecherries have been planted in tree rows for wind protection, for wildlife habitat and for erosion control. Today they grow in a variety of climates and regions around the country. Odds are you may not be far from this useful berry.

The many uses of chokecherry were not lost on pioneers, Native Americans, and other people who lived off the land. Lewis and Clark even ate them on their journey. These valuable plants were cherished and visited often when they were ripe.

If you happen to discover chokecherries in your neighborhood, here are four ways you can put them to work:

1. Nutrition.

Image source: Cody Assmann:.

These dark purple, red, or almost black berries are high in fiber and Vitamin K. Today, chokecherries are most often used in jellies, vinegar, syrups and juice. They can be easily processed, but do require the removal of the leaves, stems and pits. Each of these parts of the plant contain hydrocyanic acid, posing a significantly higher risk to livestock than people, as animals are more likely to consume large quantities of the leaves. However, there have been a few reported instances of children dying after consuming too many seeds.

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Native people across America routinely smashed the fruits, dried them thoroughly in the sun, and added them to a pemmican mixture. Even though the seeds were consumed by Native people, they lost their toxicity after drying. Anyone interested in this primitive process is advised to spend time with an expert on the subject and learn more about removing the toxins. Chokecherries are not a dangerous plant, and with more modern techniques you can easily and safely enjoy these bountiful fruits in a variety of ways.

2. Archery equipment.

Portions of the tree that develop acceptable girth can be tillered to make quality hunting bows. In fact, these bows are reputed to be some of the finest bow-making materials by many modern bowyers. A good hunting wood is hard to find, since it must have two important attributes. First, the wood must have the ability to withstand tension forces on the back of the bow. Also, at the same time the back in under tension forces, the belly of the bow is being compressed. Finding a wood capable of both forces is not easy, and chokecherry fits the bill nicely.

In addition to the ability to be made into bows, the young straight shoots can be cut and made into arrows. Similar to the wood needed to make bows, arrows need a wood with particular properties. The two biggest attributes wood need to be made into arrows are straightness and spine. Spine refers to the wood’s ability to bend upon the shot and then straighten out as it flies downrange. Finding a wood with just the right amount of spine is not always easy. It takes quite a bit of experience and know-how to construct bows and arrows, but even a novice who understands the basic concepts can create bows and arrows that serve their purpose marginally well.

3. Dye.

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If you’ve ever picked chokecherries, then you can attest to the potential for creating a dye with the fruit. The dye from chokecherry juice can be used to identify dye-wooden objects like arrows or bows, and cloth projects, as well. Although the dye will not keep you alive in a survival situation, it can definitely come in handy for projects down the road. To make a dye, simply collect an adequate amount of berries and fill a container.

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With the collected berries in the container, you need to pulp the fruit and create a mashed mix of juice and berries. Any item placed in this mixture will take on the beautiful pinkish red color of the dye. For lighter stains, leave the product in for shorter periods, and for deeper and darker stains leave it in the dye for longer.

4. Medicine.

True to form, the versatile chokecherry has a variety of medicinal uses, as well. In the past, dried berries were used to treat a variety of bowel conditions, from diarrhea to loss of appetite. It was also given in some form to people suffering from ulcers and other conditions of a weak stomach. Additionally, the bark is reported to be an outstanding remedy for respiratory ailments, such as a bad cough. As with using any plant medicinally, folks interested in this practice are encouraged to consult an expert in the subject.

If you plan on heading out to harvest some of the bounty chokecherries offer up, then make sure to take the time to learn how to correctly identify the plant. There is a toxic lookalike called common buckthorn. Once you learn a few rules to follow and how to identify a chokecherry, don’t be afraid to enjoy all the versatility it has to offer. Whether you are looking for a nutritious treat, a beautiful deep dye, archery gear, or to sooth a medical ailment, the chokecherry offers up a gift.

What other uses have you discovered? What advice would you add? Share it in the section below:

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or cure any particular health condition. Please consult with a qualified health professional first.

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The Silent-But-Deadly Weapon Missing From Most Survival Caches

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If there’s anything that will bring up controversy in the world of survival and prepping, it’s a discussion about weapons. Everyone has their own ideas about what’s the best, and most of those ideas are based upon some pretty sound reasoning.

The truth is there is no one perfect weapon or even set of weapons that is the perfect solution in all situations. What is ideal in one scenario might be the worst possible choice in another.

Then there are the individual factors that have to be considered. Not all survivalists are created equal. Each is an individual mix of skills, abilities, thoughts, needs and capabilities. Something that might be an excellent weapon for one person might be the worst possible choice for another, simply because he or she doesn’t have the strength to use it properly. What might be ideal at one point in our lives may turn out to be less than ideal as we improve our skills.

This probably has a lot to do with why many of us have an entire arsenal, rather than just the few guns we need. Granted, we like collecting guns, as well, but as our ideas about defense evolve over time, we decide that the tools we’ve selected to use aren’t the best for our needs and go in search of others. Of course, we keep the old ones, too, as there’s always the possibility that we can use them.

Even so, there are weapon options that we rarely consider, even though they are excellent choices. At times, our prejudices or our addiction to modern technology overwhelm what could be sound reasoning. Such is the case of the bow.

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The bow is one of the two oldest weapons in continuous use in the world today; the other being the knife. While there are examples of other weapons that have been around longer than the bow, they don’t fit the criteria of being still in use. Yes, you can find swords and spears, even real ones, available for sale, but they are considered novelty items more than actual weapons.

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In my way of thinking, any survival arsenal is incomplete without a bow. While you can survive just fine without one, there are times when a bow would actually be a superior choice over any firearm you could pick.

The bow has two things going for it that firearms don’t have. The first is that it is a silent killer. Even a heavily suppressed pistol is going to be far louder than a bow will be; and adding silencers to pistols makes it hard to shoot them accurately, regardless of what the movies show us. Typically, you can’t use the pistol’s sights if there is a suppressor installed.

If you are trying to hide from marauders or other two-legged predators, the last thing you want to do is advertise your presence by firing a gun. While you may find that necessary, you have to realize that it will attract the attention of every bad guy within a couple of miles. At least some of them will hear the shot and begin looking for supplies that they can steal – your supplies.

The second advantage that bows have over firearms is that you can make your own ammunition. Many ancient people groups used the bow, and they all made their own arrows. In a long-term survival situation, ammunition for guns is probably going to become scarce.

Now, I know that many are stockpiling ammo. But no matter how big your stockpile is, it has limits. Personally, I’d rather save as much of that ammo as I can for times when I really need it, such as when I have to defend my homestead from a hungry gang.

Using a bow, whether to hunt or for self-defense, means that I save the ammo I have. Then, when the time comes, I’ll have that much more available to me. I may never use all the ammo I have, but I have no way of knowing that. During a societal collapse, where I have to depend on what I have to survive an unknown length of time, there is no way to guarantee that I have enough ammo.

With practice, a bow is a very effective weapon. That’s why it’s been in use all around the world, throughout human history. But I must say: Our modern compound bows may not be the ideal survival weapons — at least not if they have more than 60 pounds of draw weight. Past that point, they shatter wood arrows, making it impossible to use them. Last I checked, making carbon fiber arrow shafts in a disaster situation – with stores closed — won’t be easy. So, you’ll either want a compound bow with a lighter draw weight or a simpler recurve bow.  Either way, it will be an excellent addition to your survival arsenal.

Do you believe bows should be a part of survival and self-defense arsenals? Share your thoughts in the section below:  

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