Arm yourself with knowledge...

Anyone who has a personalized Google page knows the joy of the fun little tidbits iGoogle provides.


Today's gem on my Google homepage is found under the "How To's" of the day. File this away in your mental rolodex. You'll be ever so glad you did if you should find yourself in the middle of nowhere, foraging for sustenance... My favorite part of the "lesson" is No. 6:

Prepare a small portion of the plant part. Some plants are poisonous only when raw, so it's a good idea to cook the plant part you are testing if possible. If you can't cook the plant or if you don't anticipate that you will be able to cook it in the future, just test it raw.

I guess they assume you will have the means to actually cook something...

Well, if you're lost in the desert, here is a pretty simple one: Keep an eye out for the prickly pear cactus.