Nature is full of food. Even desert climates that look like barren wastelands have abundant resources that can help you survive if you know where to look. We’ve gathered a list of 16 common wild plants you can eat. These leaves, seeds, roots and herbs can keep you going in a survival situation when you’ll need all the strength you can get.

In the aftermath of a disaster your first thoughts will be about survival. But what if the effects of a crisis drag on, like during the slow recovery from an EMP or financial crash? Once you have shelter, clean water and a steady food supply, you’ll find yourself missing the sweeter things in life. Fortunately nature is full of syrup trees whose sugary sap can satisfy your cravings.

An important part of survival prepping is sustainability. To be truly ready for disaster on any scale, you must be prepared to provide your family with food and shelter. Ideally you are able to generate your own power and heat, collect your own water and process your waste. An Earthship home is designed to do all of this. It collects and recycles water, generates power, stabilizes temperatures, processes sewage and grows food.

Aquaponics is a type of farming that grows both fish and produce. You arrange a garden bed and a fish tank with a pump and pipes running water between them. You feed the fish, the waste from the fish feeds the plants, the plants filter the water before it goes back to the fish. You get to harvest both vegetables and fish.

Knowing how to make traps and snares is an essential survival skill. Trapping is the most energy efficient way to hunt. You set your traps and they work for you while you attend to your other needs, such as building a fire or shelter. If you are equipped with a decent knife, these simple survival tools can be manufactured from materials you find in nature, though having a length of rope or wire on hand is certainly helpful.

While barbecuing is fun and delicious, smoking meat is an art. Some would say that smoking is “real barbecuing”. You take, generally, tougher, fattier pieces of meat and cook them slowly over four, six or even twelve hours. The fat slowly renders out as the meat becomes tender and juicy. The smoke penetrates the meat, giving it a rich aroma and flavor. Smoked meat is juicer, more tender and far more flavorful than regular barbecue.

Chickens are a must for every survival prepper. They eat nearly anything, come home to their coop every night, lay eggs faithfully and adapt readily to new surroundings. With little input from you they will continuously produce both eggs and meat for the family. All they ask is a perch to sleep on at night and some sort of box or basket in which to lay their eggs. Depending on where you live, they may need to be confined in order to protect them from predators (or to protect tender garden seedlings from chicken scratching!).

The human body can survive for up to three days without water and up to three weeks without food. But who would want to? The key to survival is staying healthy and while many foods can be found in the wild, you will be smart to start collecting foods that have a long or indefinite shelf life immediately.

Being that rice is the perfect survival food because of its long shelf life, you must also know how to store it effectively – otherwise it’s money down the drain. Moisture and bugs can ruin rice and your appetite, so the goal is much like any other food in that you want to store it air tight.