Here are this week’s 5 things you should know.
01. Universal Edibility Test
You should know how to determine if a plant can be safely eaten for survival in the wild.
According to the Universal Edibility Test, you should separate the plant into its various parts – roots, stems, leaves, buds, and flowers. Focus on only one piece of the plant at a time. Smell it. A strong, unpleasant odor is a bad sign.
Test for contact poisoning by placing a piece of the plant on your inner elbow or wrist for a few minutes. If your skin burns, itches, feels numb, or breaks out in a rash, don’t eat the plant.
If the plant passes the skin test, prepare a small portion the way you plan to eat it (boiling is always a good bet). Before taking a bite, touch the plant to your lips to test for burning or itching.
If there’s no reaction after 15 minutes, take a small bite, chew it, and hold it in your mouth for 15 minutes. If the plant tastes very bitter or soapy, spit it out. If there’s no reaction in your mouth, swallow the bite and wait several hours. If there’s no ill effect, you can assume this part of the plant is edible. Repeat the test for other parts of the plant; some plants have both edible and inedible parts.
It’s important to note that this method will not work for fungi. Some species of poisonous mushrooms for example, will seem to have no ill effect until a large enough quantity has been eaten, and then will cause severe liver damage and death and some are poisonous if you’ve had alcohol.
02. Don’t Peel Your Apples
Peeling an apple will remove 50% of its total fiber, and around 30% of its vitamin C. – Source
03. If you find a locked iPhone, and Siri is still enabled…
Ask “who do you belong to?” It will give you the Info and you can return it back. Also you can make it “Call a Family member”.
04. Even if your mobile phone doesn’t show any reception…
It may still be able to call 911 by using other cell towers, and that any cell phone without a SIM card can still call 911 if there are cell towers nearby.
So in an emergency where you need to dial 911 and your phone shows no service, try dialing anyways. It may be able to find another cell tower close by. However if there are no cell towers close by at all then it will not work. This is also why you should be careful when children are playing with old phones – they may still accidentally call 911! Also, it doesn’t cost minutes to call 911, so don’t worry about that either.
CAVEAT for phones without SIM cards: Be sure to give the 911 operator a contact number if possible since your phone will not have any number linked to it and they won’t be able to reach you. However, if at all possible in this instance, stay on the line, even if you have to leave the call connected while the phone is in a pocket or something for a few minutes, so that you can continue updating them if necessary than have them reach you at another number.
05. You can call the police or your local Humane Society anonymously…
If you know someone who is leaving their pet out in freezing temperatures. So you still get to save a life, but don’t have to stare awkwardly at your neighbor every morning for the rest of your life.
