Best Crops for a Survival Garden?

And verdolaga ( Portulaca oleracea) ? Don't You think it's a good option for survival garden?  

If I could only plant a few crops, I would go with potatoes, beans, cabbage and beets.

These are the foods that to me have the most value health-wise.

Of course plant what your family will eat.

My goal is a perennial survival food forest (hardiness zone 5b). I have planted chestnut, pear, and mulberry trees and they are doing well. I tried planting butternut, hazel, and persimmon trees, but they died. I would like to try them again though. I'd love for it to be all perennial. I also have some native pawpaw trees, hickories, and berry bushes, but that isn't survival calorie production. I tried planting Siberian pea seeds but they never grew.

I am not sure how to get enough protein (or fat), without adding in some animal products, or annuals such as beans. I am considering geese for animal protein and fat, but I'd rather not be tied to animal husbandry and slaughter, if there is another option. I am going to do some nutrition number crunching to see if it possible to get enough protein and fat with nuts and fruit.

I am a big fan of perennial plants and I like to recommend scarlet runner beans which would be a good source of protein plus it is pretty.

Thicket beans are also perennial;

https://permies.com/t/179300/Phaseolus-polystachios-thicket-bean-wild

https://permies.com/t/25648/Scarlet-Runner-Beans-perennial

Anne Miller wrote:I am a big fan of perennial plants and I like to recommend scarlet runner beans which would be a good source of protein plus it is pretty.

Thicket beans are also perennial;

https://permies.com/t/179300/Phaseolus-polystachios-thicket-bean-wild

https://permies.com/t/25648/Scarlet-Runner-Beans-perennial

I'd add Kentucky Coffee Tree beans harvested in the green stage.  Very tasty protein rich beans from trees!

Speaking of trees, harvesting pollarded tree shoots and leaves from trees like Toon, Linden, Sassafras and Mulberry looks to be a great way to maximize vitamins and minerals.  Seems that the tree loads up nutrients in the push to rapidly regrow its shoot system after it's cut back.  Growing out hedge systems from these trees is next on my to do list.