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  • From: Kathy Carter-White <kathycarterwhite@earthlink.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] acorns
  • Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 15:28:54 -0600

Jamie-  feel free to use anything I post.  Info is below.
Kathy Carter-White, Tahlequah Oklahoma

ACORN FOOD INFO

Imogene Dawson in Indian Food for the Body Food for the Soul quotes Michael Beaty "Oak trees are divided into two sub groups, the white oaks and the red oaks.  Acorns from the white oak group are often referred to as sweet and are edible without any processing.  The acorns of the red oaks are quite bitter, and require processing as described below to remove the tannic acid before use.  An easy way to tell the difference without tasting the acorns is to look at the leaves of the trees.  The lobes on the leaves of the white oaks are rounded, while those on the red oaks are pointed and have a fine bristle protuding from them." 
"ACORNS____ 
Clean acorns.  Build a fire under a big iron Kettle.  Put 2 gallons of sifted ashes in the kettle with 4 gallons of cold water.  Mix and add 2 gallons of cleaned acorns.  Stir while bringing mixture to a full boil and continue until acorns are skinned.  Wash the acorns in many changes of water until they're clean.  Soak in clean water over night.  Pour off the water.  Place acorns on a framed screen to dry in the sun.        To use as a cereal, grind some of the nuts in the mortar.  When grit is about rice sized, cook as you would cook hot cereal.  This is also good to eat with butter."

This Imogene Dawson book is good because it features traditional recipes from many Southeastern and Oklahoma tribes.  It is self-published by Holitopa, P.O. Box 12721, Oklahoma City, OK  73157-2721 and was published 1992 ISBN 0-96335-330-6.  I think it is available from the Cherokee Nation Gift Shop, which is probably on the partner links page at www.cherokee.org



jamie wrote:
Thanks to Rob and Kathy for their comments. I know that J Russell Smith's
'Tree Crops' was an essential foundation text in the development of
Permaculture and wonder what work has been done by permaculturalists in
respect of the breeding work for oaks (as well as many other forage and food
trees) advocated by Smith?

The 'cork and pork' dehesa system of Portugal and Spain using Quercus suber
(cork) and Q. ilex (for feeding pork and with Q. ilex var. ballota to feed
humans without need of leaching) continues, I believe, to this day. Does
anyone know if such a system has been introduced to the US in the South West
perhaps, where I know from friends Q. ilex volunteers freely? Are there low
tannin US species of acorn that can be eaten out of hand? Or work toward
such an end?

On calcareous soils (such as I have here in France) chestnuts do not thrive
and acorns become the obvious alternative and, inspired by Smith's words and
his sense of urgency that we find alternatives to the erosion prone culture
of cereals on hillsides (an urgency only increased with the history of
agriculture in the 20th Century - 'Tree Crops' was first published in 1929
after all) I'd very much like to follow research done in this area. If ever
there was a Permaculture project of first importance for temperate
agriculture then Smith defined it perfectly 74 years ago.

A concerted effort to gather the experience of PCers and researchers alike
and put together a booklet of the information currently available might well
kindle/rekindle a system that has been shown to be not only profitable but
ecologically beneficial. I'm very willing to see what I can uncover here in
Europe (close to the Spanish border) but wonder if there are others in SW
USA and elsewhere that might be able to contribute their experience and
knowledge to help make a compelling case for the adoption of oak-based
forest systems?

Jamie
Souscayrous

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Kathy
Carter-White
Sent: jeudi 18 décembre 2003 09:08
To: permaculture
Subject: Re: [permaculture] acorns


Hi Jamie-  I took a Cherokee wild cooking class and one of the dishes
was acorn bread... actually more like the texture of corn mush.
According to Indian Herbology of North America, acorns can be used for
soup, bread and pudding.  I can't find my recipe book right now, but
I'll check for recipes.  Indian Herbology says these were gathered
sometimes, ie 500 lbs per person and stockpiled for winter cooking, so
I'd assume they were gathered in the fall... and I'm guessing it was
after first frost just because most things for winter were gathered
after first frost (grapes, persimmons, hickory nuts).  Were the White
Oak better?  Above source says acorns have the property of neutralizing
poison... Just guessing that the high tannin content  does the ph
thing.  I recall you roast them before grinding, and pour boiling water
over them to take away the bitter... k

  
    

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