permaculture

["WWOOF Taiwan" <wwooftaiwan@hotmail.com>]

I used to eat White Oak acorns when i was a kid and remember them tasting quite good and many times better than Red Oak or other oak species in our neighborhood in southern Wisconsin.

WWOOFTaiwan@hotmail.com

>From: "jamie"

>Reply-To: permaculture

>To: "permaculture"

>Subject: RE: [permaculture] acorns

>Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 10:03:36 -0000

>

>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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