Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1917-12-05
MUCH WILD FOOD
IN The FORESTS
Uncle Sans ForeSters Show
Value of the Fruits OF
Native Trees.
NUTS FIRST IN IMPORTANCE
Persimmon and Pawpaw Among Best
Known Fruits, and Edible Berries
of Many Kinds Are Found
Acorns Nourishinq.

some of our other early pioneers could
go into the wilderness with only q
rife and sack of salt and live in
comfort on the game and other wild
food which the woods afforded. While
few people want TO try that sort of
thing nowadays, persons who know the
food value of the fruits of our ma
tive trees and shrubs are, according 10
Uncle Sans foresters, able to use
them TO good advantage in supplement-
ing other foods.
Aside from the numerous edible
mushrooms, roots, fruits of shrubs and
smaller plants. the trees of our forests
afford large variety of edibles which
are highly priced by woods connois-
seurs. First in Importance, of course,
are the native nuts-beechnuts, butter
nuts, walnuts, chestnuts and chinqua-
pins, hazel nuts, and several kinds OF
hickory nuts. including pecans. The
kernels OF all of these are not only
toothsome, but highly nutritious and
are used by vegetarians to replace
meat. The oil of the beechnut is said
to be little inferior TO olive oil, while
that of butternuts and walnuts was
used by some of the Indians for yari-
also formerly mixed chestnuts with
cornmeal and made bread which was
baked in corn husks like tomales.
Some Acorns Are Edible.
Acorns are commonly thought to be
fit only for feeding hogs, but many
kinds of them can be made edible and
nourishing for people as well. The'
Indian custom was to pound or grind
the acorns up and leach out the tan
min, which makes most of them unfit
for eating when raw. by treating the
pulp with hot water. The resulting
-four which contained considerable
starch, was made either into por-
ridge or baked In small cakes OF
bread As a rule, the acorns of the
various white oaks having less tannin
are the ones best suited for food, but
Indians also used those of the black
ones. even though they contain much
tannin. The acorns of the basket or
COW oak. the chinquapin oak, shin or
Rocky Mountain oak, live oak, and Of
several other species, are sweet enough
10 be eaten raw.
Another nut which Is not suited for
eating raw, but from which a palatahle
food is said to have been prepared by
the Indians is the buckeye. The kerr
nels of these nuts were dried. powder
ed, and freed Of the poison which
they contain when raw by filtration.
The resulting paste was either eaten
cold or baked.
One of the best-knOwn fruits, the
foresterns say. is the perslmmon,
which is edible only after it is thor
oughlv ripe. AS this is usually not
until late in the fall, it is commonly
thought that the fruit must be frost
bitten. II the persimmon is eaten be
fore IL is well ripened the fannie acid
which the fruit contains has strong
~ astrlngent effect, which justifies the
story of the soldier IN the Civil war
who said he had eaten green persim-
mons so as TO shrink his stomach up
TO fit his rations. The pawpaw, or GUS
tard apple. Is also best when thorough
ly ripe. The fruit of some species Of
haws is eaten or preserved in different
parts Of the country, while those of
several different kinds of cherries
have a food value and are used for
various purposes. Wild plums are
abundant in certain sections and occur
In particularly plentiful quantities
along the streams in the Eastern and
middle Western states.
Several varieties OF wild crab APP
pies make delicious jellies. Some of
the largest. which attain the size of
small apples, are more or less album
dnnt throughout eastern North Caro-
lima. Elderberries are frequently used
for pies and for sauce. Those found
in the West are sweetcr and have
better flavor than the Eastern varle-
ties.
blackberry Has Agreeable Taste.
The berries Of the blackberry. or
sugar berry. as 1t is called in the
South, are dry, but have an agreeable
taste. Those Of the mulberry are
sweet ami juicy when ripe. The mul-
berry Is valued ia some sections for
feeding hogs and poultry. and some
species are occasionally cultivated
Many people ike the fruit of the
shad bush. "saryicc" berry, or June
berry. as It Is yariously called. In
parts of the country this fruit Is used
to make Jelly.
The French Canadians are said to
use the acid flowers of the redbud, or
Judas tree. In salads. while the buds
and tender pods are picked In vine
gar. Honey locust pods. often locally
called "honey-shucks," contain sweet
ish. thick. cheeselke pulp, which is
often eaten Those of the mesquite
furnish the Meyicans and Indians with
a nutritious food. The Creoles Of
Louisiana, famous for their cookery.
are reported 70 use the young buds of
the sassafrass as substitute for okru
in tilc6ening soups.
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