Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-11-27
Edible Fruits Of Forest Trees. !.

6osUAV LIU1IS VI TOfUBt tL09os
It ia said that Daniel Boone and som'
OF our other early pioneers could 60 int
the wilderness with only rife and
sack Of salt and live In comfort on th'
game and other wild food which tht
woods afforded. While few people
want to try this sort of thing nowadays
persons who know the food value of ths
fruits Of our native trees and shrubs are
according to foresters, able to use then
to . good advantage In supplementini
other foods.
Aside from numerous edible mush
rooms, roots of shrubs and smaller
plants, the trees Of our forests AFFORD
large variety of edibles which arc highl!
priced by woods connoisseurs. First II
importance, Of course, are our native
nuts-beech nuts, butternuts, walnuts
chestnuts and chinquspius, hazel nuts
and several kinds of hickory nuts, In
cluding pecsDs. The kernels OF all o!
these are not only toothsome but highly
nutritious and are used by vegetarians
to replace meat. The oil of the beech
nut is said to be little inferior to olive
oil, while that of butternuts and walnut'
was used by some of the Indians fol
various purposes. The Indians, 1t 10 said
also formerly mixed chesDuts with corn
meal and made a bread which was
baked In corn husks, like tamales. II
parts of Europe bread Is made from
chesnuts alone. The chestnut crop u
this country Is being reduced each year
by the chestnut. blight disease which 10
some sections is gradually killing ont
the tree.
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 we'll. The In.
dian custom was to pound or grind
the acorns up and leach ont the tannip,
which makes:most of them unfit for eat.
ing when raw, by treating the pulp with
hot water. The resulting -four, which
contained considerable starch, was made
either into porridge..or baked In small
cakes of bread. As rule, the acorns OF
the various white oaks having less tan.
min are the ones best suited for food, but
Indian also used those Of the black
oaks, even though they contain much
tannin. The scorns of the basket OF
cow oak, the chinquapin oak, shin OF
Rocky Mountain oak, live oak, and OF
several other species, are sweet enough
to be eaten raw.
Another nut which Is not suited fol-
eating raw, but from which . palatable
food is said to have been prepared by
the Indians is the buckeye. The kernels
of these nuts were dried, powdered, and
freed of the poison which they contain
when raw by filtration. The resulting
paste was eitheri eaten cold or baked.
Several western pines have seeds which
play an important part In the diet OF the
local Indians. Perhaps the best known
of these is the fruit of the nut pine OF
pinon which forms the basis for q local
industry of some size. Not only is 1t
extensively eaten by local settlers and
Indians, but large quantities are shipped
to the cities where the seed is roasted
and sold on the street. The similar seed
of the Parry pine and the large Digger
pine seeds are eagerly sought by the
Indians. The latter tree is said to have
gained its name from It's use rs food
BY the Digger Indians. The seeds OF
the long leaf pine are edible and are I'M
proved by roasting. Indeed, 1t may be
said that most,nuts are more digestible
when roasted than when eaten raw.
One of the best known fruits, the
foresters say, Is the persimmon, which 10
edible only after 1t is thoroughly ripe.
As this 10 usually not until late In the
fall, 1t Ia commonly thought that the
fruit must be frostbitten. 1t the persim'
mon IL eaten before It is we'll ripened,
the tannic acid which the fruit cantains
has q strongly astringent effect, which
justif1es the story Of the soldier In the
Civil War who said he had eaten green
persimmons 30 as to shrink bis stomach
up to at his rstions. The pawpsw, or
custard apple, is also best when
thoroughly ripe. The fruit Of some
species of haws Is eaten or preserved In
different parts of tho country, while
those of several different kinds of Wild
cherries have food value and are used
for various purposes. Wild plums are
abundant In certain sections and occur
in particularly plentiful quantities along
streams In the Eastern and Middle
States.
Several varieties of wild crab apples
make delicious jellies. Some OF the larg-
eat, which attain the size of small apples,
are more or less abundant throughout
eastern North Carolina. Elderberries
are frequently used for pies and for
sauce. Those found In the West are
sweeter and have better flavor than
the eastern varieties.
The berries Of the blackberry, or sugar
berry, as it is called in the South, are
dry but have an agreeable taste. Those
of the mulberry are sweet and juicy
when ripe. The mulberry 10 valued In
some sections for feeding hogs and
poultry and some species are occasional
" cultivated.
Many people like the fruit OF the
chad bush, s.sarvice" berry, or June
berry, as 1t is variously called. In parts
of the country this fruit 10 used to make
jelly.
the acid flowers Of the redbud, or Judas
tree, in salads, while the buds and tender
pods are picked In vinegar. Honey
locust pods, often locally called "honey-
shucks," contain q sweetish, thick
cheeselike pulp, which 10 often eaten.
Those of the mesquite furnish the
Mexicans and Indians with . nutritious
food. The Creoles OF Louisiana, famous
for their cookery, are reported to use the
young buds of the sassafras a. q substi-
tute for okrs, in thickening soups.