The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-11-27
EDIBLE FRUITS
OF FOREST TREES
Nuts Form the Most Important Article
of Food--Persimmon and Wild
Apple Valuable.


of our early pioneers could 60 into the
wilderness with only rife and a sack
of salt and live in comfort on the game
and other wild food which the woods af-
forded. While few people want to try
that sort of thing nowadays, persons who
know the food value of the fruits of our
native trees and shrubs, are, according
to foresters, able to use them to good
advantage in supplementing other foods.
Aside from the numerous edible mush-
rooms, roots, fruits of shrubs and small
ler plants, the trees of our forests afford
a large variety of edibles which are high
lly priced by woods connoisseurs. First
in Importance, OF course, are our native
nuts-beechnuts, butternuts, walnuts,
chestnuts and chinquapins, hazel nuts
and several kinds of hickory nuts, includ-
| ing pecans. The kernels of all of these
are not only toothsome but highly nutri-
tious and are used by vegetarians to re-
place 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 various pur.
poses. The Indians, it is said also for
merly mixed chestnuts with cornmeal
and made bread which was baked in
up and leach out the tainnin. which
Europe bread is made from chestnuts
alone. The chestnut crop in this country
is being reduced each year by the chest
nut blight disease which in some sections
is gradually killing out the tree.
Annrnu ara ooynrnn.Jp +ba,,u,t ha 81
only for feeding hogs, but many kinds of
them can be made edible and nourish-
ing for people as well. The Indian Gus
tom was to pound or grind the acrons
up and leach out the tanning, which
makes most Of them unfit for eating
when raw, by treating the pulp with hot
water. T he resulting flour, which con
tanned considerable starch, was made Ell.
Their into a porridge or baked in small |
cakes of bread. As a rule, the aeorns |
of the various white oaks having less |
tannin are the ones best suited for food, |
but Indians also used those of the black |
oak, even though they contained much
tannin. The acorns of the basket or
COW oak, the chinquapin oak, shin or
several other species, are sweet enough
to be eaten raw.
Another nut which is not suited for
eating raw. but from which a 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 either eaten cold or baked.
Several western pines have seeds which
play an important part in the diet of
he local Indians. Perhaps the best
Known of these is the fruit of the nut
zine or pinon which forms the basis for
local industry of some size. Not only
$ it extensively eaten by local settlers
md Indians, but large quantities are
hipped to the cities where the seed is
oasted and sold on the street The
imilar seed of the Parry pine and the
lrge Digger pine seeds are eagerly sought
" the Indians The latter tree is said
o have gained its name from its use as
God by the Digger Indians. The seeds
{ the longleaf pine are edible and are
improved by roasting. Indeed it may be
aid that most nuts are more digestible
-hen roasted than if eaten raw.
One of the best known fruits, the for |
sters say, is the persimmon, which is
iible only after il is thoroughly ripe '
S this is usually not until late in the {
al. it is commonly thought that the /
nit must be frostbitten. If the persim-
ION is eaten before it is we'll ripened, Il
he fannie acid which the fruit contains g
as a. strongly astringent effect, which i
lstifes the story of the soldier in the n
ivil war who said he had eaten green !,
ersimmons so as to shrink his stomach q
p to fit his rations. The pawpaw. or
lstard apple. is also best when thor
ighly ripe The fruit of some species ;
haws is eaten or preserved in different !"
.rts of the country, while those of sew Il
al different kinds of wild cherries have y
food value and are used for various "
mposes. Wild plums are abundant in n
rtain sections and occur in particularly @
entiful quantities along the streams in u
e eastern and middle western states. 5
Several varieties of wild crab apples h'
axe delicious iellies. Some of the larg. Ell
{. which attain the size Of small APP y
Is, are more or less abundant through |
i eastern North Carolina Elderber-
: are frequently used for pies and for NJ
uce. Those found in the west are di
,eeter and have a better flavor than ca
e eastern varieties. Vi
The berries Of the blackberry. or sugar &C
rry. as it Is called in the south. are
Y but have an agreeable taste. Those =
the mulberry are sweet and juicy when
". The mulberry i valued in some pc
.tions for feeding hogs and poultry and GU
ne species are occasionally cultivated shl
MANY people like the fruit % the shad ems
81. ~sarvice7 berry. OF June berry. a. Tn
Is vsriously called. In parts Of the lea
Intry this fruit j. used 70 make Jelly III
The French Canadians arc said to use tn,
acid flowers II the redhud. or Judas yol
e. in salads, while the buds and tender sti