Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-01-18
MUCH Wild FOOD.
IN THE FORESTS
Uncle Sans Foresters Show
Value of the Fruits OF
Native Trees.
NUTS FIRST IN IMPORTANCE
Perslmmon and Pawpaw Among Best
Known Fruits, and Edible Berries
Of Many Kinds Are Found
Acorns NourishinQ.

1t Is said that Daniel Boone and
some OF our other early pioneers could
go into the wilderness with only a
rife and a sack Of salt and live In
comfort on the game and other wild
1jfOOd 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 to
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 q 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. Inc
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 vari-
GUS purposes. The Indians, 1t Is said.
also formerly mixed chestnuts with
cornmeal and made bread which was
baked in corn husks, like tosnales.
Some Acorns Are Edible.
Acorns are commonly thought to be
At only for feeding hogs. but many
kinds Of them can be made edible and
nourishiLg 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 unft
for eating when raw, by treating the
pulp with hot water. The resulting
flour, which contained considerable
starch, was made either into q por-
ridge or baked In small cakes OF
bread. As 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
.'everal other species(are sweet enough
to be eaten raw.
Another-sut which islnot suited for
z41nE raw, but from which-a phlatable
food IL said to have been prepared BY
the Indians IL the buckeye. The ker-
uels 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 persimmon
which is edible only after 1t Is thor
Oughly ripe. As this Is usually moi
until late In the fall, 1t is commonly
thought that the fruit must be frost
bitten. If the persimmOn Is eaten be-
fore 1t Is well ripened the tannic acid
which the fruit contains has a strong
ly astringent effect. which justifies the
story of the soldier In the Civil wal
who said he had eaten green persim
mons so as to shrink his stomach uI
10 MI Ills TdtiOuS. 1Hc paw VI Noc
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 cherie.
have a food value and are used fol
various purposes. Wild plums ART
abundant in certain sections and Occur
in particularly plentiful quantities
along the streams in the Eastern ant
middle Western states.
Several varieties of wild crab ap
pies make delicious jellies. Some o
the largest, which attain the size o
small apples, are more or less abun
dant throughout eastern North Caro-
lima. Elderberries are frequently use'
for pies and for sauce. Those foun,
In the West are sweeter and have
better flavor than the Eastern varie
ties. e.
blackberry Has Agreeable Taste.
The berries of the blackberry, o
sugar berry, as 1t Is called In tn
South, are dry. but have an agreeabl
taste. Those Of the mulberry ar
sweet and juicy when ripe. The mul
berry Is valued in some sections 70
feeding hogs and poultry. and som
species are occasionally cultivated.
Many people like the fruit of tn
shad bush, "sarvice" berry, or Jun
berry, as 1t Is variOusly called.
parts of the country this fruit is use
to make jelly.
The French Canadians are said I
use the acid flowers Of the redbud, O
Judas tree. in salads. while the bud
and tender pods are picked In vine
gar. Honey locust pods, often LOGAN
called 'honey-shucks." contain a sweet
ish. thick, cheeselike pulp, which
often eaten. Those Of the mesquit
furnish the Mexicans and Indians wit
n nutritious food. The Creoles G
Louisiana. famous for their cooker,
are reported to use the young buds q
the sassafrass as a substitute for okr
In thickening soups.
FigurativeIy Speaking.