This is an acorn dropped from the the branches of a magnificent Coast Live Oak that grows in my yard. Coast Live Oaks grow in groves in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Acorns from these oaks were a major part of the diet of native Chumash and Tongva people who lived in Southern California, in these mountains and on the Channel Islands. The nuts were shelled and then ground to a powder in stone mortars. The tannin in the meal was flushed out by rinsing in water. Then porridge was prepared by boiling the oak flour with water.
The Chumash were expert basketweavers, whose exquisite baskets are displayed in museums today. The baskets were so tightly woven they could hold water. The porridge was cooked by heating red-hot rocks, then plunging them into the porridge-filled baskets.
Edible? I should say so. They are certainly being eaten by all the squirrels that scamper under the oak branches, on the roof of my house!
4 comments:
As long as the squirrels stay ON the roof and don't get inside your house, you are okay!
Zombie Chicken was made by marinating the chicken for a few hours in a mix of Jim Beam BBQ sauce and a few splashes of Jack Daniels, then cooked in a casserole dish with the sauce and sprinkled on top with a mix of crumbly sugar-cookie dough and wheat germ, plus a little cajun seasoning. Bake until done. (I served it over mashed potatoes, with green beans and homemade bread on the side.)
I'm glad you mentioned the tannin, I was just about to scoff a load of acorns.
I think these oaks might just be my favorite tree. Nothing says California more than anything. Don't they just set you to daydreaming?
Those oaks are venerable all right, and the acorns are way cool!
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