Acorn Festival highlights versatile traditional food source
From our weekly issue dated November 11, 2009
Lena Hurd displays some of her basket work. Participants enjoyed a feast featuring acorn-based dishes. (Photos by Zina Booth for Illinois Valley News)
More than 100 people feasted from a nutty menu at the Selma Acorn Festival on Saturday, Nov. 7.
Informational booths by Red Earth Descendant and the Siskiyou Project-Community Forestry & Restoration (C-Far), as well as raffles, kept people busy while the feast was prepared.
Lena Hurd wove spruce roots around hazel stick ribbing to make a basket for acorn mush. The basket was soaked for two hours, causing the spruce roots to expand for a watertight container.
Acorns were dried and cracked so that the bitter red skin fell off easily. They were then ground, mixed with water to the desired consistency, and cooked by placing hot rocks in the batter. Acorn mush can be flavored with salt and pepper, white or brown sugar, raisins and even bacon grease. The bowl was cleaned using a brush made of soap root.
A field trip by Lomakatsi Restoration Project demonstrated ecological practices and techniques for restoring oak woodland habitats.
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