Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

EDIBLE PLAINTS 371tains an Illustration of every plant, Is of the firstassistance to an amateur in identifying. WhereverGray's nomenclature differs, it is added in parentheses.The months named under each plant are those Inwhich it flowers, the earlier month In each casebeing the flowering month In the plant's southernmostrange, and the later one that of the northernmost.In the case of wild fruits, the months arethose in which the fruit ripens.It is necessary to remember that most of theedible plants become tough and bitter when theyhave reached full bloom.SUBSTANTIAL FOODSAcorns.—The eastern oaks that yield sweetmast are the basket, black jack, bur, chestnut, overcup,post, rock chestnut, scrub chestnut, swampwhite, and white oaks, the acorns of chestnut andpost oaks being sweetest; those producing* bittermast are the black, pin, red, scarlet, shingle, Spanish,water, and willow oaks; of which the black andwater oak acorns are most astringent.None of these can be used raw, as human food,without more or less ill effect from the tannin contained.But there are tribes of western Indian,who extract the tannin from even the most astringentacorns and make bread out of their flour.The process varies somew^hat among different tribes,but essentially it as as follows:The acorns are collected when ripe, spread outto dry in the sun, cracked, and stored until the kernelsare dry, care being taken that they do not mold.The kernels are then pulverized in a mortar to afine meal, with frequent siftlngs to remove thecoarser particles, until the w^hole Is ground to a fineflour, this being essential. The tannin Is then dis'solved out by placing the flour In a filter and let-