Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

:EDIBLE PLANTS 373Our Indians also have made bread from thekernels of buckeyes. These, in a raw state, arepoisonous, but when dried, powdered, and freedfrom their poison by filtration, like acorns, theyyield an edible and nutritious flour. The methodis first to toiist the nuts, then hull and peel them,mash them in a basket with a billet, and then leachthem.The resulting paste may be baked, or eatencold.Hazel nuts, beech nuts, pecans, and wankapinsmay be used like chestnuts. The oil expressedfrom beech nuts is little inferior to the best oliveoil for table use, and will keep sweet for ten years.The oil from butternuts and black walnuts used tobe highly esteemed by the eastern Indians eitherto mix with their food, or as a frying fat. Theypounded the ripe kernels, boiled them in water,and skimmed oH the oil using the remaining pasteas bread. Hickory nut oil was easily obtained bycrushing the whole nuts, precipitating the brokenshells in water, and skimming off the oily "milk,"which was used as we use cream or butter. Thenut of the Ironwood (blue beech) Is edible.The kernel of the long-leaved pine cone is edibleand of an agreeable taste. Many western pineshave edible "nuts." The acridity of pine seedscan be removed by roasting.KINDProteinper ct.Fatper ct.Beechnut 21.8Butternut 27.9Chestnut, dry ..10.7Hickory nut .... 15.4Peanut 29.8Pecan 12.1Pine nut, Pinon 14.6Walnut 18,2By comparisonBeef, r'd steak .19.8White bread.... 9.2