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Post by ripton on Sept 2, 2005 9:03:04 GMT 12.75
Ok, tell me what you know. Is it feasible to do in the field?
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Post by Paws on Sept 2, 2005 11:46:02 GMT 12.75
Don't see why not! ;D
Acorn Flour
Put decupped, cracked, and hulled acorns in a pot, cover them with boiling water, and boil from 2 to 4 hours, changing the water for fresh, already boilng water whenever it becomes dark. When you change the water, taste an acorn -- they are leached enough when all astringency has gone. They will darken as they cook. Drain the acorns and let surface moisture dry off, then spread them in a shallow pan and raost them for about an hour in a 300F oven. The acorns are then ready to be eaten like other nuts or to be ground into coarse flour or meal to be used in bread, muffins, or cookies. The roasted acorns or the flour may be stored in airtight cans, or else frozen for future use. Uncooked acorns freeze well too -- they will keep indefinetely.
Acorn Muffins
This was once a “hard-times” bread because acorns are so plentiful and cost nothing. Sweet or nut muffins can be made from this recipe by adding 4 tablespoons sugar to the dry ingredients, omitting the garlic or onion salt (substitute 1 T. plain salt), and substituting melted shortening for the bacon fat. Add ½ cup walnuts or pecans to the batter, if you like.
1 c. acorn flour 1 c. cornmeal 1 c. flour 3 t. baking powder 1 t. garlic or onion salt 1 egg, slightly beaten 1½ c. milk 2 T. bacon drippings, melted
Preheat oven to 425F. Sift together the acorn flour, corn meal, flour, baking powder, and the onion or garlic salt. Beat egg and milk together; stir in bacon drippings. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened; don’t overmix. Pour into well-greased muffin tins and bake 15 minutes, or until brown and crusty. Makes about 18 muffins.
Hardly seems worth the effort though. ;D
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Post by Paws on Jul 5, 2006 3:24:58 GMT 12.75
Anybody ever try this?
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Post by Toby Benoit on Jul 6, 2006 10:42:17 GMT 12.75
Sure Ripton, you can do it in the field. Just be prepared to take your time and steep all of the bitter out of the acorns.
I passed this recipe of Paws' out to the youngun's in Mom and Dad's second litter and they tried it last fall with acorns from a giant water oak near their house. Mom supervised the cooking, but they didn't get all of the bitter out of the nuts and it was edible, but the little cake they saved for me was pretty tart. I ate it anyway to keep them happy. They really enjoy that kind of stuff.
It'd be something different in hunt camp this fall!
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Post by brittonfaith on Jul 6, 2006 12:33:58 GMT 12.75
You all are telling me that acorns are actually edible?? I was always told that while they aren't poisonous to humans, they would make a person exceptionally sick. Guess I learned something new!!
Suppose this goes along with poke berries. Everyone says they are poisonous, but I've got several old old cookbooks packed away where they are a main ingredient. Usually used for medicinal purpose. Although I do remember a poke berry ham glaze.
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Post by Paws on Jul 7, 2006 3:11:56 GMT 12.75
You got to get the tannin out of them. They are "highly" acid. That's the reason for the multiple boils. Never tried polk berries. I got a late start in polk life. Whenever I heard it I thought "poke" like sack. So I figured poke salad was just pickin up yard greens and putting it in a sack or poke! Now you tell me about berries?
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Post by Mars on Jul 7, 2006 12:31:24 GMT 12.75
Pokeweed is poisonous, every part of it, however. Many in this area eat the shoots when they first appear in the spring and the berries later on. Seems the younger plant is "less" dangerous but becomes more so as it gets older.It's one of those things that you take your chances with.
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Post by Paws on Jul 7, 2006 12:56:17 GMT 12.75
Pokeweed is poisonous, every part of it, however. Many in this area eat the shoots when they first appear in the spring and the berries later on. Seems the younger plant is "less" dangerous but becomes more so as it gets older.It's one of those things that you take your chances with. You mean like women?
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Post by RogueWarrior1957 on Jul 7, 2006 13:31:11 GMT 12.75
I for one was raised on "poke salad," as my family called it. You only gather the young, tender leaves, wash it thoroughly like you would any garden green, and parboil it (bring pokesalad and water to a boil. then drain off the liquid after it boils for a few minutes, then refill with liquid and go ahead and cook until tender). Then Mom always fixed it just like spinach with either sliced boiled eggs or sometimes she'd just scramble eggs into the mixture.
If you don't parboil the greens, they have a greater tendency to upset one's stomach. Leave the berries, roots and older plants alone...they have too much of the toxin in them. You are right, Paws..."poke" as in a cloth sack...same as a "poke bonnet."
Poke Salad and cornbread saved many a southerner from starvation when times were lean...myself included.
You may find it interesting to know that this member of the nightshade family was once the source of the drug, belladonna. Translated from Latin "Beautiful Lady." It seems the earliest use for belladonna was as a beauty aid for women. A couple of drops in each eye would make their pupils immense...which the gentlemen found to be extremely attractive. Early version of the "doe in the headlights" look.
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Post by Paws on Jul 7, 2006 13:51:24 GMT 12.75
Now that's fascinating! Nightshade family huh! I've heard of Bella Donna; no idea it was poke or nightshade related. You know Bill we have had many a meal of potatoes boiled in the jackets with dandelion greens and a little vinegar and salt. I guess Mom never knew about poke weed else we'd have learned about that too. ;D
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Post by brittonfaith on Jul 9, 2006 15:12:43 GMT 12.75
Weren't tomatoes once thought to be poisonous? The Nightshade family has many commonly eaten varieties...tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, garden huckleberries. I suppose, as with any plant, the key is knowing which members have edible/beneficial features. (sidenote: Neighbor warns that neither alfalfa or jo-pie are substitutes for smoking tobacco. In fact, they make you delerious and go plum loco. Guess she has first hand knowledge?? ) I wanted to find out more about pokeweed. So I did a little search and found this site. inmygarden.bubbanfriends.org/archives/000278.html But now, for whatever it's worth, the gal that did that site is not an expert. In fact, the link where I found the page was on one where she was giving advice for cooking and wine making with pokeberries.
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Post by Mars on Jul 9, 2006 16:16:09 GMT 12.75
botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/pokroo57.html---Description---This is regarded as one of the most important of indigenous American plants, and one of the most striking in appearance. The perennial root is large and fleshy, the stem hollow, the leaves alternate and ovate-lanceolate, and the flowers have a white calyx with no corolla. The fruit is a deep purple berry, covering the stem in clusters and resembling blackberries. The young shoots make a good substitute for asparagus, and poultry eat the berries, though large quantities give the flesh an unpleasant flavour, also causing it to become purgative, when eaten. In Portugal the use of the juice of the berries to colour port wines was discontinued because it spoilt the taste. The stain of the juice is a beautiful purple, and would make a useful dye if a way of fixing it were found. A decoction of the roots has been used for drenching cattle. As found in commerce the roots are usually sliced either longitudinally or transversely, are grey in colour, hard and wrinkled. The fracture is fibrous. It is inodorous, and the taste is acrid and slightly sweet. It is often used to adulterate belladonna, but may be recognized by the concentric rings of wood bundles in the transverse section. The leaves are used for the same purpose, requiring microscopical identification. ---Constituents---Phytolaccic acid has been obtained from the berries, and tannin. In theroot a non-reducing sugar, formic acid, and a small percentage of bitter resin have been found. The alkaloid Phytolaccin may be present in small quantities, but it has not been proved. A resinoid substance is called phytolaccin. The virtues are extracted by alcohol, diluted alcohol, and water. The powder is said to be sternutatory. ---Medicinal Action and Uses---A slow emetic and purgative with narcotic properties. As an alterative it is used in chronic rheumatism and granular conjunctivitis. As an ointment, in the proportion of a drachm to the ounce, it is used in psora, tinea capitis, favus and sycosis, and other skin diseases, causing at first smarting and heat. The slowness of action and the narcotic effects that accompany it render its use as an emetic inadvisable. It is used as a cathartic in paralysis of the bowels. Headaches of many sources are benefited by it, and both lotion and tincture are used in leucorrhoea. As a poultice it causes rapid suppuration in felons. The extract is said to have been used in chronic rheumatism and haemorrhoids. Authorities differ as to its value in cancer. Great relief towards the close of a difficult case of cancer of the uterus was obtained by an external application of 3 OZ. of Poke Root and 1 OZ. of Tincture used in the strength of 1 tablespoonful to 3 pints of tepid water for bathing the part. It is also stated to be of undoubted value as an internal remedy in cancer of the breast. The following prescription has been recommended: Fluid extracts of Phytolacca (2 OZ.), Gentian 1 OZ.) and Dandelion 1 OZ.), with Simple Syrup to make a pint. One teaspoonful may be taken after each meal. Infused in spirits, the fruit is used in chronic rheumatism, being regarded as equal to Guaicum. It is doubtful if the root will cure syphilis without the help of mercury. ---Dosages---As emetic, 10 to 30 grains. As alterative, 1 to 5 grains. Of fluid extract of berries, 1/2 to 1 drachm. Of fluid extract of root, 1/4 to 1/2 drachm; as an emetic, 15 drops; as an alterative, 2 drops. Phytolaccin, 1 to 3 grains. ---Poisons and Antidotes---In the lower animals convulsions and death from paralysis of respiration may be caused. Overdoses may produce considerable vomiting and purging, prostration, convulsions and death. ---Other Species---Phytolacca drastica of Chile is a violent purgative.
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Post by Mars on Jul 9, 2006 16:21:33 GMT 12.75
Pokeweed From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search ?Pokeweed
Phytolacca americana; this stalk contains ripe, purple berries as well as immature, green ones. Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Caryophyllales Family: Phytolaccaceae Genus: Phytolacca Species About 35, including:
P. acinosa (Southeast Asia) P. americana (North America) P. clavigera (China) P. dioica (South America) P. esculenta (East Asia) P. heteropetala (Mexico) P. icosandra (South America) P. octandra (New Zealand) The pokeweeds, also known as poke, pokeberry, pokeroot, inkberry or ombú, comprise the genus Phytolacca, perennial plants native to North America, South America, East Asia and New Zealand. Pokeweed contains phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccigenin, which are poisonous to mammals. However, the berries are eaten by birds, which are not affected by the toxin.
Pokeweeds are herbs, shrubs or small trees, growing from 1-20 m tall. They have single alternate leaves, pointed at the end, with crinkled edges. The stems are often colored pink or red. The flowers are greenish-white, in long clusters at the ends of the stems. They develop into dark purple berries.
Phytolacca dioica, the ombú, grows as a tree on the pampas of South America and is one of the only providers of shade on the open grassland. It is a symbol of Argentina and gaucho culture.
Preparing poke salad outside of Marshall, Texas in the 1930s[edit] Uses Young pokeweed leaves can be boiled twice to reduce the toxin, discarding the water after the first boiling. The result is known as poke salit, or Poke salad, and is occasionally available commercially. However, many authorities advise against eating pokeweed even after twice boiling, as traces of the toxin may still remain. For many decades, Poke salad was a staple of southern U.S. cuisine, but its use declined in the mid and late 20th century as campaigns by doctors caused it to become common knowledge in the U.S. South that Pokeweed remained toxic even after being boiled. The lingering cultural significance of Poke salad can be seen in the recording of the song Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White, famously covered by Elvis Presley.
A garden cultivar of P. americana with large fruitPokeweed is used as a homeopathic remedy to treat many ailments. It can be applied topically or taken internally. Topical treatments have been used for acne and other ailments. Internal treatments include tonsilitis, swollen glands and weight loss.
Pokeweed berries yield a red ink or dye, which was once used by Native Americans to decorate their horses.
Some pokeweeds are also grown as ornamental plants, mainly for their attractive berries; a number of cultivars have been selected for larger fruit panicles.
Pokeweeds are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Giant Leopard Moth.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed"
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Post by RogueWarrior1957 on Jul 9, 2006 16:35:42 GMT 12.75
Indeed, tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous, probably due to their high acidic content, they were leaching the lead out of the early serving vessels made of lead and pewter which did create a formidable toxin of lead.
I became interested in plants due to my some of my mother's forebearers being herbalists and medicine people of the Cherokee and Chickasaw cultures. Some of it I learned from Mother...some of it throught reading a lot.
Other members of the nightshade besides the ones Faith mentioned are petunias, moonflowers, tobacco, jimson weed, bittersweet (woody nightshade), eggplant, all varieties of peppers, Apple of Sodom, and a plant I know as Deadly Nightshade (solanaceae datura) which can cause death or wild hallucinations similar to LSD. Early races of man had religious cults that used potions made from Deadly Nightshade to induce hallucinations of flying or seeing the future. Jean Auel made indepth studies of these cultures when researching her book "Clan of the Cave Bear." This was probably a major ingredient of the witches brews of long ago...heck yeah!!! they probably were flying!!! Poke weed is also known as Red Nightshade due to the reddish colored stems and the leaves which turn red in the fall. It's scientific name is Phytolaccaceae Americanum.
While we're on the subject of naughty plants, did you know that the morning glory variety which produces the three-sided seeds contain a naturally occuring form of LSD? It is a very weak form and would have an effect only on a small child or pet. Eating enough of the seeds to get a normal person a buzz would result in a severe case of the backdoor trots. All attempts I've heard of to concentrate the drug for recreational uses by steeping or distillation also result in the backdoor trots. That would not be much fun...be on a far out earthshattering experience and have nature kick in and cause one to foul oneself! Not a fun trip at all! ;D
I've been meaning to say, and keep getting side-tracked, but the acorns around here (and the oaks as well) are different from the ones I was used to back east...these are white fleshed and sweet...almost like a hazlenut or chestnut. The deer and bears go crazy over them! This fall I'll try to go gather some and let you guys-n-gals have some for curiosity's sake. With the monsoonal rains we have been having this year, there should be a bumper crop this time.
I used to know this guy who was a bit of a lush. We were all out camping, a bunch of us from work, and I made the comment that they used to use juniper berries for bitters to flavor gin. This clown started eating them like a goose eating corn. It didn't kill him, but I think he had a bad case of the juniper-berry trots the next day. ;D Heck, I never told the idiot to eat a whole bait of them! Dayum! Some people!!!
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Post by mollymcbee on Jan 10, 2007 14:24:10 GMT 12.75
Tomatoes (and potatoes) are a member of the deadly nightshade family. If any part of the plant except the ripe tomato is eaten, it can cause severe illness or even death.
It seems that the poisonous substance in the plant is destroyed by the ripening process in the fruit or by heat, so ripe tomatoes or cooked green tomatoes are safe. Boy am I glad about that!
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Post by Toby Benoit on Jan 10, 2007 16:27:03 GMT 12.75
Golly gee it's Mollymcbee! ;D ;D ;D
So, if you eat raw taters it'll make you sick?
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Post by Paws on Jan 12, 2007 5:30:09 GMT 12.75
SAme here Molly! If there aren't any tomatoes in Heaven I'll have to think twice about going! ;D Love those berries!
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Post by mollymcbee on Jan 29, 2007 6:31:30 GMT 12.75
You will only get sick on raw potatoes if you eat the sprouts or any green on them, which contains the poison. Same with green (unripened, not variety) tomatoes - they have to be cooked to be safe.
The good news is that the green parts of potato and tomato plants have a nasty bitter taste and most folks would spit them out immediately.
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Post by Paws on Jan 29, 2007 6:39:21 GMT 12.75
I heard somewhere that the green in taters was cyanide! Never bothered to check it out.
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Post by RogueWarrior1957 on Jan 29, 2007 8:01:21 GMT 12.75
Hey, Paws...everything you ever wanted to know about the greening effect on potatoes...but was afraid to ask: From: www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/Food_Guide/Potatoes.htmChoose potatoes that are firm and free of sprouts, green skin, or spots. Prolonged storage in light can cause uncooked potatoes to turn green. Green potatoes may contain a substance called solanine, which can have a bitter flavor and can be toxic. If you’ve purchased potatoes that have turned green, be sure to trim off the green areas before using. To prevent potatoes from greening, they should be stored in a dark, cool place that is well ventilated. Such storage will prevent potatoes from “sprouting,” too, but avoid storing potatoes with onions. Always trim sprouts before cooking potatoes. Refer to these links as well...the last one is most definitive: www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=208www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/publications/freepubs/FGV-00337.html
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