A Lesson from Squirrels
By Veronica MacDonald
An Accidental Anthropologist
Human beings have been really resourceful throughout history. The truth of the matter is they had no choice. Whatever food was available, it had to be eaten during that time of year or rot. That is, unless it could be cured, pickled, dried or preserved in someway.
The only exception would be igloos, the first deep freezers.
There is one resource that is bountiful every fall that Americans barely notice, except when they rake leaves. And the only animal smart enough to harvest them is the squirrel. It is the long forgotten acorn.
The meat of acorns is actually edible for humans. Just a warning though, they are pretty bitter unless you boil them due to their tannic acid. I am not going to reveal how I know that fun fact. Let’s just say I was fascinated by squirrels when I was little and had a little too much curiosity.
Native Americans turned acorns into acorn meal for breads, cakes, and dumplings in soups. Seminoles used the little nuts in stew. Other tribes such as the Apache just made straight acorn soup with shelled acorns, water, and sometimes meat.
Ancient Japanese people also made acorn meal for cakes, while ancient Korean cultures made acorn jelly. Acorns are still used in Asian recipes to make noodles. We sure have lost touch with resourcefulness in America.
Should you ever find yourself on an episode of Survivor, the quickest way to find food is to watch the animals. They know what to eat, where to get it, and how to store it. They haven’t lost touch with nature yet because they are not allowed in supermarkets. Even though squirrels are pretty dense when it comes to cars, we do have something to learn from them.