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This article is part of Wilderness Way VOLUME 7, ISSUE 2. You may view more articles here or order this issue or a subscription here .
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Fragments of the Past
Archaeological Insights to Processing Hickory uts
by Kevin and Katie Finney In the charred remains of ancient hearths at Stone Age campsites across eastern orth America, the remains of hickory nuts are commonly found. Once crucial to the survival of Stone Age bands of hunters and gatherers, the hickory nut is now all but forgotten.
Hickories are easily identified as a member of the walnut family (Juglensaceae), as they have pinnately compound leaves that are alternately arranged on the stem. There are many distinguishable differences between walnuts and hickories. One of the most obvious is that walnuts may have from 13 to 23 leaflets, whereas hickories have significantly less. Most hickories and walnuts reach their northern most limit in the southern part of Michigan where we live. Both walnuts and hickories produce rich, edible nuts. Hickory nuts are significantly smaller than walnuts, and are housed in a thin greenish, yellow or brown four-valved husk. Hickory nuts, unlike walnuts, do not leave a thick, soft husk that can stain your hands. There are eleven species of hickories in North America, four of which are common in Michigan. Although we have found historical accounts and ethnological reports to document the Native use of most varieties of hickory nuts, some species are reportedly much more bitter and less palatable than others. The hickories we are familiar with are those common to Michigan. The bitternut hickory (Carya cordifromis), as its name implies, has a small bitter tasting nut. Although we have found one account that suggests this variety was commonly eaten by the Iroquois, it would not be my first choice for gathering. Pignut hickory (Carya glabra)
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has an oval to pear-shaped nut that can vary from sweet to slightly bitter in flavor. Shellbark hickories (Carya luciniosa) have nuts with a husk that is woody and thick, but the nut is the largest of the hickories, and is sweet tasting. Shagbark hickories (Carya ovata) are our choice, because they are so abundant in our area. They have a wonderfully sweet, rich flavorful nut encased in a thick shell. Ripe hickory nuts usually fall in profusion after the first frost, and are easily gathered in mass quantity. The green to brown colored husks can be removed without difficulty, peeling them off in four sections. The true challenge to nut gatherers usually comes with processing the nuts. Most people crack the nut shell, then tediously attempt to remove the rich, tasty nut in tiny pieces from the maze of hard shell that encloses it. Hours of labor can result in only a handful of nuts. The question is: How did people for thousands of years rely upon a food source that is so time consuming to process? Or, did they develop a more effective, less labor intensive technique to use the nuts? The answer lies back in those 4,000 year old hearths. Most hickory nut remains at archaeological sites are very small pieces of the shell in large quantities. These tiny fragments have been preserved over time, because they have been charred by being dumped into fire pits. Instead of cracking the nut and picking out the meat, the entire nuts were crushed (shell and all), into a course meal. The meal was then boiled over the fire. By boiling the meal, the nutrients and oils were removed in the form of a thick broth. The meal was left to settle, and the broth was poured into the fire pit where it was naturally charred, and some of it preserved for thousands of years, until today.
How It Is Done Begin by gathering a quantity of nuts. Bring them home and remove the husks. Husked nuts can be stored at room temperature for a few weeks, or in your freezer for at least a year. To pound the nuts into a meal, use a large Algonquin type wooden mortar and pestle called a botagun. A botagun can easily be made by burning and scraping out a good hardwood section of a log or stump about 3 to 3-1/2 feet high, and about a 1-1/2 feet wide. Build a small fire, or place hot coals on the middle of the log; then, blow, blow, and blow some more. When the wood has burned in a ways, stop and put out the coals with some water. Then, scrape out the char. Continue burning and scraping until the hole is about a 1 foot to 1-1/2 feet deep. Make sure the sides do not get too thin. Our pounder is carved out of elm. It should be heavy, as the weight does a lot of the work for you.
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Now, use your botagun, or whatever other means you have, to pound the nuts into a meal. Short hard blows are best. Otherwise the nuts tend to fly out. The meal can be pretty course in consistency. (We are not going for coffee grounds or cornmeal here.)
The meal should be placed in a pot of water, and brought to a boil for ten to fifteen minutes. You will see oil forming on the top of the water, and the final broth should have a mucous-like thickness. Strain the broth from the meal, or let the meal settle, and pour the broth off the top. Tiny bits of nutmeat will probably remain in your broth. Use the broth as a soup base, a rich nutritious drink or in other dishes. Often as practitioners of primitive skills, we can learn how to more effectively utilize our resources by studying archaeology. After all, there have been fulltime practitioners of primitive skills living here for over 11,000 years. They have left us some clues as to the tricks of the trade. As for archaeologists, many of them could gain some new insights by getting some hands-on practical experience by experimenting with some of the skills we are practicing. It would be pleasing to see these two worlds meet more often.
Mitigwahbak Puh-kon (Maple Hickory Mush)
1 Cup of coarse nut meal 1 Cup of cornmeal Granulated maple sugar or syrup Fill a saucepan half full of water. Add the nut meal, and bring it to a boil for about 10 minutes. (You should see nut oil forming on the top.) Pour the mixture through a strainer to remove the nutmeats and shells. Place the liquid back into the saucepan, and add the cornmeal. Allow the mixture to boil until it has thickened to the consistency of grits. Add maple sugar or syrup to taste. We
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like to use this recipe for breakfast. (Makes 3 to 4 servings.)
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