Well hello Nuggets and Prospectors! Welcome to the gold rush history club podcast, Nuggets! This podcast will give a weekly lesson aimed at K-8th grade homeschool students, diving into the history of California and the gold rush. In our first unit of lessons, we will ask, who lived in California first? What languages were spoken, and what did they eat?
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California Indian Pre-Contact Tribal Territories
California Indian Tribal Language Families
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If you want to prepare your own acorn pancakes, here is how to do it. Prospectors, take note. I got this recipe from almanac.com. When gathering acorns, look for brown, fully mature acorns that still have their caps, as those without caps are more susceptible to infestation by worms and other critters. Green acorns are not yet mature and shouldn't be used. Give acorns a quick rinse in cool water. Place them in a pot or bowl and fill it with water, then remove and dispose of any floating acorns, as they have likely gone bad. Place the acorns in a colander and run them under the tap for a minute or two to dislodge any loose dirt or hitchhiking bugs. Set the colander aside to let the acorns air-dry, or simply dry them by hand with a dish towel. Acorns contain bitter-tasting tannins, so you must prepare, treat and cook the nuts before you eat them. It sounds like a pain but it's really not that difficult. Remove the shells and caps from your acorns with a nutcracker (or a hammer, if necessary). Do not eat the raw meat of the acorns yet. Drop the raw, shell-less acorns into one pot of boiling water and boil until the water is the color of strong tea. Strain the nuts through a colander and drop the strained nuts into a second pot of boiling water. Discard the dark water from the first pot, then refill it and bring the water to a boil again. Repeat the process without interruption (do not let the acorns cool) until the water boils clear. This may take an hour or more, depending on the variety of acorn. It's very important that the acorns dry to avoid rotting. Spread tannin-free acorns to dry on cookie sheets in a warm place. If it is hot out, lay the cookie sheets in the sun. Or, you could put them in an oven set to "warm." You can also put the acorns in a dehydrator set on low heat.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. coarse grind a few acorns at a time in a blender. Spread the ground acorns to dry on cookie sheets, then grind again in a blender. Repeat until you are left with a flour- or cornmeal-like substance. You can also freeze your fresh acorn meal. Store dried flour in jars in the fridge. Use acorn flour in bread, cake, pancakes, and more!
Acorn Pancakes
Ingredients:
One egg / 1 tsp. salad oil/ 1 tsp. honey or sugar / ½ cup leached and ground acorns
½ cup cornmeal / ½ cup whole wheat or white flour/ 2 tsp. double action baking powder
½ tsp. salt/ ½ cup milk
Instructions:
Break egg into bowl and add all ingredients, beating to create a batter. If batter is too thick, thin with additional milk. Pour batter onto hot, greased griddle and cook slowly until brown. Flip to brown opposite side. Serve with butter and syrup or jam—and enjoy!
Books to look into...
Adopted by Indians, by Mayfield
This book gives younger readers a close-up view of traditional California Indian life and early California. Thomas Jefferson Mayfield kept a wonderful secret for almost sixty years: the secret of his childhood among the Choinumne Indians of California's San Joaquin Valley. For twelve years he played and slept alongside Choinmune children, he hunted and fished with them, ate their food and wore their clothes. Adopted by Indians is the story of a boy who had an adventure that we can only dream about and it is absolutely true. Adopted by Indians has been approved by the California Department of Education and is listed in the Instructional Materials Approved for Legal Compliance Catalog.
Grass Games and Moon Races, California Indian games and toys by Jeannine Gendar
Dozens of traditional games are described through personal accounts, anecdotes, photographs, and drawings.
It Will Live Forever, traditional Yosemite Indian acorn preparation By Bev Ortiz
For centuries, the Yosemite Indians have been gathering acorns, drying and storing them, and pounding, winnowing, sifting, leaching, and cooking them in a highly evolved, elegant, and skillful process. It Will Live Forever looks at Julia Parker, a Kashaya Pomo woman who married into the Yosemite Miwok tribe and is still practicing this traditional art as Indian women have done for generations.
