
What can you do with acorn flour? Native Americans used processed acorns in a variety of ways. These days, acorn flour is making something of a comeback. Comparable to almond flour, it can be used as a gluten-free substitute for flour in baked goods. The sourcing and processing required for acorn meal makes it more expensive and harder to come by than some other flours but baking with it can be a fun way to connect to the area’s roots.
Indigenous groups in the area were similarly crafty with a variety of ingredients that you won’t find on today’s menus, such as the tiny seeds of Eriogonum fasciculatum, the California buckwheat plant. You might be more familiar with this plant’s European cousin, Fagopyrum esculentum, a buckwheat which is still used around the world to make soba noodles, crepes and porridge.
To learn how people survived on the land long before modern technology and agriculture, sign up for an interpretive activity today (page#). In Nature’s Grocery Store (page #), you’ll learn all about human food sources on the land, and even get to try some! Explore Nature with Your Senses (page #) explores how using your senses can be helpful in a wilderness setting as participants study the flora and fauna of the Landmarks. Participants in Celebrate Cultures in Nature: Acorn Harvest (page #) will discover unique historical tales about the Landmarks and learn how to process acorns to celebrate the autumn harvest.