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To: bonnuss_in_austin who wrote (2661)	9/18/2001 12:42:39 AM
From: cosmicforce	Respond to of 51717

One the eastern Sierra Nevada we have Gooseberries. They are a wild currant. Same sort of thing, I guess, but no, we don't have loquats. My dad made gooseberry pancakes when we were camping. They are very tart and you'd still want to use a substantial (a lot of, really) syrup to make them edible. But, I thought it was really cool anyway to be 'living off the land'. Locally, we have wild blackberries along all the permanent watersources. So, if you go over to the delta, there are major thickets. The native Americans who lived in this area ate acorns. Believe it or not, (like Euell Gibbons used to say in the Grape Nuts commercial when I was a kid), "some parts are edible." My pet theory is that none of the local Valley oaks are native to my local area but from the central valley 60 miles east. I think the ones here were cultivated by the tribes. Almost no replacements seem to appear and the ones that stand are 150 years or more. I used to think the lack of tree growth was due to cattle, but even in places where cattle are restricted, the oaks are all adjacent to grinding holes. These are holes bored in the rock from a combination of physical action of a grinding stone or pounding rod, and the chemical effects of the tannins in the acorns. There are also some local walnut varieties. They aren't very yummy looking -- the outer husk decays away making a black disgusting mess. But they make excellent root stock. There are local plantations of chimeras (English/California walnut grafts). There are some abandoned orchards and the English part DOESN'T DO WELL. The root stock can keep the termite and beetle-bored English part alive but just barely. The non-native parts of the tree will not thrive here unless you assist it with pesticide.