Hunter Gatherer Types… It is Time to Start Thinking About Oaks and Acorns

Yes, the summer has just begun but before you know it, your favorite oak trees will be bursting forth with green acorns. As the days shorten, the acorns will turn brown and drop to the ground. That’s when you grab your basket and start gathering. The acorns will look beautiful in a basket sitting on your mantle or kitchen table but don’t leave them there very long. Get cracking. If there are any worms in them, they will eat your acorns and make them unappealing. They will still be good to eat, a few nibbles from them won’t hurt but make haste. Crack them and either freeze them for later leaching or leach them and then freeze them. Acorn chocolate cake… I can taste it now.  Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns. Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Acorns-Eatem-How–Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1491288973

How Cool is this? A Children’s Summer Camp… in French

One of the most pleasant memories of my Southern vacation was a visit to Vermilionville, a Cajun village where the lives of early settlers to Louisiana are recreated at the site of the original settlement. I came home with a dvd of Cajun music, a broader understanding of the Acadians and a link to their website. Every week, I receive an email about the events at the center. I love opening it because it brings me back to the peaceful summer day I spent at the village. Recently they posted a children’s summer camp where everyone speaks French. What a wonderful way to preserve Louisiana’s French culture. Keep the kids speaking the language of their ancestors.

The French got a raw deal when the English booted them out of Canada and renamed Acadia… Nova Scotia. The Acadians had a diaspora, some returned to Europe and many were unkindly transported to Haiti. The Acadians who wound up in Louisiana, are those whose lives are recreated at Vermilionville and their descendants are now sending their children to French summer camp. That’s tenacity. If you are interested in the summer camp, here’s their website:

http://www.bayouvermiliondistrict.org/summer-camp

Suellen Ocean is the author of many books on diverse topics. Her books are available here:  http://www.amazon.com/Suellen-Ocean/e/B001KC7Z78