Victoria Nut Tree Project - Notes on meeting with Professor Nancy Turner at UVic

[Douglas Adams]

On Monday 28th June 2010 I met with Professor Nancy Turner at UVic. She is a world expert on the traditional use of food sources on the Pacific North West and has written a number of books and dozens of articles. She travels the world to speak at conferences.

 

Gary Oak Acorns

Nancy has met and discussed food security with a number of the first nations on our west coast (including southern Vancouver Island). The is no living knowledge or memory of the use of garry oak acorns as a food source.

Her comments were that the natural bounty of food from the sea, land and sky was so pleantiful that there was no need to use acorns. However, she mentioned some books written by Samuel Theyer and Dr. John Kallas that covered the use and deibility of acorns.
Abe Lloyd is one of her grad student who knows a lots about acorns. [e-mail]. Maybe we should invite him to our next nut meeting.

 

Food Security

 

We discussed food security and Nancy suggested that our food working group should also concentrate on securing sources of oils for the future: olives, grapes and sunflower. Also sweet chestnuts, black and English Walnuts, filbert and legumes.

 

Meeting with Assistant Professor Trevor Lantz

Nancy then introduced me to Trevor. His work focuses on the impacts of global change on ecocultural landscapes in western North America. His current research projects in Gwitchin and Inuvialuit communities in the Western Arctic examine feedbacks between climate change, warming permafrost, disturbance, vegetation change, and the abundance of country foods.

 

One of his grad students is working on the risks of growing food in the boulevards of Victoria. This should interest us and the Robin Hood Guerrilla Group. Maybe we can discuss this project  with him during a food group meeting.

 

Trevor has offered us his undergraduate students assistance in planting trees and any other food crops or food projects. The students are egar to get their hands dirty, get involved with community projects and gain some experience.

 

Maybe the Unviersity of Victoria School of Environmental Studies could become one of our partners when it comes to applying for the Real Estate Board grant.

 

Sources of information

Kuhnlein, Harriet V. and Nancy J. Turner. (URL version Published online March 2009; originally published 1991). Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian Indigenous Peoples. Nutrition, Botany and Use. Volume 8. In: Food and Nutrition in History and Anthropology, edited by S. Katz. Philadelphia, PA: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers; URL: http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/other/ai215e/ai215e00.HTM <http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/other/ai215e/ai215e00.HTM> (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, Rome)

Nancy Turner books also available at the library:
Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples and Food Plants of Interior First Peoples

With Adam Szczwinski, Edible Wild Plants of Canada – four volumes

Gary Paul Nabhan: Recovering America’s Food Traditions

Also internet search: Recovering Salmon Nation’s Food traditions

More recently anexcellent book, well written, knowledgable and easy to read is Feeding the People – Book on Indigenous Food. By Elise Krohn and Valerie Segrest

M. Kat Anderson. Tending the Wild

 

I hope this adds to the knowledge bank and the debate.

Douglas Adams

[Tamara SunSong]

That's great, Douglas -- thanks!

According to the last I heard, the Robin Hood gardening thing may not be happening at present. If Abe Lloyd is interested in coming to our nut meeting, that would be cool!

Tamara

[Renate Nahser-Ringer]

Not sure if you want this type of input but as coordinator of LifeCycles Fruit Tree Project I have applied for the Realestate funding before - we never were successful. They seemed to prefer more comprehensive proposals ( ie involving other funders and they liked things that brought an increase value to buildings. I tried to suggest the value of fruit trees in a yard as increasing property value but it did not land on receptive ears ) My suggestion is to really read the criteria and phone them first to get as much understanding of what they fund otherwise you will waste your time ( at least that is my experience) also it used to be that there were 4 grant applications dates a year ( March, may, july and sept) and you first needed to submit Letter of Intent (LOI) and LOI needed to be submitted 8 wks prior to grant meetings .
Also I saw comment on the nut oil - I do know of a black walnut tree that potentially could be grafted from. There are some issues though with this type of nut as it is very challenging to open - you need a press or something and there is not much nut meat inside . It does have medicinal value but is detrimental to the compost. There are a few good english walnut trees around but not many.
Renate

[Denise Dunn]

FYI In the fall Abe Lloyd will likely be leading a course Wild Edible Foods of Southern Vancouver Island through RRU's Continuing studies program.
Yes do let's invite him to our next meeting

Thanks for all your work on this Douglas.

And just in case someone missed it last time I posted it, I am attaching Jared Smith's briefing paper The Agriculture Carrying Capacity of Vancouver Island

[Denise Dunn]

Makes sense to me - we would only bother with acorns if there were nothing else to eat.

[Douglas Adams]

Not all nuts are created equal
Find out which nuts you should add to your diet and why
By Shandley McMurray
• 1 | 2 • Next
It’s no secret that eating nuts is good for you. Researchers have been proving their cancer-fighting, brain-enhancing, weight-reducing and cholesterol-lowering capacity for years. As long as you avoid eating them with salt and enjoy them in moderation (about a quarter cup a day) as part of a healthy diet, you could also help reduce your risk for coronary heart disease. Nuts can help keep you satiated and cut down on sweet cravings, too, but are some nuts better than others? We talked to two experts: Naturopathic Doctor Via Bitidis of the North Toronto Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto and Community Health Nutritionist Carol Schnittjer of Dauphin, Manitoba to find out which nuts you should be eating and why.

Almonds
Definitely a chart-topper, almonds have less fat than many nuts and are jam-packed with nutrients and disease-fighting antioxidants. With 94mg of calcium per quarter cup, they’re a great bone-builder as well. Plus, eating almonds has been proven to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. They can also help decrease blood sugar levels, providing protection against diabetes.
What’s in them: 206 calories, 18g of fat, 1.3 g saturated fat, 4 g fiber and 7.5g of protein in one quarter cup

Hazelnuts
Also known as filberts, hazelnuts are a good source of Vitamin E, providing 5 mg of this skin-enhancing antioxidant. They boast a healthy supply of B vitamins like B6, which can help combat the effects of autism, eczema and possibly hypertension. And hazelnuts contain tryptophan, an amino acid that helps treat insomnia and depression.
What’s in them: 212 calories, 20.5 g of fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 3g fiber and 5g of protein in one quarter cup

Walnuts
Who knew walnuts were so good for you? They’re one of the best plant sources of essential fatty acids such as Omega 3s, they can help reduce the effects of aging on your brain, improve your cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure and decrease LDL cholesterol. That’s a lot for a little nut.
What’s in them: 164 calories, 16g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 2g fiber and 4g protein in one quarter cup

Pecans
In addition to providing essential vitamins and nutrients like folate and Vitamin A, these tasty treats are high in manganese, a mineral that helps promote healthy bones and regulates blood sugar levels.
What’s in them: 171 calories, 18g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 2g fiber and 2g protein in one quarter cup

Cashews
Cashews are better for you than you might think. Most of their fat content comes from the healthy, unsaturated kind and most of this fat is from oleic acid, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. One 28g serving of cashews contains 10 percent of your daily requirement for iron and they’re also high in magnesium, zinc and copper, which are important for strengthening bones and fighting disease.
What’s in them: 155 calories, 12g fat, 2g saturated fat, 1g fiber, 5g protein in 28 grams

Nuts to cut back on
While these nuts are by no means unhealthy, especially when eaten in moderation, they don’t offer as many health benefits as the others mentioned above.

Brazil nuts
High in saturated fat (5g per ¼ cup serving), these are last on Schnittjer’s list of healthy nuts. They are packed with nutrients like zinc, magnesium and selenium, but the fat content is so high (218g per ¼ cup) you should limit your portion to a few nuts at a time.

Peanuts
Bitidis frowns upon this PB & J staple. Not only are they highly allergenic, but most commercial brands of peanut butter include unnecessary sugar, salt and fat, making them an unhealthy choice.

Chocolate-covered nuts
Candy-coated nuts of any kind should be a last resort says Schnittjer. The addition of chocolate and salt (which is often added by companies in the candying process) reduce the beneficial effects of the good fats and increase your levels of sodium.

* The nutritional information provided is for raw, husked nuts.

Ways to add nuts to your diet:
- Brown them in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly for three to four minutes. Don’t let them burn or you’ll lose out on the nutritive benefits as well as the scrumptious flavour. Then, add them to a stir-fry, yogurt or salad.
- Roast them in an oven at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes before adding them to granola, cereal or a casserole.

Related Links:

Healthy summer meal plan

10 ways to rediscover the great outdoors

The 10-minute leg and butt workout

Curb your cravings

The do diet

It's just nuts. Find out which nuts to add to your diet and why

[Tamara SunSong]

Thanks Douglas -- that nutritional information about nuts is helpful. It's convenient that the top three can all be grown in this climate.

I also appreciated the link (actually a non-functioning link) to the 10-minute leg and butt workout. ;^)

See y'all later!

Tamara