Page 47 - Spring2012

All Thumbs Book Reviews

Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge just one species, creating a mass of color for hun-
and the Management of California’s Natural dreds of acres. Carefully tended mesquite trees
Resources yielded bushels of pods with just a few hours of
by M. Kat Anderson gathering. Vast wetland regions yielded yam-
University of California Press, 2006 pahs—an edible potato-like tuber. Even more
amazing, the landscapes seemed magically clear
When the early European explorers and set- of brush—oak trees grew in sprawling savannas.
tlers came to California, they found a ravishing The Yosemite Valley was clear of undergrowth,
land, teeming with abundance. The hills, valleys so that you could see from one end of it to the
and plains were filled with elk, deer, antelope, other.
hare, rabbit and quail. Bear and mountain lion The Europeans assumed that they had
abounded. The sea shores were crowded with seal discovered an untouched wilderness that just
and otter. The skies were congested with birds, happened to resemble a garden, populated by
sometimes so thick they blocked out the sun. “primitive” Indian tribes who profited from
One observer noted that flocks of white geese Nature’s bounty simply by hunting and gather-
covered an area of four square miles when they ing. But in fact, California was not so much a
landed. The lakes and rivers were swarming with wilderness as a true garden, a garden of beauty
salmon, trout and other fish, their beds and banks and abundance because it had been tended for
covered with mussels, clams and other shellfish. thousands of years by wise guardians. For untold
Shrimp thronged the San Francisco bay! generations, the California Indians had shaped
Early observers were even more impressed the landscape by pruning, coppicing, cultivating,
with the profusion of California’s varied flora. transplanting, weeding, selecting cultivars—and
The forests yielded pine nuts and pine sugar; above all by controlled burning.
California’s massive oaks produced prodigious Controlled burning served as the main tool
amounts of acorns; the prairies and meadows for creating California’s garden-like landscape.
were covered with wildflowers, many times of Through periodic burning, the Indians cleared

Odd Bits: Continued.
in the house” (which is my own domestic ar- some headcheese as soon I can find some brains!) But substitutions are
rangement as well). offered with almost every recipe, so if we can’t get beef cheeks we can
Her delicious recipes are easy to follow, but use veal cheeks or oxtail.
none are routine. Try “Spicy Indian-Style Liver” It is a particular shame that what ancient peoples valued as sacred food
or “Bone Marrow and Mushroom Custard” and is, in modern practice, trash—a waste problem on the slaughterhouse floor.
relish the exceptional flavors. Many recipes are McLagan does, of course, write of the reverence these foods were shown
simple enough for everyday cooking, such as by traditional cultures and of the superior nutrition that they offer, although
“Heart Burgers,” “Deviled Kidney and Mush- she doesn’t go into as much detail as I would have liked. Still, Odd Bits
rooms,” and a number of stew dishes. Sadly, more than succeeds as a cookbook. It is a comprehensive re-introduction
many of the once familiar ingredients she writes to all the flavorful tastes we have been missing in our modern menus.
of are difficult to find and some are even banned Read Odd Bits and you will find your world has expanded as if seeing new
for sale in stores here in the U.S., though they are colors. Prepare the recipes and discover new taste pleasures. Serve your
still commonly available in Europe and around children and loved ones this food and they will grow strong and healthy.
the world. (I have a particular hankering to make Review by Claudia Keel
Wise Traditions SPRING 2012 SPRING 2012 Wise Traditions 47

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