> How about telling us about sand seed soup ... what is it? how is it made?
Sand seed soup is made from a plant that is similiar to wheat. The plant
is usually one of the first to grow in an area that has been burned.
Where my grandmother picks it is in the foothills of Mason Valley, Nev.
It has been pretty much decimated as it is considered a nusaince weed by
the farmers and property owners. It is picked during the middle of
summer by hand using differing sizes of baskets (loosely woven to tighly
woven) to seperate the seed from the hull. The seeds themselves look
like sesame seeds and are about the same size.
After they are cleaned and hulled they are take to a morra (more a'
(morter and pestle)). There they are crushed into a flour like
substance. It is in this form that they are stored or cooked.
They are poured in a very tightly woven basket that has been coated with
pitch from the pine tree (to keep the water from leaking) and mixed with
water. It is then cooked by dropping hot rocks into the mixture, it
thickens as it cooks. The texture and consistancy is similier to cream
of wheat! The flavor is sweet. It is eaten with any other foods as a
compliment, unless times were really tough then they were eaten alone.
I couldn't get a "measured recipe" from my grandma, she does it by sight
and feel, as with all other foods she cooks. This is only one of the
many seeds that were used by Paiutes and Washos in my area. This is the
Eastern Side of the Sierra Nevadas. Hope this explained a little, I do
not know what the "scientific name" of the sand seed plant is, (I only
know it by sight) but will try to find out. al
*all opinions are mine unless otherwise stated :)
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* almandel@mercury.sfsu.edu *
* Student Kouncil of Inter-Tribal Nations *
* San Francisco State University *
* 415-338-1929 *
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