Native N American crops
Kathleen Sayce (Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:48:05 PDT)

My comments below are a little off topic, but as the subject of true
agriculture has raised its little head, I have to comment.

For a thoroughly enlightening book on cultivation of food and fiber
plants by Native Americans, read Keeping It Living, edited by Douglas
Deur and Nancy Turner, UBC Press & U Washington Press. In which are
discussed: hauling bulbs around to plant in new spots, how tribes
kept woody & toxic species out of good bulb growing areas, how they
regenerated good berry picking areas, and other aspects of plant
management on the Pacific NW coast that sure sound like agriculture.

This book led me to realize that there are a number of food crops
that would do better in my area (Pacific NW) than transformed grains
like barley, rye, corn and wheat. Two bulbs were grown and stored
for carbohydrates: camas and wapato, other bulbs/tubers were less
intensively harvested, including a variety of onions, fritillaries,
lilies. Also thistles (Cirsium edule, edible thistle). I could go on,
but that' s enough. My favorite native (North American) fruits
include: blackberries, blueberries, and cranberries.

Management methods included: selective harvesting and transplanting,
digging, tilling, weeding, sowing, pruning and coppicing, and
landscape burning.

Despite its dominance today in farm landscapes, agriculture is not
always all about cereal crops.

Kathleen
On the Pacific NW coast, where we are in our second day of clear
skies, light frosts at night, and highs near 70F. My plants don' t
know what to do, there's no strafing rain.