FALL FORAGING, 2: Nutty for hickories ... we'll explain on 
Passport to Texas
______________________________________________

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Fall is harvest time - in both commercial agriculture and 
in nature. This is the time of year when foraging for 
certain native produce provides us with a bountiful 
harvest. Especially when it comes to nuts.

"Once we get into fall that's the time when a lot of nut trees 
produce."

Scooter Cheatham is a naturalist and co-author of Useful 
Wild Plants of Texas, a twelve-volume set of 
encyclopedias that details the myriad uses for native 
plants. 

Scooter says native walnuts ripen in the fall, and can be 
found growing wild throughout the state. The ubiquitous 
acorn is another edible native nut, but requires extensive 
processing to be palatable. 

Of course pecans are a favorite around these parts, and 
figure prominently at the end of many a Thanksgiving 
meal, when made into a sweet filling cradled in a flaky 
crust. And as good as pecans are, Scooter says there's 
one nut better ... its cousin the hickory.

"A lot of people who've made Thanksgiving pies from hickory 
swear that hickory is better than pecan. They're awfully good. 
I've made them and I'm convinced."

If you want to eat outside of the box, become acquainted 
with native nourishment. But never bite into anything you 
cannot fully identify. Acquaint yourself with wild food by 
joining your local chapter of the native plant society. Or 
visit www.usefulwildplants.org for more information. 

That's our show for today ... For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... 
I'm Cecilia Nasti.