A14 THE
THE DAVIS
DAVIS ENTERPRISE
ENTERPRISE
A14
leaved oak, quercus castaneifolia, that
grows in the Shields Oak Grove. Native to
the Caucasus and Alborz mountains of
Iran, it is the fastest-growing oak after
our valley oak. It has excellent wood and
is used for timber.
His candy from oak tree story: In its
SUNDAY, JUNE
JUNE 24,
24, 2012
2012
SUNDAY,
native habitat, it has a mealy bug that
A LLAN J ONES /C OURTESY PHOTO
lives on it — sort of like an aphid with a
The UC Davis Arboretum waterway, a
very wooly coat — and that insect, when
remnant of Putah Creek, is a place for
it hooks onto the part of the tree that carreflection.
ries the fluids up and down … it gets
more than it needs and so ejects some of
Europe and so on. Gradually, the Spanish
the sugary material. In your own garden
adopted that red dye but with the conyou might see aphids and sooty mold,
quest of Mexico, a much better insect
that’s the honey dew as it’s called that’s
was found for red dye — that’s the cochibeen attacked by fungi. But it collects in
neal on prickly pears. The name cochinilthe wooly part of these insects and so you la is depreciative for little pig. When they
can take your finger and get some
dry, they look like little black pigs.
(sweetness) by just touching this particuWarren is familiar with the products of
lar creature.
our own native oaks. On his mom’s side,
It was long ago that people learned
there were Native Americans. His grandthat this could be made into a candy. So
mother used to make muffins and sheet
people go out and scrape the mealy bugs
cake from acorns. You gather them, crack
off of these twigs and
open the shell and have
gather them and put
to get the brown skin off
them into a double boiler
the cotyledon because
so that the
that’s very bitter. Then
water gets hot, but not to
the seeds are ground and
the boiling point. So that
leached. You put them in
gets the sugar into the
a colander and keep
watery solution plus
pouring scalding water
some of the protein from
over them until it no lonthe insect, and this is
ger tastes bitter. Then
strained and cooked
his mom and grandmothdown and you make a
er would toast it in ovens
nougat of this. Usually
and then grind it again
“I
love
Free
Checking
because
you think of sugar and egg white … but
and they would add it to the recipe and
I don’t
have
a
monthly
fee
the egg white part is taken care of by the
use it instead of bran in muffins.
protein from the insect and the nougat is
Warren
wasof
interested
in plants from
and
there
are
lots
freebies,
made ... — sort of a soft, chewy candy —
the time he was 3. His grandparents
ATMs,
debit
cards,
and traditionally pistachio nuts are add- like
and great-grandparents were interested
ed to it, which come from the same part
inOnline
plants. His
great-grandmother
was a
Banking
and
of the world, and rose water. This is the
gringa but was a healer. She was born
most delicious thing and it has the name
TCU’s
Bill Pay
service.
in the Sierra
foothills
in the” 1860s and
Gaz ... (a Farsi word that means) gal or
learned about herbs. She used yerba
girl, probably related because Iranians Monica,
TCU
member
sinceto
1991
santa,
which
was used
treat tubercuspeak a language related to English. It’s
losis. The leaves taste sweet so, when
not an Arabic language at all.
you are hiking, you use the shiny leafed
And then that is typically made into litspecies and it keeps your mouth from
tle cakes, about 21/2 inches across and
drying out. She also used creosote bush
about less than a half-inch thick and then to make a poultice to treat arthritis.
it is stored in flour and you can ship it
The Arboretum had been discontinaround. I had a roommate from Shiraz,
ued when Warren came to run it in
which is in the southern part of Iran. And
1972. He was hired to re-establish it.
his folks used to send boxes of this stuff.
He was hopeful when he met devoted
And, oh! It was so delicious. It’s kind of
volunteers Pat Miller and Nancy Croslike divinity but with a rose flavor and
by, who were painting a building, and
you can get it here in Davis at the Interthose volunteers are still working tonational Food Market in Davis Manor,
day, 40 years later.
East Davis. Ask for Gaz. It’s wrapped in
Year-round, the 3.5-mile Arboretum
little papers. It is made with egg whites
loop is a delight of surprises, free, 24
so people (who) are squeamish about …
hours a day. In the summer, it’s best to
where eggs have been would be squeavisit early in the morning or later in the
mish about that too. Nonetheless, it’s
day. Google UC Davis Arboretum and
delicious and has come from a tree.
click on Plan Your Visit for maps, direcThat story was from my roommate …
tions, parking information, to find out
He knew the Iranian oak and the oaks
what’s in bloom, special events, tours,
we have. Thank goodness we don’t have
folk jam sessions, birding and the like. I
the mealy bugs (in the Arboretum).
recommend the very accessible west end
if you only have time for a short taste.
Warren’s story led into one about a
scrub oak from the Mediterranean that
— Jean Jackman is a Davis resident.
has another kind of mealy bug, which
Her columns appear monthly. Got a stoproduces a red dye that was the main dye ry, question, comment, correction? Confor the Roman empire, medieval
tact her at [email protected]
LOCAL
Why pay for your checking account
if you don’t need to?
Free
Checking
JJ EAN
EAN J
J ACKMAN
ACKMAN /C
/C OURTESY
OURTESY
PHOTO
PHOTO
Warren
Warren Roberts,
Roberts, superintendent
superintendent of
of the
the UC
UC Davis
Davis Arboretum
Arboretum for
for 37
37 years
years and
and superb
superb
storyteller,
storyteller, leads
leads monthly
monthly walks
walks September
September through
through June.
June. He
He examines
examines a
a valley
valley oak;
oak; the
the
acorns
were
part
of
his
diet
growing
up
as
a
sixth-generation
Californian.
acorns were part of his diet growing up as a sixth-generation Californian.
Warren Roberts, an
Arboretum superstar
D
id
id you
you take
take in
in a
a Walk
Walk with
with WarWarren
ren this
this year?
year? That’s
That’s Warren
Warren
Roberts, superintendent
superintendent emeritus
emeritus
Roberts,
of the
the UC
UC Davis
Davis Arboretum.
Arboretum. Well,
Well, if
if you
you
of
didn’t, you
you are
are out
out of
of luck
luck until
until SeptemSeptemdidn’t,
ber or
or October.
October. But
But there
there are
are other
other activactivber
ities at
at the
the Arboretum
Arboretum all
all summer.
summer.
ities
Warren, superintendent
superintendent for
for 37-plus
37-plus
Warren,
years, has
has been
been leading
leading a
a monthly
monthly walk
walk
years,
in
in parts
parts of
of the
the Arboretum
Arboretum since
since before
before he
he
retired.
retired. He
He is
is a
a superior
superior storyteller.
storyteller. You
You
ask
him
about
a
tree
and
he
has
one
fasask him about a tree and he has one fascinating
cinating story
story leading
leading into
into another.
another.
On one
one walk,
walk, in
in the
the oak
oak tree
tree grove,
grove, he
he
On
had told
told a
a story
story about
about a
a tree
tree insect
insect that
that
had
produces a
a sweet
sweet substance
substance that
that can
can be
be
produces
used to
to make
make candy.
candy. There
There is
is a
a chestnutchestnutused
leaved oak,
oak, quercus
quercus castaneifolia,
castaneifolia, that
that
leaved
grows in
in the
the Shields
Shields Oak
Oak Grove.
Grove. Native
Native to
to
grows
the Caucasus
Caucasus and
and Alborz
Alborz mountains
mountains of
of
the
Iran, it
it is
is the
the fastest-growing
fastest-growing oak
oak after
after
Iran,
our
our valley
valley oak.
oak. It
It has
has excellent
excellent wood
wood and
and
is
is used
used for
for timber.
timber.
His candy
candy from
from oak
oak tree
tree story:
story: In
In its
its
His
native habitat,
habitat, it
it has
has a
a mealy
mealy bug
bug that
that
native
lives on
on it
it —
— sort
sort of
of like
like an
an aphid
aphid with
with a
a
lives
very wooly
wooly coat
coat —
— and
and that
that insect,
insect, when
when
very
it hooks
hooks onto
onto the
the part
part of
of the
the tree
tree that
that carcarit
ries the
the fluids
fluids up
up and
and down
down …
… it
it gets
gets
ries
more than
than it
it needs
needs and
and so
so ejects
ejects some
some of
of
more
the sugary
sugary material.
material. In
In your
your own
own garden
garden
the
you might
might see
see aphids
aphids and
and sooty
sooty mold,
mold,
you
that’s the
the honey
honey dew
dew as
as it’s
it’s called
called that’s
that’s
that’s
been attacked
attacked by
by fungi.
fungi. But
But it
it collects
collects in
in
been
the
the wooly
wooly part
part of
of these
these insects
insects and
and so
so you
you
can
can take
take your
your finger
finger and
and get
get some
some
(sweetness)
(sweetness) by
by just
just touching
touching this
this particuparticular
creature.
lar creature.
It was
was long
long ago
ago that
that people
people learned
learned
It
that this
this could
could be
be made
made into
into a
a candy.
candy. So
So
that
people go
go out
out and
and scrape
scrape the
the mealy
mealy bugs
bugs
people
off of
of these
these twigs
twigs and
and
off
gather them
them and
and put
put
gather
them into
into a
a double
double boiler
boiler
them
so that
that the
the
so
water gets
gets hot,
hot, but
but not
not to
to
water
the
the boiling
boiling point.
point. So
So that
that
gets
gets the
the sugar
sugar into
into the
the
watery
watery solution
solution plus
plus
some of the protein from
A LLAN
LLAN J
J ONES
ONES /C
/C OURTESY
OURTESY
A
PHOTO
PHOTO
The UC
UC Davis
Davis Arboretum
Arboretum waterway,
waterway, a
a
The
remnant of
of Putah
Putah Creek,
Creek, is
is a
a place
place for
for
remnant
reflection.
reflection.
Europe
Europe and
and so
so on.
on. Gradually,
Gradually, the
the Spanish
Spanish
adopted that
that red
red dye
dye but
but with
with the
the conconadopted
quest of
of Mexico,
Mexico, a
a much
much better
better insect
insect
quest
was found
found for
for red
red dye
dye —
— that’s
that’s the
the cochicochiwas
neal on
on prickly
prickly pears.
pears. The
The name
name cochinilcochinilneal
la is
is depreciative
depreciative for
for little
little pig.
pig. When
When they
they
la
dry, they
they look
look like
like little
little black
black pigs.
pigs.
dry,
Warren is
is familiar
familiar with
with the
the products
products of
of
Warren
our own
own native
native oaks.
oaks. On
On his
his mom’s
mom’s side,
side,
our
there were
were Native
Native Americans.
Americans. His
His grandgrandthere
mother used
used to
to make
make muffins
muffins and
and sheet
sheet
mother
cake
cake from
from acorns.
acorns. You
You gather
gather them,
them, crack
crack
open
open the
the shell
shell and
and have
have
to
get
the
brown
skin
to get the brown skin off
off
the
the cotyledon
cotyledon because
because
that’s
very
bitter.
Then
that’s very bitter. Then
the seeds
seeds are
are ground
ground and
and
the
leached. You
You put
put them
them in
in
leached.
a colander
colander and
and keep
keep
a
pouring scalding
scalding water
water
pouring
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