PIÑON : "The Manna of the Mountains"
(Page 4 of 5)
July/August 1977
by FLORENCE BLANCHARD
HOW TO PROCESS
AND STORE PIÑONS
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Although we could pick out and clean our foraged nuts immediately, we usually stash them in burlap bags in the house or toolshed—safely out of reach of squirrels and mice!—for a few weeks while we put our garden to bed for the year and gather in a winter's supply of (piñon) wood.
Then, as the mood strikes us, we dump our "crop" out on a small tarp and separate the nuts from the cones, pine needles, and other "trash". The seeds are then poured into a large pail of water and all that float (which are either empty shells or shriveled, inedible nuts) are skimmed off and discarded.
The good nuts are then dried and stored in paper bags or coffee cans with pop-off lids . . . where they keep well for as long as a year.
EATIN' IS THE BEST PART!
Some of the old-timers we've talked to say that any piñons stored for more than a few weeks should be "freshened" by blanching them in steam or hot water for several minutes before they're roasted or eaten raw. We've tried the idea and we think it's a good one.
Piñons go well with nearly any winter soup, stew, or vegetable. And I've never heard anyone complain about the idea of munching through a pocketful of the nuts while engaged in splitting a stack of stovewood or doing other nippy-weather outdoor chores. Folks in our house also like the idea of keeping a big bowl of piñons near the hearth for lazy, around-the-fireplace, late evening snacks.
One word of caution, though: Shelling out large quantities of this tiny nut requires all the resources of a quilting bee. So gather the family or a few friends together, make an event of the task, and then try one of the tasty local recipes that accompany this article. Believe me, as sticky as piñons sap may be and as tedious as piñon nuts are to hull out . . . it's worth all the trouble!
DIANE PAYNE'S HERBED BAR
LEY CASSEROLE WITH PIÑON
1/2 cup of finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onion
5 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of pearl barley
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup of raw or roasted piñon nuts
Saute celery and onions in butter in a medium saucepan until the vegetables are just wilted. Then add the cup of barley and brown the mixture lightly. At that point, stir in the parsley and transfer the contents of the pan to a buttered casserole dish. Pour one cup of broth over the casserole, cover the dish, and bake for 25 minutes in a 350°F oven. Then add the second cup of broth, sprinkle the piñon nuts over the casserole, and continue baking the dish—uncovered—until the liquid is absorbed and the barley is done.
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