The Hunt for the Hickory
We are conducting a public “Hunt for the Hickory” campaign, seeking to identify existing stands of hickory trees that have potential to be harvested for nut oil production. After locating existing hickory stands, landowners will be offered contracts to allow crews of people to clear and maintain the harvest area around the trees in the late summer, and to return in October for harvest.
The Hunt for the Hickory:
Most people are unaware of the vastness of hickory trees on the east coast. Hickory oil is an especially promising product because these nuts already exist in mass abundance, the oil is highly nutritious, and it can be cooked at high temperatures. Hickory oil is something that could be used in every home on a daily basis, and it can help rekindle the alliance between human and hickory. The White River and Bennington County Natural Resources Conservation Districts in Vermont, the Sullivan County Conservation District in New Hampshire, alongside Yellowbud Farm and Northern Forest Foods, are conducting a public “Hunt for the Hickory” campaign, seeking to identify existing stands of hickory trees that have potential to be harvested for nut oil production.
History:
Indigenous peoples across the eastern United States have been processing hickory for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The nuts are grounded, shell and all, into a paste which is then boiled and the oil is skimmed from the top. The Algonquian word for this delicious oily milk is “pawcohiccora" and is known as the origin word for "hickory". This process is done with many different species of hickory. These nut trees were the foundation of food security, and hickories were especially revered. Unfortunately the wisdom surrounding this precious food source has been drowned by the forces of colonialism and is a large reason why it is still an undervalued novel crop today.
Management:
The best explanation as to why we are experiencing a dwindling in oak-hickory forests on the east coast is that human management is essential for their continuation. This was something deeply understood amongst indigenous people, and it was an integral part of their land management and stewardship. Because of the consistent elimination of understory growth, trees were able to grow large with big, wide open canopies. The result of such a forest structure is an abundance of food not only for humans, but also for the animals they hunted.