We’re excited to invite prospective volunteers, land owners, land stewards, and community members to join our upcoming meeting discussing the 2025 Acorn Harvest!
Share Your Insights, Shape Our Success
Meeting Details:
Date: January 5th, 2025
Time: 10:00am – 11:30am
Platform: Google Meet
Together, let’s:
Recap the accomplishments of the First Annual Acorn Harvest
Explore specific goals and thoughtful improvements for the 2025 Acorn Harvest – building on our strengths!
Outline our timeline, materials needs, and budget considerations
Discuss strategies for accessing vital resources and connections to local organizations
Your Network Matters!
Do you have personal or professional connections to local organizations that could support our mission? Share your links with us!
Next Steps
Attend our meeting and contribute your ideas
Volunteer to help establish connections with local organizations
Mark your calendars for our follow-up meeting in two weeks (Jan 19) – same time!
When it comes to foraging for acorns, we have a firm policy: we don’t accept those collected from the ground.
Here’s why:
Acorns can mold incredibly quickly once picked up; especially when stored improperly in bags, boxes, or environments with little to no air circulation. It is vitally important to prevent the spread of mold and mildew to other acorns in storage.
Moldy acorns are not just unappealing; they can pose serious health risks, like hantavirus.Hantavirus is a serious disease transmitted through contact with rodent droppings or urine. Ground-collected acorns are often more likely to be contaminated by mold and pathogens, which we want to avoid.
It’s important to note that 20% or less of the acorns gathered from the ground are fit enough for storage and consumption. Since we emphasize sourcing acorns for food, we have to apply a strict standard: if it’s not something you would personally eat, we don’t want it either.
By upholding these guidelines, we prioritize health and ensure that the acorns we collect and use are safe and of the best quality.
Let’s keep our foraging practices safe and sustainable!
We’re thrilled to share the progress of the First Annual Acorn Harvest, a groundbreaking initiative that’s bringing together a diverse group of volunteers from across the local community.
Our shared goal? To revive ancient foodways and reconnect with the natural environment that sustains us.
Through this collaborative effort, we’re not only preserving traditional knowledge but also providing a tangible way for community members to give back and make a positive impact.
By working together, we’re fostering a deeper appreciation for the land, its resources, and the indigenous cultures that have thrived here for centuries.
The Acorn Harvest is more than just an event – it’s a movement that embodies the spirit of community, sustainability, and cultural revitalization. Here’s what’s next:
The acorns we harvest will be stored over winter, allowing us to preserve the bounty of the season.
In the spring, we’ll process the acorns using traditional methods, preparing them for culinary use.
We’re excited to announce a culinary series featuring traditional and contemporary Native American cuisine, with a focus on acorn-based dishes! Think traditional acorn mush or dumplings, acorn pumpkin muffins, and more.
But that’s not all – we’ll also be exploring international acorn dishes, including Korean Acorn Jelly (dotorimuk) and other global specialties. Do you have a favorite acorn recipe to share? We’d love to hear from you!
Join us on this journey as we rediscover the flavors and traditions of Native California.
Stay tuned for updates, and get ready to harvest, learn, and grow with us!
Join Us on the Harvest!
Wednesday and Sunday, from 9am to 12pm.
We’re gathering a diverse group of volunteers to help bring back ancient foodways and reconnect with the natural environment. Whether you’re interested in harvesting acorns, sorting and packing, or helping with transportation and installation, we have a role for you!
Join our team and contribute your skills and energy to:
Harvesting fallen and ripe acorns
Sorting and packing acorns for storage
Transporting people and acorns to and from harvest sites
Installing acorn granaries with our Indigenous Land Lab partners
And more!
We’re excited to share this experience with you! We welcome volunteers of all abilities and backgrounds to join our community-driven effort.
Sign up for the Acorn Harvest team now and be a part of this exciting journey!
Alameda Native History Project is proud to partner with our awesome and enthusiastic and diverse community for Alameda’s First Annual Acorn Harvest!
Acorn season is upon us!
The streets are filled with the sounds of foraging. The crunching and munching of squirrels chewing on acorns forms a surprisingly backtrack on a slow weekend morning.
This is Alameda’s present-day urban forest.
You may have never noticed it before. But Alameda is full of oak trees. It’s during acorn season that we’re reminded la bolsa de Encinal is still here.
Acorns have not been readily available as a food source for over 100 years.
The Alameda Native History Project seeks to reopen the local indigenous foodways of Alameda and the East Bay.
They will stay in the granary over winter. And we will process the acorns in spring.
Some of the Acorn Flour and Acorn Meal which we will produce will be used as the featured ingredient of our culinary series. Some will be offered to local Native American Organizations and Tribes. A limited amount Acorn Flour and Acorn Meal will be offered to the public for fundraising.
Harvest teams are forming now. You’re invited!
We’re excited to share this opportunity with you to be a part of our Acorn Harvest Team. Whether you’re looking for a fun outdoor activity, a chance to connect with nature, or a way to help revitalize a food pathway which hasn’t been readily available for over 100 years, we welcome you to join our team!
Here’s what we’re doing:
Sorting Acorns: Help us sort acorns by size and quality.
Harvesting Acorns: Collect acorns that have fallen from trees.
Scooping and Bagging Acorns: Help us scoop and bag acorns for storage.
Packing Acorn Granaries: Assist us in packing acorns into granaries for long-term storage.
We welcome volunteers of all abilities and will work to accommodate your needs. Whether you prefer to work from a seated position or are able to assist with physical tasks, we have opportunities for everyone to contribute.
Join us for a fun and rewarding experience that will connect you with your community and the natural world. Let us know which tasks you’re available for and any accommodations you may need.
Support the First Annual Acorn Harvest by donating to the Alameda Native History Project.
By supporting this project, you are helping to revive a forgotten food source and reconnect with the rich cultural heritage of our region. Together, we can reclaim the acorn as a symbol of community, sustainability, and cultural resilience. Join us in this effort to rebuild our local indigenous foodways and create a more equitable and sustainable food system for all.
Your contribution will directly support our acorn harvest and processing efforts, as well as our culinary series and partnerships with local Native American organizations, community organizations, and tribes. We are grateful for your trust in our work and your commitment to our community.
Acorn Granaries are traditional Native American storage containers used to hold foods like dried berries, rice, squash, and tree nuts…. (In this case: acorns from the city-wide acorn harvest happening this fall.) …And keep them safe from animals and the environment over winter.
What is the purpose of an Acorn Granary?
To store food that people needed to survive during the coldest parts of winter, when no plants grow, and all of the animals are hibernating, or have migrated to warmed areas.
Why are Acorn Granaries important?
Acorns were one of the single most important food sources in California [Heizer 1957]. Over winter, the bounties of California’s many edible plants, and the abundance of wildlife normally acquired through hunting, trapping, or fishing, is replaced with a barren landscape.
This is why it’s so important to gather as much food as possible; and to protect it from water, wind, rain, and the animals–who also depend on caches to survive through the winter.
How widespread is the use of Acorn Granaries?
It cannot be overstated: Acorns were one of the single most important food sources in California [Heizer 1957]. Most families had an acorn granary [Gifford 1932; Fremont 1843]. Granaries were meant to hold acorns as they dried over winter, however, granaries would be kept and maintained for many years.
How many acorns does an Acorn Granary hold?
Some granaries would hold just enough acorns to support a family until the next harvest. Other granaries could hold “ten to twenty sacks of acorns” [Gifford 1932]. Although, there’s no specific weight or volume measurement for how much a “sack” is. Heizer (in 1957), noted that Patwin communities had granaries with a capacity of about 6 to 10 bushels of acorns.
Several studies included dimensions of varying types of granaries made by different California Native Tribes:
On average, the granaries were about 3-4 feet in diameter, up to 10 feet high, and at least 2 feet off the ground.
How many acorns were harvested during the Acorn Harvest?
The only limit to how many acorns could be harvested was dependent upon the method of collection, and how many people were involved in the harvest.
The Acorn Harvest happens once a year, when there is a nearly limitless supply of acorns adorning the more-than 87 million oak trees which are endemic to California. [Oaks 2040]
Competition for Acorns
Over 100 different kinds of animals eat acorns, including (but not limited to):
Bear
Chipmunk
Crows
Deer
Ducks
Foxes
Jack Rabbit
Jays
Mallards
Mice
Oppossums
Quail
Raccoons
Squirrel
Turkeys
Voles
Wild Hogs
Woodpeckers
Every single one of these animals would gladly take a pre-foraged “snack pack” [that’s what a bear would call it] in a season when no other food is available.
This is why it is necessary to create: (a) a sturdy food container that (b) hides the scent of food, and (c) deters animals from eating through the container into the actual food inside.
What are the different types of Acorn Granaries?
Below is a list granary types–but the names aren’t official. There are no standardized names for granaries because over 300 unique languages were spoken in California.
Coil-type – Acorns chill under a coil basket made from cordage. (Usually on a platform.)
Hanging basket – Hung from sturdy tree-limbs, or from a frame made from lashed wood.
Tree platform – Resting on platform build in the crook of a tree.
Free-standing – Made with sturdy legs to resist wind, and other forces.
Rock-butt – Granary resting on a rock. Sometimes stabilized by legs, or tied to frame/tree limb, or all of the above.
Construction Materials
Willow reeds & poles, and California Bay boughs, were gathered from the Indigenous Land Lab
After learning about the history, usage, and types of Acorn Granaries, we began granary construction over four sessions in July 2024.
Rolling the frame onto the hoops.
Completed granary frame.
Loosely woven base of the granary. (Take note the base is larger than the frame.)
Granary frame stuffed with bay leaves, sitting on base base, on top of tree rounds (with willow shims, lol.)
Shoring up the granary, using willow poles to stabilize with tension & compression. (MIT undergraduate remix.)
Granary Status: Ready for Acorns
Special Thanks & Acknowledgments
A huge shoutout, and special thanks goes out to the APC Farm2Market, for hosting our event, and the acorn granary.
Another huge shoutout goes to the Land Partners, who are hosting the Indigenous Land Lab, another Acorn Granary, and have graciously allowed us to harvest all of the willow and California Bay we used (and will use) for Acorn Granary Construction.
Special thanks goes out to everyone who participated in the Acorn Granary Challenge: Sandra, Liz, The Li & Pan Families, Natalie, Skipper.
We also want to acknowledge the Alameda County Arts Commission’s ARTSFUND for their part in funding this awesome, and ongoing, experience.
Acorn Granaries are traditional California Native food storage systems.
Granaries were made all over California. – The acorn was one of the single most important food items in California.
“Hanging Basket” stores acorns off the ground. – Some tribes built platforms to perch granaries atop of. But not all granaries were suspended.
Material defines shape. – Some granaries are made with twisted stems, blades, and vines to form a Coil Basket (or “Birdnest” design. ) Others are made with small bushells of wild grass and thatched into an “Inverted Basket” (or, Thatched-Cone Design.)
Holds acorns overwinter. – An Acorn Granary must be resilient enough to hold Acorns over the winter. Repaired and reused over many seasons.
Basket-in-shell design. – Every granary is created with an outer shell made from strong, natural material resistant to animals and insects.
Hands-On Learning Experience and Cultural Exchange
Learn about the different plants used to make Acorn Granaries; and how pests were managed before GMO and RoundUp.
Learn how to split willow to make reeds, experiment with creating the different kinds of Acorn Granaries. Strategize how to keep out squirrels, crows, and other hungry critters!
Each week will have a different focus, as we move through the steps of Acorn Granary Construction, and preparing for the harvest.
From splitting willow to making various cordage, and thatching wild grass: We will work with a mix of materials old and new. And also address the non-native plant and their uses in construction and pest management.
Most of the material gathering will take place at the Indigenous Land Lab, and the processing of cordage, thatching of wild grasses, and splitting willows will happen in town, during the Granary Construction.
This is meant to be a very mellow and open-ended process that frankly invites a little bit of creativity, and welcomes a contemporary breath of fresh air.
And we’re also open to this process taking longer than a month.
Here’s a ballpark timeframe for construction and harvest preparation.
June-July: Gather Materials and Build Acorn Granaries
August-September: Continue to prepare for Harvest, Monitor Oak Trees
The main goal here is to be totally ready by the time the acorns start to fall!
This is why we’re creating the granaries now: So we can harvest, sort, and pack our acorns into these granaries as efficiently as possible.
But, we also want to give ourselves the greatest chance of success by using multiple granaries of varying construction materials and methods. This will also give us some data to analyze and use to plan for next year!
During our survey, we identified at least 405 properties which have Oak Trees.
Once everything was processed and plugged into our GIS systems, we were able to identify the footprint of Alameda’s “Bolsa de Encinal“.
1859 Coast Survey Map showing “The Encinal”.
What is la Bolsa De Encinal?
→Bolsa; Spanish, noun.: meaning bag, or purse
→Encinal; Spanish, noun.: meaning Holm Oak grove
→Alameda; Spanish, noun.: poplar grove
→Bolsa de Encinal: Purse of Oaks [It sounds better in Spanish.]
→Encinal de San Antonio: San Antonio Oak Grove
This place we call “Alameda” has been known by many names. All of them have referred to the oak grove (or forest).
La Bolsa de Encinal came about because this place (a peninsula) was like a little pouch or purse attached to the mainland. A purse of oak trees….
The Encinal, or Encinal de San Antonio, literally means “the oak grove”, or “San Antonio Oak Grove”.
And “Alameda” itself means a (poplar) grove of trees.
But make no mistake: “Alameda” is unceded Muwekma Ohlone Territory.
2024 Alameda Oak Tree Survey
Looking at this image, you might not be able to fully recognize the actual density of what we discovered represents an urban forest right where the “historic Bolsa de Encinal used to be.”
The real take-away was that you can’t talk about Alameda’s Oak Forest as a thing of the past.
Alameda’s Oak Forest
Sure, it can be hard to see when you’re surrounded by Victorian houses, and mid-century apartment buildings….
But when you take a step back and look at the big picture: you can see it clearly.
The Oak Forest of Alameda. Bolsa de Encinal.
Despite the fact that many of the oldest Oak Trees in Alameda have been felled by mismanagement, habitat loss, and development; there were still plenty of big old healthy Oak Trees that we found all over the city of Alameda.
We also learned that Coastal Live Oaks (queercus agrifolia) have been designated as a “protected tree” by the City of Alameda (A.M.C. §13-21.7[c]).
And that same code section states: “Any oak tree shall be replaced with a minimum of [two] oak trees”.
This means Alameda’s Oak Forest is not only alive and well, but the island itself is subject to some reforestation efforts.
Why did we perform this survey, anyway?
This survey was necessary to plan for the Alameda 2024 City-Wide Acorn Harvest; which is happening this September and October.
Check out the Oak Tree Registration Form to learn more about how property owners with Oak Trees can contribute to our first annual acorn harvest.
If you are a property owner with an Oak Tree on your property, check out this Oak Tree Registry Form to learn about the specific ways property owners can contribute to our harvest.
If you represent a local business, organization, class, school, or community group, or tribe, and you want to participate in planning, organizing, and/or any other aspect of these activities, reach out via email.
Or, use the form below:
Harvest/Oak Tree Contact Form
[contact-form-7 id=”b1779e1″ title=”Oak Tree Harvest Survey Contact Form”]
