Native American Foods: Technology and Food Sources: Preserving and Seasoning

Subsistence required preservation of seasonal foods. Most foods were dried with equipment that allowed free air flow. Some foods were dried with the direct heat of the sun or small fires; for other foods, the wind sufficed. Among the Iroquois, ripe corn ears were braided by their husks into long strings and hung indoors to finish drying. Shelling of kernels for storage was accomplished with strong bone or wood husking pins. Meat and fish were processed in strips for drying; small fish were split open and dried flat. Small fruits such as berries were dried on bark trays, open mats of rush or grass, and baskets. The mats were sometimes propped over low fires to keep flies away. Fruits were often mashed raw or stone-boiled, shaped into small cakes, and then sun-dried for storage. At the time of use, the fruits were soaked and then boiled into sauces. Whole fruits with waxy skin, such as blueberries, huckleberries, cranberries, grapes, and cherries, were sometimes blanched first to hasten drying. Larger fruits such as peaches and plums were opened for pitting and drying. Some tribes cooked elderberries and wrapped them in skunk cabbage leaves for winter. Vegetables were handled in much the same way as fruit. In many cases they were cut into strips or rings for drying. Wild turnips were scraped and dried, and leafy plants were dried without special preparation.