IN CALIFORNIA 127 



usually followed is to gather the cones while still 

 closed, and cast them into a fire of sticks made in 

 the open. The heat of the flame has the effect of 

 opening the cones and consuming the resin with 

 which they are abundantly gummed. The nuts are 

 then easily picked out. Even to civilized palates 

 these little pine-nuts, which are about the size of 

 marrowfat peas, are really delicious, besides being 

 rich in nutriment and very digestible. Their 

 slightly terebinthine flavor when raw is more or less 

 dissipated by roasting as we would roast peanuts or 

 chestnuts, a fact that the Indian knows as well as 

 we. Large quantities of pinons find their way into 

 city markets, and are much esteemed particularly by 

 the Spanish element in our population. 



"Yes, sir," said "Doc." Syvertson, who kept a 

 little mountain resort in the pinon country, "pinons 

 is sure good fruit they're the sort when you git 

 the taste for 'em you can't stop eatin' of 'em till 

 you've cleaned up the works. In season the trails 

 all over the Southwest is lined with pinon shells. 

 Folks don't eat 'em by the pound they eat 'em by 

 the mile. How long do they keep? Lord, nobody 

 knows that they don't keep ; folks eat 'em too fast. 

 They have it all over peanuts, believe me. Back 

 East in New Mexico when me and Sullivan kept 

 store oncest among the Navajos, a sack of pinons 



