DENSMORE] PLANTS AS FOOD 319 
(e) Rice (parched when gathered) was prepared as follows: Boil- 
ing broth, either of meat or fish, was poured over parched rice, which 
was then covered and allowed to “steam” for a time until softened. 
(7) The chaff from the treading of the rice was cooked similarly 
to the rice and was considered a delicacy. 
Zea mays L. Corn. 
Corn was cultivated in gardens by the Chippewa and prepared for 
use as follows: 
(a) Fresh ears were roasted in the husks. 
(6) The corn was cut before it was fully ripe. It was then 
shelled and dried by spreading it on sheets of birch bark. This was 
boiled and seasoned with maple sugar. 
(c) The husks were turned back and the corn dried by suspending 
the ears by the husks from the ceiling. 
(Z) Corn was parched in a hot kettle, some of the kernels popping 
open and others drying. The corn was then put in a leather bag, 
laid on a flat stone, and pounded with another stone until it was like 
meal. This was made into “parched corn soup,” to which deer 
tallow or deer meat. either fresh or dried, was added. 
(e) Corn was made into “hominy.” A lye was first made from 
hardwood ashes. The corn was boiled in this, rinsed, and boiled in 
clear water. Bones were sometimes boiled with it, and grease was 
added as seasoning. In addition to using the corn, the water in 
which it was boiled was considered very palatable. 
VEGETABLES 
Pumpkins and squashes were cultivated in gardens and either 
eaten fresh or cut in pieces or in strips for drying. These were laid 
on frames or were strung on long pieces of basswood cord and hung 
above the fire where the drying was slowly accomplished. T hey were 
stored in bags and sometimes kept for two years. Dried squash and 
pumpkin were boiled with game, or boiled alone and seasoned with 
maple sugar. The flowers of the latter were dried and used in broth 
for seasoning and also for thickening. 
Other vegetable foods were obtained without cultivation, among 
them being the following: 
Helianthus tuberosus L. (The original of the cultivated Jerusalem artichoke. ) 
The root of this plant was eaten raw like a radish. 
Sagittaria latifolia Willd. Arrowhead. 
This is commonly called the “ wild potato,” and grows in deep 
mud. At the end of the tubular roots are the “ potatoes ” which are 
