A Natural Supermarket and Hardware Store

A Natural Supermarket and Hardware Store. Sycamore Grove Park. Long before there were supermarkets, pharmacies and hardware stores, Ohlone people found or made everything they needed from the natural world. They used the roots, stems, leaves, seeds and fruits of plants and trees in the making of food, medicines and tools., Fire was a tool the Ohlone used to manage the grasslands. Carefully timed fires cleared shrubs to keep meadows open for game., such as deer and elk. This encouraged the growth of wildflowers and grasses from which they gathered seed and basketry materials. They burned beneath oak trees after acorn harvest to get rid of pests that could damage next year’s crop., Captions: , Tule: Used to build boats and houses and to make rope. , Willow: Shoots used to make baskets. , Johnny jump-up: Leaves and flowers were eaten. , Cattail: Flour made from the roots. Fluff used as diaper stuffing. , Toyon: Berries eaten but only after roasting. , Coyote Brush: leaves can be mashed into a poultice and put on mosquito bites to stop the itching. , Mule Ears: Sunflower-like seeds were eaten. , Milkweed: Cordage (rope) made out of stem fibers. , Blue Wildrye: Seeds were gathered and eaten. , Soaproot: Fibers used to make brushes. Bulb mashed and used as soap. Bulb also roasted and eaten. , Elderberry: Berries eaten in the summer. Shoots made into musical instruments such as flutes or clappers. , Clarkia: Seeds gathered to make seed cakes. , Black Sage: Used for seasoning or to make things smell good. , Blue Dicks: Bulbs were eaten.