Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, November 2, 2019

9


Mountain View News Saturday, November 2, 2019 

CAT OF THE WEEK


BOBBY

 Would you like more softness in your life, 
and a sweet kitty to go with it? Then meet 
Bobby! He’s just over a year old. Bobby 
is a beautiful buff orange color, with soft, 
soft fur. He is well-behaved and loves to be 
cuddled and pet. He gets along with other 
nice kitties or would be fine by himself. He 
would love a forever home soon, and will 
come current on vaccines, healthy, and 
neutered. Please call his foster mom at 626-991-6619. You can see more 
pictures of Bobby at www.lifelineforpets.org, the More Cats page.


Pet of the Week

 Come meet a cat with a name as great as his personality: 
Burrito! And just like the food of the same name, Burrito 
is sure to be your favorite. This friendly 8-year-old guy is 
so excited to go home with you, he might just push his way 
out of the kennel. He’s ready and eager to find his forever 
home and have more space to run around. He also loves 
food, and he’ll do pretty much anything for a tasty treat 
(just like most of us with burritos). Sure, taco cat is great, 
but Burrito cat is even better! Plus, he’s pretty handsome, 
and he knows it. He’s the whole tortilla, and more!

 The adoption fee for cats is $90. All cats are spayed or 
neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before being 
adopted. 

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet.

 View photos of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org. Adoption hours are 11 a.m. to 4 
p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email.

LOOKING FOR A 
BEST FRIEND?


Hans is a distinguished 12-year old American 
Staffordshire terrier mix sporting a 
smooth and gorgeous black and white coat. 
This 81-pound pup is simply a joy to be 
around and still full of puppy love! He is easy 
to walk, does great on a leash, and would be 
the perfect couch-potato companion. He 
is also quite the brave, gentle, and patient 
pooch while in the tub getting washed. This 
velvety pup was surrendered by a loving 
family of many years when they had to move 
and were not allowed to take him with them. 
Hans would thrive in a calm environment 
where he can rest and spend his golden years 
sunbathing and taking many naps on soft and cushy beds. His adoption fee is $145, which includes 
neuter surgery, microchip, first vaccinations and a free wellness check-up at a participating veterinarian. 
Hans qualifies for the “Senior for Senior” adoption program discount. 


BE GRATEFUL

It has been said that an attitude of gratitude acts as a 
catalyst for happiness and from my own experience, 
I know this is true. With Thanksgiving just around 
the corner, I feel compelled to say I have much to be 
thankful for. First of all, I am incredibly blessed with 
a loving family and many awesome friends of both the 
two- and four-legged variety, for which I am extremely 
grateful. I also give thanks for the progress that has 
been made on behalf of the animals here in California 
this year.

It is too easy for me to get distracted by thoughts of 
what is going wrong in the world today, particularly 
as it pertains to the inhumane treatment of animals. 
That’s why I try my best to stay focused on the good 
things that are happening to bring about change for the 
better and I find that keeping a positive perspective in 
general, most certainly serves me well.

 

For the past few years I have been a supporter of 
Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL), a non-profit 
organization dedicated to legal reform for the humane 
treatment of animals in our state and beyond. Founder, 
CEO and president of SCIL, Judie Mancuso has made 
it her mission to fight for animals‘ rights, especially for 
those who‘ve fallen victim to exploitation, neglect and 
cruelty.

By blazing a trail that other like-minded advocates 
can join in and follow, Mancuso’s efforts have paid off 
royally for the animals, both domestic and wild. Social 
Compassion in Legislation has put their efforts into 
getting new laws passed that are designed to do away 
with inappropriate treatment of animals and through 
much hard work and determination, they are paving 
the road to a more ethical way of life with fairness to 
all species. 

This year, SCIL sponsored 11 bills, 3 of which 
were signed into law by Governor Newsom. 
While 3 out of 11 may not sound like success, 
it is no small task just to get a bill into state 
assembly for consideration, much less getting 
it passed into law. With countless political road 
blocks, special interest groups fighting the bill 
because it is not to their benefit, potentially 
insurmountable monetary barriers, committees 
and subcommittees to vote the bill forward 
before it ever gets to the Governor‘s desk, it’s a near 
miracle that any bill makes its way into law, but SCIL 
did it three times this year, and for that I am very 
grateful.

Here are the laws effective January 2020, all sponsored 
by SCIL and all on behalf of the animals. 

1. AB 243 (Gonzalez) Ban on Fur Trapping

This law will ban all commercial and recreational 
fur trapping, making California the first state in the 
union to do so. SCIL’s cosponsor, Center for Biological 
Diversity (CBD) with their science and lobbying 
resources were a great help in getting this bill passed.

2. AB 1260 (Maienschein) Endangered Species/Exotic 
Skins

By adding 7 species to a sales ban list including 
pythons, kangaroos, whales and many other species, 
coupled with winning the fight to kill the exemption 
on alligators and crocodiles, this was a victory bigger 
than SCIL had imagined. Penal Code 653.o will cover 
protection of alligator and crocodiles starting in 2020 
and the following species starting in 2022: iguana, 
skink, caiman, hippopotamus and Teju, Ring or Nile 
lizard. 

3. SB 313 (Hueso) Circus Cruelty Prevention Act

This takes the circus performers out of the big tent that 
do not have a choice in being there (aka: the animals). 
It’s high time, folks! But better late than never.

SCIL is always working on new legislation for more 
proper and humane treatment of the animals. They 
currently have several bills in the works for which 
they could use your support. If you are interested 
in joining them in their valiant efforts, go to 
socialcompassioninlegislation.org.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. Celebrate with family 
and friends. Be grateful for all you are blessed with. 
Love and let live!

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

ACORNS ARE FALLING

 [Nyerges is an ethnobotanist who has been teaching about the uses of wild plants since 1974. 
He is the author of 19 books including “Guide to Wild Foods and Useful Plants,” “Foraging 
California,” “Nuts and Berries of California,” and others. He can be reached at www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com, or Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041]

RECIPES:

TONGVA MEMORIES

Process your acorn flour, and 
mix half-and-half with whole 
wheat flour. If you don’t use 
wheat, use another flour such 
as amaranth or potato flour. 
Add an egg if desired. Add 
water and mix to create a pancake 
batter consistency. Cook 
the pancakes on a buttered hot 
skillet, and serve with butter or 
jam.

LINDA’S ACORN PASTA

I learned this recipe from Linda 
Sheer who grew up in rural 
Appalachia. Blend one-half 
processed acorn flour with 
one-half whole wheat flour. 
Add water as needed, and run 
it through a pasta machine, 
creating noodles or whatever 
sort of pasta you prefer. When 
cooked, serve with butter, or 
tomato sauce. 


Acorns are the fruit of the 
oak tree – a nut set in a scaly 
cap. Oak trees are the Quercus 
species, and there are 
about 600 species of oak trees 
world-wide. Here in Sierra Madre and surrounding 
areas, they are widely planted, and the acorns 
are falling or on the ground right now.

Oak trees are very diverse, most being large trees, 
but some being bushes. There are species which 
are evergreen and those which are deciduous 
(they drop their leaves as winter comes). 

Acorns have been used for millennia for food 
by the indigenous people who once exclusively 
lived here, but you can’t just pick up acorns and 
eat them. Because of the presence of bitter tannic 
acid, they must first be leached in any of a variety 
of methods.

After I collect acorns in the fall, I typically dry 
them by placing them in one of my dehydrators, 
or laying them in the sun. Drying removes the 
moisture so the acorns will not get moldy if you’re 
not going to use them right away. Once dried, 
you could keep them for a few years before you 
process them.

Today, on the trail or in the kitchen, the neatest 
and quickest way to process the acorns is to boil 
them and change the water repeatedly until they 
are no longer bitter. At that point, I prefer to process 
them through a hand-crank meat grinder 
to produce a coarse meal. You can also dry that 
coarse meal, and then grind it finer, which you 
can do in a coffee grinder. The meal is perfect 
for any product calling for flour. I typically mix 
the acorn flour 50-50 with wheat or other flours. 
This is partly for flavor, and partly because acorn 
flour doesn’t hold together as well as wheat flour, 
for example.

 TRADITIONAL PROCESSING

The more traditional method of processing first 
involves shelling the acorns, and then grinding 
them while still raw. I typically do this on a large 
flat-rock metate. The flour can also be processed 
in a food processor. Then, I put a cotton tea cloth 
inside a large metal colander, put the acorn flour 
into the colander, and pour cold water over the 
acorns. The water takes a while to trickle out, and 
it may require 2 or 3 or 10 pourings of water before 
the acorn meal is no longer bitter and can be 
eaten.

 

I have had modern acorn products of chips, 
pound cake, and pasta. They are delicious. If I had 
to describe the acorn flavor, I would say that products 
made with acorn flavor have a subtle graham 
cracker flavor. There exist at least 3 cookbooks 
entirely devoted to making acorn food products, 
such as puddings, bread, cakes, pancakes, pasta, 
cookies, and drinks.

 

MEDICINE/NUTRITION

How good are acorns for you? Indeed, just check 
out this data from a chart that was published inTemalpakh: 
Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage 
of Plants by Lowell John Bean and Katherine 
S. Saubel. Their source was Martin A. Baumhoff, 
Ecological Determinants of Aboriginal California 
Populations (Berkeley: University of California 
Press, 1936, p.162) as modified by Carl Brandt 
Wolf, California Wild Tree Crops (Claremont, 
CA: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, 1945, table 
1) and Spencer, Handbook of Biological Data, 
W. B. Saunders Co., New York, 1956, table 156)


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com