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Mountain View News Saturday, October 25, 2025


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 



[Nyerges is the author of “Nuts and Berries of California,” which includes a chapter on toyon. He 
leads ethno-botanical walks. For more information, contact him at Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 
90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com.]



THE TOYON TREE: Fruits Mature In Winter!

Meet Dottie, a Girly-Girl!

Last week you met 
Sammy. Dottie is 
his sister, age about 
1 year. Dottie is a 
small brown tabby 
with a heart full 
of love and a playful 
spirit! Her loving 
nature shines 
through in every 
cuddle and purr. She loves to snuggle with her siblings, 
and she likes to hide under a skirt. Dottie is 
known for her distinguishing eyebrows, which is 
definitely a "girl thing!" She loves to be brushed, 
and will quietly call you over to brush her on 
her favorite scratch mat, which will go with her 
when she's adopted, 
of course. Dottie always 
greets you with a 
meow when you reach for her, and will purr quietly when petted. 
She also loves to eat, and will run from her eating spot to you meowing 
for you to hurry with the food. It's adorable. Are you ready 
to add this bundle of joy to your life? Dottie is waiting to steal your 
heart! She is thoroughly vetted and ready to go! Dottie needs to be 
adopted with one of her siblings: Ollie, Rocky, or Sammy, who are 
being featured each week.

Apply at https://www.lifelineforpets.org/mindys-kittens.html or 
scan the qr code.


PREPARING TOYON BERRIES

At one of my Wild Food Cooking 
classes around Thanksgiving 
where we collected these fruits fresh, and boiled 
them as described above, everyone found them 
very likable. “They’re sorta like cranberries of the 
West Coast,” remarked wild food researcher Helen 
Sweany. I had to agree. 

Most often, I collect the berries, remove all the 
stems, wash them, and then spread them on cookie 
sheets to dry. If the weather is hot, I put the cookie 
sheets in the sun for a few days, and just cover with 
a towel at night. Or, I will put them into the oven; 
the pilot-light temperature is usually sufficient to 
dry them in about a week.



The dried toyon is tasty. I often pass these out to 
school children. Yes, some will just spit them out, 
but the flavor is not objectionable. There is an initial 
flavor like black tea, and then, as you chew the 
hard little fruit you get a very pleasant combination 
of both sweet and sour.



 My preferred method of preparation was taught to 
me by Linda Sheer, who grew up in rural Kentucky 
and learned how to experiment with most wild 
foods to create tasty dishes. The berries are boiled, 
and the water changed. Assuming the berries are no 
longer astringent after one changing of the water, 
the berries are given just a little water and cooked 
at low heat while flour is added. I usually use wheat 
flour, but any other flour could be used with similar 
results. I slowly stir as the flour thickens, and I add 
a few tablespoons of honey, to taste. This mixture 
thickens up, like a pie filling, and most people find 
it delicious.



“STORE” VS. “STORE”

Toyon is a common tree in the hills around Pasadena 
and Altadena, and throughout the Angeles National 
Forest. It’s common throughout the California 
chaparral regions. The leaves have small serrations 
on their edges, and are a bit leathery in texture. The 
fruits mature in winter, which makes them very unusual, 
and made them highly prized the native communities 
who ate the berries. After all, there are no 
other wild fruits that do their producing in winter. 
Today, folks can go to the grocery store whenever 
they want, but if you lived here 500 or more years 
ago in the pre-Mission era, “store” was a verb, not a 
noun. And if you ran low on supplies in winter, you 
could go into the hills and collect some food. Toyon 
was probably a life-saver!



There are many ways in which Native Americans ate the toyon berries in the past, and there are 
many modern methods of use.



When I am on the trail during toyon’s ripening, I collect several cups worth of the fruit clusters. 
Then I take about a half-hour to remove all the stems. Next, I rinse the berries well, since even if 
they appear clean, they have accumulated lots of dirt. 



Typically, you do not eat raw toyon berries because they are astringent and the flesh is mealy. Still, 
I know several local indigenous friends who enjoy the berries raw. But most feel that the flavor is 
improved by cooking or drying.



Normally, I put the berries in a pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. I let them boil for 
perhaps 10 minutes, until they have plumped up just a bit. I strain out the water, add fresh water, 
and bring to a boil again. This process removes the astringency of the raw fruit, and brings out 
the sweetness. After this second boiling, strain out the water and then just taste one of the fruits 
without any sweeteners or flavoring. There is a fresh flavor which is a combination of the low sugar 
content and a sour flavor, akin to a cumquat, or a raw cranberry.



NATIVE FOOD SYMPOSIUM

My wife and I participated in the first Native Food Symposium Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden 
a few years ago. We experimented with several methods of toyon preparation, and the good results 
were fed to the participants of the symposium. One method was the recipe just described, where 
the berries were cooked with flour and sweetened with honey.



MEET RICHARD TOYON:

Richard Toyon is a 14th generation Californian, according to the official records of the Mission San 
Juan Capistrano. He is descended from the Parra clan of the Acjachemem nation (pronounced “A-
HA-Sha-mem), formerly known as the Mission Band of the Juaneno Indians. His family originates 
in what is now the city of San Juan Capistrano. He is a descendant of Alejo Parra, and the area was 
once called Rancho de los Toyones. Richard Toyon’s grandfather’s name was Ortiz de los Toyones, 
and after him the family name was shortened to just “Toyon.”



Toyon lives in La Crescenta and is active in Boy Scouts, local politics, and in representing the 
Tongva Tribe for various environmental and public issues. Of course, when we first spoke, I could 
not wait to ask him about the native toyon tree, the tree from which his family name comes.



“When I give my walks and lectures a few times a year, I talk about the native uses of plants,” he 
explains. “The ethno-botanical uses of plants, not necessarily just the food uses.” Toyon went on 
to tell me about the first real estate venture just south of Griffith Park. “These guys looked up in 
the hills and they saw all the toyon trees with their brilliant red fruit, and they called the place ‘Hollywood.’ 
They should have called it ‘Toyonwood’,” he laughs.

 “The toyon fruit played a significant role in the Acjachemem diet,” he says. Though there are 
probably a dozen common ways of preparing the fruit – ground into meal, made into a drink, 
made into a dessert – Toyon says that in Acjachemem get-togethers today, the fruit is cooked in 
a wok, fried and lightly seasoned, and served 50/50 with rice. His relatives have mashed up the 
toyon berries and served them on top of potatoes, with butter.



GROW YOUR OWN

If you like toyon berries, seriously consider growing your own. The young plants are readily available 
at any native plant nurseries, such as Hardy Californians in Arcadia (call 626-675-8652 for 
hours), Hahamongna Plant Nursery (4550 Oak Grove Drive in Pasadena, Saturdays only), Theodore 
Payne Society in Sunland, and others. It’s a great plant to have in your own yard, where you 
can harvest the fruits as you wish every winter.


Pet of the Week


Sunday didn’t find her new family on Free 
Adoption Day, but she’s still holding out hope!

This gentle 12-year-old brindle pittie has 
been through more than most - she came to 
Pasadena Humane in January for emergency 
boarding after the Eaton Fire displaced her 
family. When it became clear they couldn’t 
take her back, they made the heartbreaking 
decision to surrender her, hoping she could 
find a second chance at happiness.

Sunday’s been living in a loving foster home 
ever since, bringing joy to a community that 
knows loss and resilience. Calm, cuddly, 
and full of love, Sunday made tons of new 
friends this past weekend, rocking her best 
flower collar and showing off her world-class 
snuggling skills.

She’s a sweet senior lady who deserves a soft 
place to land, a quiet home, and someone to 
love her through her golden years. If you’re 
looking for a best friend every day of the week 
-Sunday’s your girl.

The adoption fee for dogs is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter,
microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines. 

 Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 10:00 – 5:00. View photos of 
adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.

 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.

Toyon fruits


Richard Toyon holding a cluster of toyon. Over 
his left shoulder is Toyon Peak.


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