52: Why We Should Be Feeding Ourselves With TREES: Nuts, Forests, And The Future Of Food | Elspeth Hay

<p>In this episode, we sit down with Elspeth Hay, Cape Cod journalist and author of <a href="https://newsociety.com/book/feed-us-with-trees " target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Feed Us with Trees</strong></em></a>, to explore how we can solve our collective separation from nature through the power of tree crops. We dive deep into her journey from learning the “no farms, no food” mantra in childhood to the paradigm-shifting realization that our surrounding forests are actually overflowing with staple foods like acorns. Elspeth deconstructs historical narratives like the term &quot;hunter-gatherer&quot; and the concept of &quot;enclosure,&quot; arguing that modern industrial farming models were built upon a violent legacy of privatizing land and erasing highly managed indigenous food systems. The conversation highlights how traditional communities managed ecological resources collectively through the &quot;Commons&quot; and specific cultural rituals. Finally, we discuss how local communities can reverse the &quot;shifting baseline syndrome,&quot; her advice on cultivating ecological joy and rituals for the next generation, and her vision of a future rooted in regional food resilience and connection to community and place. </p><p><br></p><p>Elspeth’s book, <a href="https://newsociety.com/book/feed-us-with-trees" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>Feed Us with Trees:</strong></a> <a href="https://newsociety.com/book/feed-us-with-trees" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">https://newsociety.com/book/feed-us-with-trees</a> </p><p><br></p><p><strong>Timestamps </strong></p><p>[00:00] Intro - Acorns are a human food!</p><p>[03:09] Reflecting on a childhood feeling of being separate from the natural world.</p><p>[10:51] Deconstructing the term &quot;hunter-gatherer&quot; and rethinking evolutionary food stories.</p><p>[12:22] Learning about traditional indigenous forest management and the sophisticated uses of cultural fire.</p><p>[19:56] Explaining the violent legacy of the historical &quot;enclosure&quot; movement and land privatization.</p><p>[34:40] Analyzing how the intentional destruction of indigenous food systems won historical wars.</p><p>[45:32] Parallels between changing Cape Cod fisheries and regional nut co-op resilience networks.</p><p>[49:57] Replacing the concept of &quot;nature&quot; with the &quot;living world&quot; through the lens of fire-dependent Oak Savannas.</p><p>[59:26] Exploring the deep