On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:19:27 -0600, Bill Wilcox <[log in to unmask]>  
wrote:
>
> I pointed out the tropical environments would have plant foods for more  
> of the year.  I am in Georgia, southern USA.  I cannot walk outside and  
> find edible fruits, nuts, or berries right now.

But with a broader knowledge of what to eat, could paleo man have done  
so?  I'm in Missouri, and I can walk outside right now and pick up plenty  
of nuts that fell last fall (there were so many that the squirrels left  
most of them laying where they fell).  A prudent paleo person would have  
piled a bunch of them in the corner of the cave for use during the  
winter.  Fruits would be harder to come by, though there may still be a  
few trees with persimmons on them -- I haven't looked lately.  Berries  
will have to wait for spring.

> Paleo man did not farm.

No, but he may well have taken advantage of nature's abundance.  He could  
have stored nuts for the winter, fruits (by drying) or even berries (for  
example, by mixing with fat and making pemmican out of them).

> I have never seen an apple forest.

They had to come from somewhere.  :-)

> Once that tree was picked clean, that's it.  Anything that is not picked  
> during the one to two weeks when they are ripe will fall to the ground  
> and rot.

Many fruits and veggies keep quite nicely for a long time in a cool  
place.  I've still got squashes and potatoes in my pantry from my garden  
last summer that are just fine.  I've had apples and cabbage that kept  
just fine for months as well.

> Fruit trees bear once to twice per year, depending on the variety.  ...  
> Berries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc. are  
> only available for about two weeks out of the year.  Nuts in late  
> fall.

This is true.  However, at least during the warmer months, it seems like  
*something* is in season pretty much all the time.  When the strawberries  
taper off, the nectarines ripen.  When they're done, the blackberries are  
ready.  When they're done, the blueberries are ready.  And so on all the  
way until the nuts start falling in the fall.  (Forgive me if the  
specifics of what ripens when in my order is off, I don't really keep  
track of what ripens when, I just know they do seem to all ripen at  
different times.)

> I challenge you to walk out into the woods where you live and stay out  
> there for a week eating only the fruits, nuts, berries, and mushrooms  
> you can find.

Indeed, that is a tall order at any time of the year for someone not  
experienced in foraging.  And you'd definitely want some meat, no matter  
what time of year.

> This is a way of eating, not a diet.  ... Just keeping carbs down is not  
> paleo and eating plants year-round is not paleo.

IMO, eating *only* meat is not paleo either.

-- 
   Robert Kesterson
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