On Thu, 16 Jul 1998 23:30:22 -0500, James Crocker <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>On 07/16/98 11:17:15 you wrote:
>>There was still much fruit: hedges around the fields were of sloe,
>>then wild roses, lilac (sambucus nigra or sambucus racemosa),
>>medlar (mespilus germanica), wild cherries and pears, h
>>azel...
>>These are still paleolithic choices for us!
>What foliage was available in Paleolithic times is of great interest to me.  Does anyone have
>references or info sources on this?
James, I got much of my information on the presently available, but
wild plants from books made for gardeners who have to create
hedges in the nature (well, in german "Wildgehölze").
I
 was astonished what a rich variety of edible plants and fruits is
(well mostly was) growing in our landscape.
I 've planted several of them (the ones marked edible) and sometimes am
amazed of their taste, sometimes disappionted.

If look for times longer back, there is well documented evidence
(by pollen) how the vegetation at each time was.
For example before abour 4500BC there were
1500 years of almost _only_ hazel.
(gatherers paradise 300 grams hazelnuts will make your day).

Ice age consisted af alternating worm and cold phases of several thousand
years each.
In the coldest times (for ex. 20000 years back) the trees
could not survive the winters, but in summer there was a good
growing greenery like sorrel (rumex).
This information you can get of archelogical books.
A net resource i found is: http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen/nerc.html

I haven't yet found in
formations of the ice-age edible vegetation
of africa (savanne). It should be of greatest interest to
paleodiet, since our anchestors spent most of their time there
(not in ice age europe).
Who knows where to look?

regards

Amadeus