Tomorrow's Bites with Andrés and Sjacco Elspeth Hay: What Is the Food System Story & Why Should We Eat More Trees?
Feb 18, 2026
Elspeth Hay, author and researcher of traditional foodways and agroforestry, explores how nut trees and oak ecosystems once fed communities. She uncovers why industrial monocultures and policy erased tree foods. Conversations cover acorns and chestnuts as staples, how land policy reshaped diets, the role of fire in oak landscapes, and why entrepreneurs should learn from keystone species.
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Forgotten Tree Foods Everywhere
- Oaks and acorns were once staple foods across the northern hemisphere and are still abundant in many landscapes today.
- Elspeth Hay realized acorns are edible and saw a huge missing piece in modern food narratives.
Policy, Not Necessity, Shaped Monocultures
- U.S. agriculture's monocultures and crop specialization are largely policy-driven rather than inevitable.
- Subsidies and legal incentives shaped the dominance of corn, soy, and row crops over diverse local systems.
Midwest Farmers Grew A Nut Oasis
- Tom Wall and Kathy Dice in Iowa planted chestnuts, hazelnuts and other perennials three decades ago and created an oasis amid cornfields.
- Their experiment inspired regional interest and spawned nurseries and nonprofits supporting tree-based farming.
