Thanks, Pete!
I was impressed that I got the thread started by 8am today, LOL!
35 degrees by me this morning - everything is frosty and sparkly. It’s time. ;)
Now where are those acorns?
I was impressed too! Hadn’t even finished my first cup of coffee!
...where are those acorns?
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I’m just a bit North of you, but IIRC, about 1/2 an Ag Zone earlier. When we travel South, it seems to be about a 2 week spread between half zones.
We were sweeping them off the deck a couple of weeks ago. But we had our 1st frost on the 23rd. There have been about 3-4 since. Hardest was last night....into the 20s.
I experimented with them last year. Ours are white Oak and Burr Oak and Pin Oak. It didn’t take more than 3 hot washes to leach. I read the Native Americans put them in a porous sack and left them in a cold, running stream for several days to leach them.
Shelling is tedious, but not difficult. They are fairly tasteless, but oily and high in protein. I roasted some w/oil and salt, but they remain softer than most nuts and the taste is bland.
I enjoy watching the Blue Jays use their beaks like a chisel to open them. They also stash them in crevices in the trees. They actually set up a sort of conveyor between a stash of fallen acorns and a popple to stuff them into the tree for winter use. Just a continuous flying convoy for about 20 minutes involving 3-4 birds.
IF we are ever in a real food shortage, I would utilize them. Otherwise, the time/energy is better spent on other crops.
South Jersey here. Hardly an acorn on the oaks this year. Very dry summer, think the oaks were on survival mode this year. Same with mulberries and persimmons.. Critters are going to really have to work to get through this winter