Everyone agrees that it's an amazingly good year for acorns. This is an oak on the top bit of the car boot field at Needham Market (when the site wasn't full of people selling) and the ground is absolutely covered.
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The early morning Farming programme on Radio 4 last week had a bit about Pannage in the New Forest, which I knew I'd written about a while back. Thanks to the post search feature I found it - I'd repeated it just last year. I love what an amazingly old system it is. HERE is a bit from wiki about the Agister which is an official, dating from medieval times, looking after the people who have rights of pannage.
Pannage is an ancient practice that is still used today by commoners and verderers who turn out their pigs into the Forest during the season. The pannage season, usually between September to December, lasts around 60 days. This year's season (this would have been the year I first posted this info) will run between 13 September to 14 November. Pigs do a vital job of eating many of the acorns that fall at this time of year. Green acorns are tasty for them, but poisonous for the ponies and cattle that roam the area freely.
I found this rhyme about pigs eating acorns out of season....
Though good store of acorns the porkling do fat
Not taken in season may perish of that,
If pig do start rattling and choking in throat
Thou loosest thy porkling - a pig to a groat!
Not taken in season may perish of that,
If pig do start rattling and choking in throat
Thou loosest thy porkling - a pig to a groat!
Acorns can be turned into flour - but it's quite a long process as they are toxic unless properly prepared, shelling is the start and that's enough to put me off, then there is leaching out the tannins, drying, grinding, drying.
There's a website HERE if you want to see how, I'll stick to buying a bag of flour from a supermarket!
During the war they were used as a substitute for coffee often called an ersatz coffee, especially in occupied countries where coffee completely vanished from the shops. There's a youtube video below or HERE. which makes it look quite simple.
When I did the Following a Tree posts last year I had photos of the oaks up the lane all through the year but there weren't as many acorns as this year and I never looked in the Cecily Mary Barker Flower Fairy book to see if there was an Oak Tree Fairy - there isn't, but in the Autumn Fairy section I found an Acorn Fairy and his song.
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Apparently it's a good year for fruit harvests all over; our local gardening centre is clean out of preserving items, they can't refill the shelves quickly enough.
ReplyDeleteI have had an excellent cherry, apple, and raspberry season, even though there were hardly any insects and birds in my backyard.
Yep, grey squirrels are very active burying their acorn stashes. There'll be baby oaks growing next two years in the most inaccessible places. I have one inside a rose bush and can't get rid of it. grr!
ReplyDeleteThe berries on trees and shrubs are also quite plentiful and stunning this year and what an abundance on mushrooms and toadstools everywhere especially of people's lawns. One house we passed yesterday had a lawn covered in the large spectacular red and white fairy mushrooms.
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