Ask a chef

[Wishing4Wings]

Hmmm... well I think that person must have teeny tiny hands then!

 

[Akrnaf2]

Hmmm... well I think that person must have teeny tiny hands then!

It could be a kindergarten child?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

It could be a kindergarten child?

No, it does look more like an adult hand. It would take 50 of my little Quercus agrifolia acorns to equal one of those. I am envious!

 

[Akrnaf2]

No, it does look more like an adult hand. It would take 50 of my little Quercus agrifolia acorns to equal one of those. I am envious!

Do you have there Quercus rubra?
It is a splendid tree!

Not my pic.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Do you have there Quercus rubra?
It is a splendid tree!
View attachment 1194415
Not my pic.

I wish we did... so pretty. Those are found in the eastern US.
These are common oaks in California where I live. http://cesonoma.ucanr.edu/files/176092.pdf
Valley Oak (Q. lobata) is my favorite.

I have been trying to find a recipe for traditional acorn bread made by California Native Americans. Acorns were a main staple in their diet, and acorn mush (porridge) was very common, but the bread was better. They took dry, leached acorn flour, mixed in some powdered red clay, and added just enough water to form it into a flat loaf, about 2 inches thick. The loaf was wrapped in leaves and cooked in a cooking hole, slowly, on a flat stone over hot coals, covered with soil and left overnight. The bread came out like soft cheese, black on the outside, and very sweet because the slow cooking transformed some of the starch to sugar. The clay also removed any trace of bitter tannin. Dried loaves were very hard and would last for months, which made them excellent for traveling. John Muir (a naturalist from the 1800's) used this bread in his travels and said it was the best food he had ever eaten.
Just in case anyone is wondering, acorns are very nutritious. Depending on species, up to 18% fat, 6% protein, and 68% carbohydrate, with water, minerals, and fiber making up the rest. Also a good source of vit A and C and many essential amino acids.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Thanks for sharing!
A very impressive tree you have there!
Did you made the bred?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

No. We had terrible wild fires in October and had to evacuate our place for 8 days. The firefighters saved our neighborhood (twice!), but by the time we got back and settled, it was too late for acorns, they had all fallen. Maybe next year!

Oh, and that's not my tree. I sure wish it was!

 

[Akrnaf2]

No. We had terrible wild fires in October and had to evacuate our place for 8 days. The firefighters saved our neighborhood (twice!), but by the time we got back and settled, it was too late for acorns, they had all fallen. Maybe next year!

Oh, and that's not my tree. I sure wish it was!

I am glad to hear that!

 

[Akrnaf2]

@Wishing4Wings do you have any truffles mushrooms in this oak forests?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Not truffles. They have been trying to cultivate them for several years around here, and only just this year seeing a bit of success. We have other good mushrooms though... most desired are golden chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus) and king bolete (Boletus edulis) which is the same as an Italian porcini. They are hard to find, though. We had been finding lots of the chanterelles on the hill behind our neighborhood, but the land was bought recently so we don't have access any more. It all burned up there last month... most trees will survive... I bet the mushrooms will also. But we will never know!