Acorn Cracking Party and Potluck
Acorn Cracking Party & Potluck • Tuesday, Sept. 28- 4PM at the Frog Farm
The Cultural & Ecological Enhancement Network (CEEN) and Spiral
Living Center are hosting an Acorn Cracking Party on Tuesday Sept. 28th
at 4pm, upstairs at the Frog Farm, 9044 Takilma Road. Everyone is
welcome. Bring acorns if you have them (whether from this year or
last) and we will crack acorns and have a potluck afterwards. Come
join the fun! For more information contact Suzanne Vautier of CEEN at 541-592-3939. Suzanne has taught several wild food classes for SLC and most recently also led a wild food presentation at the IV Farm Festival on 9-11-2010. She has wriiten about acorns and other Native traditions for Takilma Common Ground.
Living Center are hosting an Acorn Cracking Party on Tuesday Sept. 28th
at 4pm, upstairs at the Frog Farm, 9044 Takilma Road. Everyone is
welcome. Bring acorns if you have them (whether from this year or
last) and we will crack acorns and have a potluck afterwards. Come
join the fun! For more information contact Suzanne Vautier of CEEN at 541-592-3939. Suzanne has taught several wild food classes for SLC and most recently also led a wild food presentation at the IV Farm Festival on 9-11-2010. She has wriiten about acorns and other Native traditions for Takilma Common Ground.
You may have noticed acorns falling lately. The first acorns to drop are generally no good; like an apple tree drops bad fruit just before the harvest, so does the oak. It is after this first drop of aborted acorns that the good acorns begin to fall. Look at the acorns you see on the ground- if they have a small hole in them (acorn weevil), are misshapen, are light in weight, or if the circular area under the cap is moldy or otherwise looks odd, the acorn is probably bad. If you’re not sure, crack a few and look inside.
Healthy acorns are relatively heavy, without holes or blemishes and the circular area under the cap should be white or off-white in color. At this stage the fresh acorns are called “green” acorns. “Green” acorns should be spread out to dry- place in shallow cardboard boxes, paper bags, or baskets so they can breath and place in a dry place in your house or in the sun. Do not store green acorns in plastic or they will go bad. Turn the green acorns every day or two, allowing them to dry slowly and evenly. You will know when they are dry enough when they crack easily. Green acorns will splat when you crack them and it can be difficult to remove the shell pieces and skin from the soft acorn meat.
This year’s acorns can be eaten this year, though acorns from previous years are easier to shell. Many tribes hold a Green Acorn celebration when they process this year’s acorns to honor the harvest. But otherwise they would eat the acorns of previous years as they are easier to work with.
See you at the party!
Date:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 - 4:00pm - 6:00pm
