At the root of it all

I chewed fast and swallowed hard, desperately trying to rid my mouth of its bitter contents. Our chef looked on knowingly as several of my fellow cub scouts dove into the cooler looking for any drink sweet enough to end their gustatory suffering. As we recovered from our misery, our teacher continued his lesson.

“Guys, nearly anything you see a deer or squirrel eating can be eaten by humans, too. It might taste awful, but it can provide nourishment and calories in a survival situation.”

As our den leader was both a Vietnam veteran and a wilderness survival expert, his lesson went unchallenged. Many plants, nuts and berries look very similar, though, so it is unwise to feast in the forest unless one truly knows what is what. That said, I don’t recall anyone having any problems from our roasted acorn appetizer.

I have long known that deer, squirrels and even several duck species commonly feed on acorns, but would it surprise you to know that, according to the National Wildlife Federation, over 100 vertebrate species in North America eat them? Even our Boykin Spaniel, Finn, loves them. Despite my strong discouragement, he ferrets them out at every opportunity.

A couple of years ago, I noticed that a group of mourning doves was gathering daily under some oaks next to our home on Daniel Island. These birds are typically found eating grass seeds, sunflowers, or domestic grains like corn and wheat, so I was curious. An inspection of the ground under the oaks was educational. Our population of squirrels had, in the course of eating their acorns, left lots of “cuttings” or bits, pieces and slivers, behind. This left easy, high quality, food for the birds and they gorged themselves daily on this unconventional “freebie.”

This was a banner year for acorn production on Daniel Island, and there were places this winter where one could barely see the earth beneath its thick acorn covering. There have been countless pieces written about our fabulous oak trees here in the Lowcountry. But what do we really know about the seed from which these beautiful giants come? Bill Murray’s voice from “Stripes” still echoes through my mind.

“Talk about massive potential for growth…I am the little acorn that becomes the oak!”

There are hundreds of different oak tree varieties worldwide. Many are native to North America. More types exist here in the Lowcountry than I care to list. They have different sizes, shapes, colors and characters, but they all produce acorns. Years like this one are called “mast” years. Scientists still cannot agree on all of the factors affecting mast production, but it appears that more than just temperature and rainfall are involved. A single, mature oak can produce over 10,000 acorns in one mast year.

Most commonly, acorns found here on Daniel Island fall from either live oaks or red oaks. Their sizes differ substantially, as does their maturation process. Acorns range in size from tiny to larger than golf balls. While the acorns of our live oaks mature in one season, the larger red oak acorns take two years to mature and drop.

Today, there are entire websites dedicated to the identification and preparation of natural (including oak-based) food sources. They offer advice on what types of acorns to eat, how to prepare them, etc. I would advise you that these are great food sources if one is ever lost in the woods and in need of food. However, if the nearest food source is a grocery store, I recommend a more “conventional” meal. I can still taste those acorns today, and four decades is a long time to remember a meal.