Harvesting the Children of the Oaks

The children of our mighty oaks are everywhere. The are deep under the trees themselves, of course. They crunch sadly under our tires as we drive around the property. And on my daily walk, I must be careful if I hesitate too long under the trees for fear of being bonked on the head by the nuts as they fall!

Since, for various reasons, I spend a lot of my time thinking about where food comes from and how we can enhance all of what we have, plotting the future of at least some of this bounty is currently much on my mind.

First it’s important to note that humans aren’t the only ones who can benefit from the oak’s gift of the acorns. At this time of year, our beloved deer apparently stop their dancing long enough to take about 25 percent of their diet from the acorns found on the property in such numbers.

It isn’t just the deer, either. Birds, ducks, woodpeckers, mice, squirrels and other rodents enrich their diets and prepare for winter munching on the nutritious nuts.

And acorns are nutritious! All varieties have protein, carbs and fats in abundance and include vitamins and minerals like calcium, potassium, phosphorus and niacin.

Even though so many creatures gain a lot of nutrition from acorns, there’s enough around for humans to have a share, as well. After all, a mature oak can produce up to 1000 pounds of acorns per year. (No wonder I’m getting hit on the head so often on my walks!)

Unlike many other nuts, acorns have strong tannins that must be removed before humans can enjoy them. This is done with either cold water flushing or boiling. How it is done depends on the amount of tannins -- and resulting bitterness -- in the nuts you’re dealing with. How and why this is done is discussed in some detail here.

Ironically, one of the uses for the brown water left after the boiling method is to use it as a traditional remedy in the relief of poison oak blisters. Since poison oak often grows near or in the shade of oak trees, having this natural remedy so close at hand seems like another one of nature’s signs that she’s looking out for us!

For more information on acorns and how and why to eat them, you can find recipes here and here and here.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to share in some of our bounty, call Laura at 805-769-8699 to schedule a visit.

Walking Softly on the Earth

This has been the sort of week that puts us in mind of why we need to continue to care deeply about the Earth and the environment. With a major earthquake and Tsunami on the West Coast and a devastating hurricane wreaking havoc on the East, it was difficult in the last few days not to at least cast a thought to the worst possible outcomes. But it’s hard for me not to think that, at least on a certain level, that’s a bit of a cop out. I mean, sure: there is such a thing as force of nature. There are elements and matters over which we can have no control. But there is evidence at hand that indicates that Hurricane Sandy may have been, to quote the Guardian newspaper, “supersized by climate change.” That is, while the hurricane itself was not attributable to climate change, some of the more devastating effects we saw over the last few days probably were. Sea surface temperatures are higher as is the overlying atmospheric temperature and the results were sad to see.

There is much debate on whether or not our actions could have at least minimized the intensity of the hurricane. On a personal level, though, the message seems very clear: though it’s easy to see our environment as robust, self-contained and untouchable, we need to stay cognizant of the delicate balances at play and, more importantly, the places where we can impact those balances in both negative and positive ways.

We try to do that every day at Dancing Deer Farm and the Center for ReUniting Families. Not only on a personal level, but in the widest way we can, in the form of various educational and community outreach programs. Laura Albers, the Education Director at the Center for ReUniting Families is deeply immersed in all aspects of both our programs and the various goings on at Dancing Deer Farm. Laura will be making occasional reports from Dancing Deer and CRF in this space. Her voice is warm and her vision clear and we look forward to her contributions.

Meanwhile, think forward from this eventful week. If we’re to take away one thing, remember that the Earth is delicate and requires our careful and conscious stewardship. Walk softly as you move ever forward.

“Teach your children that we have taught our children that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of earth...  This we know, the earth does belong to man: man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected…" -- Chief Seattle, 1851

A doe and her buck

This is a story about our deer.

October 27, 2012
I have been witnessing the passing of a doe today, and an extraordinary devotion to her by a buck.

This morning, around 8:30am, my neighbor called to say she was concerned about a noise that had been coming from down the hill, sounding like an animal in pain. Assuming it was a deer that had been hit by a car, I got dressed for tra

ipsing through the poison oak covered hills.

I finally saw them - a doe on the ground, not too far from the street and neighbor winery, and a buck hovering around her. She screamed out every time he nudged her. I stood still up on the hill above them and watched for a half an hour as the buck refused to give up - kept trying to urge her to get up, from every side, from every angle. With each nudge, the doe cried out. In between the nudges, he would circle around her, licking her head and the wounds by her back legs. Once, she mustered enough energy to lift her head up and meet his mouth with her own - just as if in a kiss. He tried to scoop her up with his front legs. He tried to push her to her other side, drag her, anything to get her to move. When not nudging her or licking her, he stood over her - guarding his doe. When people were walking a few hundred yards off, he stood over her in complete alert.

Eventually, she stopped moving at all, and while he still kept licking her, he stopped trying to move her. I left them then, thinking that she was finally done.

Tonight, at about 6:45 pm, I drove over to the spot to check on things, to see if she needed to be pulled further into the woods for decomposing. To my amazement, the buck was still there! It didn't look like she had moved again, but he still had not left her side. More than 10 hours later, that buck was still by her side.

I am truly amazed at the devotion that this buck is showing. Such beautiful and compassionate animals these deer are. If only we could keep them safe from our streets. I'm sending all my love to this doe as she passes, and to this buck for loving her so fully. 

UPDATES:

October 28, 11:00am: Visited doe, the buck had finally moved on. Brought sage and cedar and prayers to send the doe off with ceremony, and to pray for comfort for the buck.

October 29: The winery buried the doe where she died - at the edge of the oak forest.

October 30: Pumpkin carving in honor of the deer.

November 1: Marker brought to the area of passing.

In gratitude,

Laura Albers

Director of Education

The Center for Reuniting Families

Dancing Deer Farm