I Heart Oak Trees.
I’ll be honest I love a lot of trees, dogwoods are another one of my favorites. As are aspens, sequoias, and many others. But back to Oaks! California is blessed to have a huge variety of native oak trees. Just in my little neck of the woods are Black Oaks, White Oaks (show here), Blue Oaks, and many more. Some are Live Oaks – they don’t drop their leaves in the winter, and others are deciduous. The Black Oak in particular is beautiful in the fall when it turns a rich golden yellow.
If you pay attention, they change smell with the season too. In the fall the acorns and falling leaves combine to be a yummy nutty earthy smell. On dry, hot summer days there’s a certain roasted smell too.
Oaks also provide food and shelter to many animals including humans. Oak hardwood is a valuable material for floors, cabinets, art, and many other modern uses. Acorns are a nutritious snack not just for squirrels, deer and birds, but also for early Americans. Have you ever had acorn bread? It’s very delicious! It IS a time consuming process to prepare the flour, acorns are rich in tannin which tastes awful. BUT once leached out, what is left is tasty and nutritious. While this recipe isn’t quite what I remember, it is close.
