As you might recall, in the Horticultural Tips column of November, I left you as I was hurrying around to collect as many irritating acorns from my front lawn before the first snow fall of the season hit and would make it impossible to clear all the oak debris. Well, by way of an interesting update to that story, let me share with you the profitable outcome of my acorn gathering adventure, as the Horticultural Tip for the month of December.
I have, at last count, 6 mature Oak trees on my property and they are all located near enough to my lawn to be a real nusense. It is imperative, but almost impossible to gather all of these acorns. Try as I might millions of these pesky nuts still get left behind and sprout staunchly each spring, smack dab in the middle of my beautiful front lawn.
When I left you in the November Horticultural Tip column, I had collected by myself 4, five gallon sheet rock buckets full of big, fat, shiny brown acorns.
That translates to approximately 20 gallons of acorns. There were still millions of acorns scattered everywhere and as I previously mentioned, an impending snow storm was predicted for the next night. By sheer luck, my next door neighbor came out to go for a walk, but instead she decided to help me pick up acorns because she saw me using the unusual nut gathering tool and wanted to try it herself. So, I was raking acorns and she was gathering acorns with the Garden Weasel Nut Gathering tool (highlited in last months column), and we were making pretty good progress. Along came another next door neighbor and asked if we needed help, and “oh ya!” she said, “Should I bring my new nut gathering tool”? Answer….absolutely.!!! So the three of us set to work gathering acorns. By sunset, as the snowflakes started to fall, we had filled 2 forty gallon trash barrels with 80 gallons of acorns. So all together I now had collected approximately 100 gallons of acorns. Most people would think me “nuts” to collect so many acorns but actually, as it turns out, there is a good use for these annoying nuts. Pigs love them!!! If you keep pigs you may already know this, but I was surprised. I had seen an ad last year in the Conway Sun newspaper for a pig farmer willing to pick up acorns on anyone’s property for free.
Having kept that ad, I called the phone number, made sure the farmer was still taking acorns, and made a plan for him to come to my house the very next day to take my donation of 100 gallons of acorns for the little “piggy’s”. When he arrived It took the two of us a time or two, to lift the very heavy 40 gallon barrels of shiny, brown acorns into his pick-up truck, but with that said and done and “thank you’s” all around, the farmer started to pull out of my driveway. When all of a sudden the truck stopped and the farmer jumped out of his pick-up truck and came up the driveway toward me carrying a cooler. He apologized for almost forgetting, he wanted to pay me for all the work my friends and I had done to collect 100 gallons of acorns. Inside the cooler, much to my surprise, were 6 of the biggest, thickest, bone-in ham steaks that I have ever seen. All naturally grass fed, no hormones, no chemicals, no nothing!! Professionally prepared and flash frozen in plastic wrap. FREE. Thank you very much. So,… with more “thank you’s” all around again, and kind words about pigs and sheep, the farmer turned and asked me if I liked lamb? Well…..make room in the freezer, because here comes the Crown Rib Roast. Don’t tell me or show me the animals, but if my farmer friend raises these animals for his livelihood and practices responsible and humane care of the animals as they grow, I am ok with that.
My local farmer lives and maintains a small 16 acre farm in Eaton, NH. If anyone would be interested in purchasing all natural meat or eggs directly, or to have him come collect your acorns next year, or you would like a tour of his family farm you may contact me directly for his phone number and information.
Till then, Bon Appetite
Deb
December2019 |
