greg mosser

it might be both! cedar apple rust generally doesn’t leave whole dead ‘scorched’-looking branches or twigs like fire blight does.

the when to cut your losses and get a different tree (maybe a different species?) question has a couple factors. the biggest one is how infected is it? the general control measure is to cut off fireblight-infected branches ~16 inches from infected parts (generally visible as dark/grey/black wood). if doing so wouldn’t leave you with much tree, and you already know it’s susceptible to fireblight, it’s probably reasonable to try something else there. if it’s only little bits that can be controlled with a little bit of maintenance, maybe not?

by all means, post pics!

i just read there are travel advisories about new caledonia, due to recent civil unrest. maybe mchale’s navy should be happy that they got cancelled in ‘66…

i didn’t realize until today that people might think i was in new caledonia! though i suspect many people may not realize the existence of new caledonia! i’ll change my location soon…

edited to add: i decided against using my state name at all. i think bioregions are more applicable in permaculture than political boundaries.

i suspect, like their even-closer-than-sunroots cousin, yacon, dahlia roots will sweeten more if left to ‘cure’ in the same way: leave one in a sunny windowsill for a day or two, and then peel and eat.

Craig Schaaf wrote:I don’t think it would be wise to run them through a grain grinder. They have important oil in them that will probably gum up the plates or stone.

just a note: different species of oak have vastly different amounts of oil in them. other members of the red family (southern red, black, pin, willow, etc) have even more than northern reds, enough to be pressed out mechanically (or separated via other means). acorns from the white family (white, chestnut) have negligible amounts. the basically oil-free species can be ground totally safely with a (tougher grade) standard grain mill.

i do have a long list of favorite uses. will have to marshall my thoughts about them.

good looking northern red oak acorns! welcome!

public service announcement

one small bit of warning: you really don’t want the tubers to freeze. they can’t survive it, and they smell unholy when they start rotting afterwards.

more rest and by-the-woodstove time (maybe with a pot of twig tea on the go)
but also more time to do some heavy-labor jobs without sweating to death
more soups!
working on making food out of all the fall bounty

and then a bit later on in the winter, syrup season.

yep, it’s a vertebrate of some kind.