ACORNs and supplemental wild foods

[Skyler's Mom]

It is fall again and like many of us that have these very special friends I have begun gathering for the winter - I have human friends that think I am CRAZY. :crazy While my gray fuzzy tailed lovable 4 legged friends rest on their laurels I have made it my mission to gather as many acorns as I can (and a persimmon or 2) - Although other than being stricken with chiggers usually it does my body & heart good to gather for them - My Skyler loves acorns - :grin2 Now for the questions-

1. How should I store the acorns??? Refrigerated? Can they be frozen? Thus far I must have 20qts. - (My husband thinks I have a hoarding problem) - We have no oak trees in the area - I leave acorns out for the wild ones as well-It is not as bad as it sounds. Although I do have several other people gathering for me as well and expect that number to jump exponentially. :grin3

2. Should I limit the amount of acorns I give? I have noticed if given too many Skyler will not eat her Henry's Healthy Pet's - Squirrel Blocks and of course These give her the nutrition she needs. (I am very happy with the quality of the food and would recommend the squirrel blocks to every person who lives with a squirrel. (I was not paid or asked to advertise but wanted to put a word in as the owner of Henry's has been great and the product is top notch. :thumbsup

3.Other than the occasional worm (weevils) is there any other bugs, bacteria, molds etc. I should be concerned with?:eek

4. I am on the east coast (Tri-State area - NY, NJ, PA) - Is there any other wild foods such as pine cones and other nuts , flowering or fruit trees indigenous to this area that I could gather at this time of year?

When I get some pictures of my little critters munching on acorns I will have to post one or 2. :Love_Icon

Thanks for answers in advance - :thankyou
Skyler's mom

[msriri]

I freeze mine in quart bags. I usually get 4 different varieties.
Acorns, unfortunately, are only slightly better than nuts and should be limited like you would a treat.
I also gather pine cones, but usually later in winter off the tree, not the ground.....when they are completely closed. The open ones have already lost their seeds. You may want to ask around about black walnut trees. The season for them is almost over, but you might find a few.

[BamaHam]

I freeze mine in qt. bags too. They are high in calcium and very nutritional for them. I give Hammy about 10 a day. I make sure he eats his veggies so he gets his nutritonal balance. I give him hickory nuts, pecans, and walnuts native to my area (all frozen after I pick them).I buy hazelnuts and almonds too. I change up his menu. But acorns are good. Thats what they munch on in the wild. As for the larva that gets in them, Hammy LOVES to eat them too. Good protein. I leave the dirt on them because it has minerals in it and I think that is how they get their minerals from eating nuts buried in the dirt they lick them. :)

[sid'smommy]

I have already picked up a 10 gallon barrel full out of my backyard alone. . My husband said I should lay them in the sun to dry for a few days and then just store them in the barrel, which is a heavy cardboard material. Is that ok?? Also, I have gathered walnuts and hazelnuts. I need to know if theres a simple way to remove the outer coating on the walnuts without having stain all over me ...

[CritterMom]

I have already picked up a 10 gallon barrel full out of my backyard alone. . My husband said I should lay them in the sun to dry for a few days and then just store them in the barrel, which is a heavy cardboard material. Is that ok?? Also, I have gathered walnuts and hazelnuts. I need to know if theres a simple way to remove the outer coating on the walnuts without having stain all over me ...

I wouldn't. They are not like other nuts - more like chestnuts - very wet - like fibrous water chestnut. They DON'T dry, the form deadly mold inside. Freeze what you want to use for your babies and defrost as you need them.

If you have the ability to leave your bulk acorns spread out with air circulation around them, you could supplement your wilds through the winter with those, but packing them in something WILL result in mold.

[sid'smommy]

Ok, I have an empty freezer plugged in out in the garage, I will start packin em up and freeze em. I remember gathering acorns when I was a kid so I could feed them all winter, but my mom always said to use cardboard boxes, and store them in the basement... I guess I dont remember if they ate them or not. I dont have any babys right now ... my nest is empty :( Im only gathering these for the wilds all winter. Last winter, I went thru 10 pounds a week in peanuts..so i figured I can mix it up and save some $$. My wilds will not even touch corn and sunflower "squirrel mix" ...but they will eat it off the cob once in a while. Go figure, we planted all soybean crops instead of corn this year.

[Mchicha]

What about burying them in a container full of dirt?

[Skyler's Mom]

Thanks for the input - I will begin freezing as well - I collected 30 Lbs yesterday and I told my husband I was going to go back out for more - I want to give them to the wild ones through the winter - I found acorns that are absolutely huge ( size of walnuts / brazil nuts) I found what I thought was a walnut too but only one nut - I was unsure what it was - I will be on the hunt for pinecones soon - I enjoy gathering because I can get away from the chaos of the city - I will make sure I let my hubby know others collect too HE THINKS I AM TOO OBSESSIVE BUT FRANKLY IF I CAN HELP THE WILD ONES WHY NOT???

:grin3