| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Hairyloon |
Mutant acornsTook a walk today and noticed that many of the oaks had very strangely shaped acorns: weird knobbly things that didn't look like acorns at all.I'll try and post a picture later. |
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| jamanda |
Some kind of gall? | ||
| Hairyloon |
I have seen nothing like it before... and I used to be a big fan of Asterix. 
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| vegplot |
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| Duckhead |
Re: Mutant acorns
How strange, I am looking forward to seeing the pics. |
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| Hairyloon |
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| Treacodactyl |
Andricus quercuscalicis according to Wiki, I call them Knopper galls. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andricus_quercuscalicis | ||
| sally_in_wales |
yep, knopper galls. Some years they are everywhere, then they seem to go away completely in some areas and you don't see them for ages. | ||
| Hairyloon |
 Well I am gaulled to be shown up as ignorant.
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| gil |
I've never seen anything like that before on an oak, just the round brown woody galls. | ||
| Urbane Forager |
Hi
I'm from Southampton UK and there are virtually no normal acorns this year. All are mutated galls. ;-( |
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| stumbling goat |
Apparently due to a parasitic wasp laying eggs in the acorn. Learned from Canal Journeys featuring Prunella Scales and Timothy West on 24 June.
Wonderful, and poignant watching if you did not see it. sg |
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| Mistress Rose |
Have seen those galls before. Haven't really had a look in the woods as most of the acorns are high up, but will see what we have. We are not too far from you UF, so will see how local it is to you. In Devon last week all the acorns I saw looked all right. | ||
| sally_in_wales |
its an amazing year for oak apples too, not the small marble galls that are locally very common (the wasp has a very small range), but the big spongy version. Never seen so many. At least I'll be ok for ink making materials this year! | ||
| dpack |
quite a lot round here this year,once the wasps have left the building i will be collecting for tanning skins as they are far better than bark. | ||
| sally_in_wales |
quite a lot round here this year,once the wasps have left the building i will be collecting for tanning skins as they are far better than bark. |
I've not tried gall tanning on skins, any tips on the best method?
boil them in water with a little lye if the fur is off for leather ,no lye if fluffy is intended,let em cool
leave the bits in the pickle as more tannins are released as the skin absorbs them from the liquor
amounts depend on how big the skin is,about 20 galls will do a medium sized hare so a cow would be a few bucket fulls at a guess
i have tried a vinegar rinse after tanning but it seems to make little difference apart from the niff