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Acorns and Acorn Flour ©

November 5, 2016 by lheideman

By Dr. Christine Morgan, ND, PSc.D.

Did you know that there is a nutritious food source literally dropping from your trees each fall? In fact, unless you are a squirrel, you may even see this food as a nuisance. But guess what? Acorns are edible!!

Alas, the lowly acorn was not always seen this way. Historical sources suggest that some of the world’s earliest civilizations ate acorns. In fact, the word for “oak” in Tunisian translates to “meal-bearing tree.”

Although acorns, which contain healthy fats, protein and minerals, found their way into many Native American foods and are the main ingredient of a traditional Korean jelly recipe, most people today shy away from eating them. Why? Anyone who has ever sampled a raw acorn can tell you. They taste bitter because of naturally occurring chemicals called tannins.

The secret to eating…and enjoying acorns…lies in removing the tannins. When you complete this process, you can produce a subtly flavored flour that works well in all kinds of baking recipes and even as a coffee-like beverage.

How to remove the tannins

The first step to removing the tannins is to select only ripe, brown acorns. Avoid green, blackened or mildewed acorns. Then remove the caps and boil the acorns for about 10 minutes. You will need to strain out the brown water and boil the acorns again in fresh water. Repeat this process three to four times until the water looks clear and the acorns can be easily shelled. This is the “work” that most people are unwilling to do to use acorns as a food source, but more and more people are looking for alternative food sources to increase variety in the diet which is important for true health.

Now that the tannins are removed, it is time to dry the acorns. First shell them. Spread the acorn nuts on a baking sheet and place them in a preheated 200*F. oven. Leave the door slightly ajar so moisture can escape. Let them dry until crunchy. You now have acorn nuts!

To make acorn flour

To make acorn flour, the process is a little different. Shell after the boiling process (leaching) and let freshly leached acorns dry out a bit on the counter. Grind slightly moist leached acorns in a blender or food processor. Spread the meal out on a tray and let dry at 200*F. in an oven until dry…or in a dehydrator at 105* until dry. Then re-grind the dry meal in the blender or food processor again to make a fine flour. Store ground flour in an airtight container on the counter or it can be frozen for longer storage use.

Acorns add a nutty, slightly sweet taste to recipes. You can use them as a substitute for chickpeas, peanuts or macadamia nuts. (Put them in banana nut bread or zucchini bread!) You also can use them to make acorn butter, which you can use instead of peanut butter or almond butter. You also can add them to salads, soups and stews for flavor and nutrition.

You can substitute the acorn flour in any recipe that uses wheat or other gluten-free flour, but keep in mind that acorn flour products will have a crumbly texture. If you prefer a spongy texture to your cookies or bread, you will need to mix in some other flour with your acorn flour, or increase the liquids in GF recipes with other flours.

Acorn Coffee

Another option is make acorn coffee. Now, this drink will not perk you up in the morning since acorns do not contain caffeine, but it is a pleasant beverage, especially in cold weather.

Place pieces of soaked (leached) acorns on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 400*F. for about 30 minutes. When the pieces are dark brown in color and have a pleasant roasted (not burned) aroma, they are ready.

Add one tablespoon of roasted acorn pieces per eight ounces of boiling water. Let the mixture steep for five to 10 minutes. Reheat if needed. Then you can add your regular coffee condiments or drink the acorn coffee black. Enjoy!

Musical Chairs in the Garden

November 5, 2016 by lheideman

By Mary Ann Steele, Somervell County Master Gardener

Crop rotation is like playing a long term game of musical chairs in the garden. Every plant is different: inviting specific pests and diseases and demanding more of nutrients than others. Growing the same crop in the same spot year after year drains the soil, and can lead to sick plants. To make matters worse, some diseases and pests can end up taking residence in the soil around the plants they prey on most. Keeping those plants in the same place is like inviting pests to an “all-you-can-eat” restaurant where their favorite meal is served every day.

Keeping a record of each crop allows you to perform the old switcharoo, confusing pests and diseases, and giving the soil a chance to catch up on depleted nutrients. As a general rule, replacing a crop with a member of a different family will make a big difference.

Plant light feeders with heavy feeders, and deep-rooted plants with shallow-rooted plants. Deep-rooted plants dig up the soil and bring nutrients from way below up to the top, while shallow-rooted crops create a web of roots near the surface, preventing erosion.

Some insect pests are put off by the smell or chemical composition of certain plants. Protect vulnerable plants by growing repellent plants nearby. Surrounding a vulnerable plant with something strong-smelling, like onion or garlic, can confuse pests. Try marigolds, garlic chives, lavender or mint.

Insect pests are known to prefer some plants over others. Try growing a known pest magnet near your favorite crop as a decoy. Once infected, remove the decoy and destroy it, pests and all. Try nasturtiums, mustard greens, or marigolds.

Legumes, such as beans and peas, can convert nitrogen from the air and release it into the soil. Follow legumes with nitrogen-loving brassicas, such as broccoli, cabbage, or kale.

Grow tall, sturdy plants in front of delicate and sensitive crops as a protective shield against wind or excessive heat.

Grow short, quick-growing, shallow-rooted plants such as lettuce and greens under tall, leafy plants like tomatoes or okra. The short plants will shade the soil surface for the tall plants while they work to get established, and the tall plants will provide shade for the short plants later in the season when the summer gets hot. Try leafy greens, lettuce, parsley, and thyme.

My Favorite Plant

November 5, 2016 by lheideman

by Pat Matthews, Somervell County Master Gardener

I never had a favorite plant, however I like the flower of the lantana and it would be the first shrub I would plant when I needed to cover a space. When I was a little girl, my mother had clip-on earrings that were the image and color of the lantana flower. We do like the bush here in Texas, but in Australia and New Zealand, it is known as a weed and one of the most invasive plants they have to contend with.

There are so many bushes and trees that have little colorful flowers it would be so hard to designate one more captivating than another. Truth be known, I really can’t wait until the wildflowers bloom and that is what I think is so beautiful. Due to Lady Bird Johnson’s 1965 Beautification Act, our highways again have native flowers all over our nation. It was such a change, my mother commented on the way back from a Houston trip, in the early ‘70s, that the flowers were so beautiful. She said, “Can you just imagine all that came from little seeds!”

Now we are heading into winter and everything will fade back, but we know our spirits will be lifted in the spring, when we see all those beautiful wild flowers with so many colors, and we did not have to lift a finger!

Next CHES Meeting, Rainwater Harvesting, October 10th

October 4, 2016 by lheideman

Presented by Zach Davis, Somervell County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources

Water? It’s an issue that people don’t want to think about, but it’s something we all need. We know our water supply is limited and it’s something that is not going to get a whole lot better. As society moves forward we need to find ways to conserve as much as we can. A simple solution that will continue to be important in the future is Rainwater Harvesting.

Rainwater Harvesting reduces the demand on our existing water supply and helps reduce the contamination of surface water which is a “win-win” for everybody. Rainwater can be sanitized so you can use it for basically any purpose you use traditional water. Different uses include:

Landscape watering
Wildlife and livestock watering
In-home use
Fire protection, etc.

As diverse as our needs are, whether you live in a rural, semi-rural or urban setting, a rainwater harvesting system can be just as diverse and just as beneficial. The systems can be as simple or as complex as you would like it to be. The choice is yours to make it your own!

How much rainwater can you catch from a couple barrels??? A 2,000 sq. ft. house X 0.6 X 1 inch of rain = 1,200 gallons of water. To put that in reference to how much we use, the average American uses approximately 69 gallons of water per day. A one inch rain could supply you with water for 17 DAYS. AND leave 1,200 gallons of ground water in our aquifers.

If you are interested in learning more about this topic come down for the Community Horticulture Educational Series, October 10th, at the Senior Citizens Center, Glen Rose, at 6:30 pm.

About the presenter:

Zachary A Davis, County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources, has been employed for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for seven years serving in three different counties. Stationed in Somervell County for over one and a half years, Davis has worked with master gardeners, homeowners, master naturalist, livestock producers and 4-H youth to promote proper agriculture practices.

Zach and his wife Kristen, a self-employed wedding photographer, currently have a 2 year-told daughter named Emma. In addition to his extension work Davis has a small herd of black maine-angus cows that are managed on his parent’s ranch in Slidell, TX.

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

Butterfly Buffet

October 4, 2016 by lheideman

By Sheryl Kleinschmidt, Somervell Co. Master Gardener

As most of us know, the Monarchs are on the move, winding their way down to their winter home in Mexico and Central America. Another well-known fact is that our winged friends have been on the decline due to the lack of milkweed (their host plant). Because of increased attention and education over the past decade or so, that particular problem is being resolved.

Gregg’s Mistflower

However, more recent research (mainly by Cornell University), now shows us that we are losing a great number of these beauties to starvation along their fall migration route. That’s where we gardeners come in. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin recommends we grow the following fabulous five fall plants to help the Monarchs along their way:

Shrubby boneset (Ageratina boneset)—a fragrant bush that is drought-resistant
Gregg’s mistflower (Conoclinium greggii)—has blue blooms and attracts many species of butterfly
Maximilian sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)—does well in clay or rocky areas
Frostweed (Verbisena virginica)—likes shade, makes “frost castles” in winter
Fall aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)—cut back in early summer to encourage fall blooms; has purple flowers

Fall Aster

Besides these crucial nectar plants, butterflies are also in need of trees and grasses in which to sleep and sun themselves. Land development and agriculture are reducing acres of these natives every year. We gardeners can make a difference by not only planting milkweed, but assisting the Monarchs as they travel through the great state of Texas with our home-grown feeding stations and stands of native grasses and trees.

If you’re interested in planting the fabulous five and you cannot find plants or seeds at your local nursery, go to www.wildflower.org and you will find some help.

Resources: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas Wildflowers by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller

The Fall Garden – Where and When to Plant!

August 31, 2016 by lheideman

by Dr. Christine Morgan, ND, PSc.D., Master Gardener and Vegetable Specialist

Here in our area (north central Texas), we are lucky to be able to have two planting seasons. Many noteworthy Texas garden specialists seem to agree that Fall is the best time of year for planting a vegetable garden. I agree with them, because you can plant many different cool season vegetables and greens, and also lots of root vegetables. Many root vegetables can “over-winter” in the ground. This gives you access to fresh vegetables in the Fall, Winter and beginning Spring months. Carrots, beets, rutabagas, turnips, and Daikon radishes all grow well in the fall and over-winter well. Many people leave their sun chokes in the ground to over-winter also and harvest as needed.

The Brassica family of plants can be planted and harvested in the Fall/Winter. This includes cabbage, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, broccoli rapini/rabe, cauliflower, and kale…among the better known in this plant family.

Winter greens are invaluable to the diet in Winter. Collard, mustard, Swiss chard, and turnip greens are easy to plant and provide valuable added nutrition to the diet. They are easy to freeze if you have extras, or you can dry them in a dehydrator and powder them for instant nutrition all year long. Other greens like spinach, Bok choi, arugula, and some lettuces do well also. There are many Chinese or Japanese greens to choose from that thrive in the Fall also.

As soon as the heat begins to break at night around mid-August, tomato transplants can be planted in outdoor beds, or if you cut your indeterminate varieties back in late June, they will begin to set fruit again. Early peas, green beans, lima beans, also do well in the fall garden. Some varieties of winter squash that can be harvested in 70 days or less will do well also. Our average first frost here is between November 15^th and 22^nd. Many winter squash varieties can be harvested and eaten in the immature stage. Tiny miniature pumpkins are quite tasty as soon as they turn orange and make an interesting, different vegetable choice for the table. Kohlrabi is another great choice as the bulb and leaves both can be harvested. Many people like kohlrabi leaves better than any other green!

Herbs like cilantro, parsley and dill do well also. Onion sets, green onions or bunching onions can be planted and enjoyed also. This is the season for leeks if you would like to try planting them. They are delicious cooked in sauce.

Most of the mentioned vegetables can be planted from August through November. Many gardeners do what is called succession planting, so they have a ready crop of fresh vegetables all Fall and winter long. Replant carrots, beets, and turnips every 3 weeks or so. Here is another method of planting that I like very much. First, I decide on a raised bed that I am going to use and prepare it with amendments and compost. I then mix beet, turnip, chard, and rutabaga seeds and throw them on the bed and cover them with a 2 inch layer of finished compost. I purposely spread them thickly. Water them in and wait. After they start coming up, I begin thinning the plants at 4-6 inches tall and cook the thinned plants…leaves, stems, roots and all! Continue thinning and eating to allow for spacing between root crop plants every so often. A two for one deal. Can’t beat that!

This year I am trying what are called dual-purpose plants. Plants that the leaves and the common vegetable part can both be eaten. Broccoli rapini, kohlrabi, turnips, and rutabaga fall into this category. Broccoli rapini have leaves and small broccoli heads growing at the same time and does not ever form a large head. They do very well here. The edible leaves and stem tips of sweet potato vines are well known in many parts of the world. Often considered a poor man’s food, sweet potato foliage has a rich protein content that helps supplement the nutritional value of the root-tubers.

Other dual-purpose plants are radish tops (all kinds including the big white Daikon radish), beets, celery tops, and carrots. It has been rumored that carrot tops are poisonous and potentially deadly, but that’s actually not true. In fact, they are very edible and loaded with vitamins and minerals. There is a persistent belief that the alkaloids in carrot tops make them slightly dangerous for consumption, but this isn’t really true, as alkaloids are a substance found throughout nearly every leafy green vegetable. The alkaloids are highly neutralized during cooking, which is why I am a big proponent of cooked greens.

The next section shows what to plant…month by month from August through September. I hope you can see that the Fall garden is an abundant garden with many delicious cool season vegetables to grow and enjoy eating. Happy Fall planting!

August

Seed in Ground: arugula, snap and liana beans, lima bush beans, beets, carrots, cilantro, collards, sweet corn, dill, mustard greens, onion sets, parsley, southern peas (early), peppers, pumpkin (early), radish, turnip, winter squash

Seed Indoors: Bok choi, broccoli, cabbage, Swiss chard, cucumber, kale, leeks, head lettuce, summer squash, zucchini

Transplant: cantaloupe, eggplant, green beans, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes, watermelon, winter squash

September

Seed in Ground: arugula , snap bush beans (early), beets, broccoli (early), Brussels sprouts (early), broccoli, cabbage (early), carrots, cauliflower (early), chard, cilantro, collards, carrots, cucumber (early), dill, kohlrabi (early), leaf lettuce, mustard greens, onion sets, parsley, potato (early), radish, spinach, summer squash (mid), turnips

Seed Indoors: Bok choi, kale, leeks, head lettuce

Transplant: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, swiss chard, cucumbers, kale, leeks, head lettuce, summer squash

October

Seed in Ground: arugula, beets, bok choi, cabbage, carrots, chard (early), collards, cress, garlic, kale, leaf lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, radish, shallots, spinach, turnip

Transplant: Bok choi, broccoli (early), brussel sprouts (early), kale, leeks, head lettuce, strawberries (early)

November

Seed in Ground: carrots, leaf lettuce, mustard greens (early), onion seed (early), radish, spinach, turnip (early), peas, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, brussel sprouts, beets, cilantro, parsley, fennel, cabbage

Seed Indoors: broccoli, cabbage, leeks

Transplant: strawberries

December

Seed in Ground: carrots, cauliflower, onions, chives, spinach, mustard, peas, beets, radishes, lettuce (somewhat protected)

Seed Indoors: Bok choi, broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks, head lettuce, bunching onions

As a side note…Texas A&M Agrilife Extension has a wonderful in-depth publication titled “Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide” by Professors Larry Stein and Joe Masabni. You can also get a “Fall Planting Dates” sheet that gives exact date planting windows.

Resources:

www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edg

Kelli Foster