GRANDADS WILDLIFE CORNER cont'd

[Grandad]

My original thread is about 18 months old so I thought it is time to start afresh, not least because I anticipate some keen competition from LLL in her new abode.
For my squirrels it is now a time of plenty and although I have not yet caught one enjoying the autumn feast here is a small bowl full of what they are gorging on....some little fat bellies I expect.

[Kiya]

Nice popping Grandad is that really onions

[LovelyLadyLux]

Acorns? They look like acorn nuts or hickory to me..........

I have grey and black squirrels here. I don't know if a grey squirrel is the same as a black squirrel but so far I've only seen them in the large big trees down by the marsh. They haven't come into the backyard. I'm thinking of some sort of corn feeder to attract them closer however once I get the bird feeders out they might just arrive of their own accord anyway.

I just changed the nectar in the hummingbird feeders yesterday as I'm still getting little, mostly green, hummers. I had one guy yesterday or the day before and he had a brilliant red throat. Was very pretty when the sun caught his throat.

[Horus]

Come on now girls, surely you know Sweet Chestnuts when you see them ? Grandads piccie has reminded me to have a look for some myself, at least they look nice and plump. There does seem to be a fine glut of Hazel nuts this year which the Squirrels would love and the Blackberries are looking quite good, I must pick some of those as well.

[Jayway]

Reminds me of Conker time and bruised fingers - - - -

[Kiya]

Ok Ok no excuses from me but, I did have my TV glasses on at the time

[LovelyLadyLux]

Sweet chestnuts? Okee dokee I can see them as chestnuts. Does "sweet" mean they're edible by humans?

All chestnuts here are often referred to as "horse" chestnuts and people can't eat them.

I actually really love chestnut trees but we don't have many here. Am I right in thinking that as the roots of a chestnut tree grows it kills off all other vegetation?

I need to start hanging out around the back some more to see what is happening down at the marshland. It is a protected area so am thinking there should be some pretty decent wildlife hanging about

[LovelyLadyLux]

Was out and about today and went to a local Thrift Shop and was able to score a bird feeder. It is an older one but the base, sides and top are very heavy metal. I don't think iron but looks a bit like pewter. I liked it cause the base does spread out a bit which means it'll capture lots of loose seed. In 3 of the 6 open metal perches whomever owned it before has attached hooks etc so am thinking other feeders can be attached below. Am not totally sure where I'll hang this feeder so I can see it from the back of the house but will get it positioned somewhere (might even cement in a tall pole and nail another bird feeder up there and then hang this on a hanger off that)

I also was bought a small cage so I can hang suet and bought a bunch of suet blocks as they were on a buy 1 get one half off sale.

I'm definitely gonna give you a run for the money Grandad! I'm prepping and getting ready!

[Grandad]

Sweet chestnuts? Okee dokee I can see them as chestnuts. Does "sweet" mean they're edible by humans?

Yes they are edible LLL and a smaller version of the chestnuts that you find in other countries. 'Sweet' is a misnomer because they are not really 'sweet' but they are quite tasty and nutty when boiled or roasted. You can eat them direct from the tree but you need to remove the skin over the kernel which is bitter.

Horse chestnuts to us are 'conkers', the sort you put on a string and endeavour to smash your oponents conker with yours. A kids game which, due to the sad Health and Safety chronies, is now discouraged. Just another example of spoiling kids fun like climbing trees, and three legged race and sack races at school sports days......

Don't get me going on all that PC stuff

[Horus]

I agree with Grandad about Sweet Chestnuts not being sweet, in fact they are quite astringent and can make your lips purse if eaten raw, but roast them in an open fire and they are delicious.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I don't believe we have those type of chestnuts here. Most here are referred to as "horse chestnuts." I don't know if they're edible or not but I think they're not edible. I've never heard of anybody eating them They do dry nicely and shine up nicely too.

I have to say too I really quite like chestnut trees from the flowers in spring to the spoked leaves to the nuts in the fall they're a lovely tree. Unfortunately they're also a huge tree and I've never really had the space to plant one. There was one in the front yard of my Grannies house when I was a kid. I never really played conkers however I knew what the game was via my Grannie telling me and describing how it was played in Scotland presumably by her when she was a child.

[Horus]

Your's sound like Horse Chestnuts and they are NOT edible, an easy way to tell the difference is the outer shell. In a Horse Chestnut it will be quite smooth all over but with small spikes, whereas the Sweet Chestnut will have a very close spikey fuzz all over and be very prickly to pick up. Also Horse Chestnuts are very smooth and round in shape, but Sweet Chestnuts are slightly pointed at one end and usually have a flat side to them.

[LovelyLadyLux]

From your description we definitely have horse chestnuts. They're round-ish and the outer green shell is smooth with small prickles but they're softish so not really prickly. Still very pretty trees and the flower trusses are beautiful too.

[Grandad]

So we are going 'bonkers' about 'conkers'

It all brings back very happy memories though. What is best, soak them in vinegar or bake them to make them hard. See if they float to sort out the light ones, don't want them. Keep some for next year to really harden off.

Not really sporting but it was keen competition and if my six-er smashes your eight-er mine becomes a fifteen-er

Innocent kids fun at autumn that started in the UK many years ago but did spread to the US and Canada.....

This little collage illustrates the two chestnut types and their different leaves....

[LovelyLadyLux]

We're definitely growing the Horse chestnuts but anytime now the stores will bring in some sweet chestnuts for the Christmas holiday season. I've never tried them fresh or cooking them. I know they keep them in the fresh nut section of the holiday offerings.

I DO like fresh nuts at Christmas time.

As kids there used to be huge Black walnut tree we collected walnuts off of as well as an old row of long forgotten hickory trees. We picked 'em all us in the fall, stored them (actually in the barn now that I think on it) and then brought them out to crack in winter (but they really didn't appear in a bowl until just before Christmas). We had various types of nut crackers in those days along with picks and stuff to get at all the delicate meat. Although we had black walnuts they also gave off a tarry resin. My personal preference was to eat English walnuts. Nice neat seams on the shell and carefully you could crack the nut so as to get full half pieces of the inside walnut Dee-licious!

I was a delicate cracker in that I prefer to lightly crack all over the nut and then remove the shell trying to get out the biggest whole chunk of nut meat I could get. My brother was all about muscle and could easily mash a nut with one hand and then sift through missing most of the nut meat.

[Horus]

That picture sorts it out Grandad and I well remember the different methods we all used to produce a good 'Conker' and still remember the bruised knuckles from miss-hits and worse when some pillock wrapped his string around yours as he struck and nearly ripped the skin off your finger

[Jayway]

So, conkers, tree climbing, 3 legged race, sack race all gone ? ? ? HUH ! Soon the guys will be out with the carts in the towns here selling paper cones of chestnuts . dont tell me that is banned too in your great britain ?

[Horus]

Not selling Chestnuts Jay, just all the other stuff

[LovelyLadyLux]

In some respects it seems we've dumbed ourselves down to the point where we can hardly stand still in the middle of an empty field.

Somewhere around here a little child slipped and fell off a swing and died. Plain swing. The type with chain coming down and then a heavy rubber for the seat. Child was swinging, fell off and for whatever reason did die. Don't have really any other details than that concerning the passing of the child except now there is a very concerned groups of women out there petitioning to have ALL SWINGS removed from ALL PLAYGROUNDS citing them as being too dangerous for children to use.

I spent hours of my life as a kid on a swing. Occasionally fell off (was probably trying to jump) but I fell, am sure I hurt me but that is what life is about. If you grow up in such a sanctioned, sterile, safe environment you can't move you'll never really learn how to get up and try try try try (until you learn to get it right). And I personally don't see too much wrong with a child being on a swing (unless you're putting a toddler onto a seat swing (without bars or straps) and then pushing them super high so they do fall off BUT that is the mistake of the parent (not the child).

I think it is very tragic that a child fell off a swing and died but to now go out and try and ban ALL swings is ridiculous IMO.

[Grandad]

there is a very concerned groups of women out there petitioning to have ALL SWINGS removed from ALL PLAYGROUNDS citing them as being too dangerous for children to use

" Somebody was killed in a road accident today.......ban all vehicles from the roads, I say"

How long before some nutters start petitioning for such a stupid demand. When we were kids, a broken arm or leg was a badge of honour not least because all your mates signed your plaster. And a cut requiring stitches, very brave.

I agree with LLL, if you don't let kids explore the boundaries and learn by their errors, what sort of people are they likely to become?