How many readers carry a slingshot in their Bug Out Bag? I keep one in my outdoor bag but rarely use it. The ammunition that I use are usually rough rocks that tend to curve out at their launching. A person can use marbles or steel shot for more accurate shooting but that can be expensive for ongoing practice sessions.

As I was traveling on a country road recently I noticed the abundance of acorns on the ground and it dawned on me that their near-round shape and density would make good material with which to practice shooting with my slingshot. I was able to collect quite a volume of acorns in a very short time to have on hand. I selected the acorns without the caps and with no splits down the side. Split acorns can come apart when shot and can be dangerous to anything along the sidelines down range.

Each acorn has a large dot at the top where it had been fastened to the cap. My best results come when I place that dot in the center of the leather pouch. The acorn shoots straight and I only need to adjust the elevation of my aim. The mass of an acorn is quite devastating.

So take advantage of this season and collect an abundance of acorns to help sharpen your slingshot skill. For shooting tips and inspiration you can watch “Carolina Camera: The Sling Shot Man” to witness some remarkable marksmanship.

To prepare for shelling it’s best to spread them out on a tray for drying. If using the sun it may take a few days while covering them at night to keep off the dew. This can also be done in an oven at it’s lowest temperature for several hours. White oak acorns take longer to dry than black oak acorns. Drying acorns helps to separate the nut inside from it’s outer shell and makes the shelling process easier.

Acorns contain tannic and gallic acids that are toxic and are counter nutritional and causes to acorns to be bitter so they must be removed by soaking in water to leach them out. To start this process the acorn must be shelled and can be opened different ways. They can be slit open by using a hand pruning shear or set on a rock with the head end down and the pointed end up, then lightly strike it with a rock just hard enough to crack the outer shell. Acorns can be ground either the traditional way with a rock or by using a food processor. The finer the particles the better for more efficient leaching. Once the acorn nut has been ground it is placed in a cloth and soaked in water for a few days that is changed a few times each day. Some folks prefer to boil them with a couple changes of water but the cold water method is more effective at reducing bitterness. You can occasionally taste the acorn meal for bitterness/blandness to determine when the leaching process is complete, then it can be dried and re-ground finer if desired.

I prefer to combine acorn meal 50/50 with corn meal with which to make paddies or flat cakes. A common recipe is to take 1 cup of acorn meal, 1 cup of corn meal, 1/4 cup honey, 1T melted butter or oil and add a pinch of salt. Add just enough water to make a medium paste. Although some people like to make patties by hand, I have had more success with taking a spoon full of the dough, placing it on the cooking surface, and using the spoon to smooth it out until it’s flat and round, much like you would spread tomato sauce on pizza dough. To cook you can use an ungreased pan on the stove or a heated rock over coals.

The patty will take a few minutes to cook. Watch the outer edges for cracking then lift an edge to check for doness then flip it over to cook the other side. The goal is to have a slightly browned cake when done.

When I first made acorn cakes as a homeschool project with my sons I was amazed at how substantial they were, very satisfying and quite a treat. The process takes time with some effort but is a rewarding experience and very nutritional.

Acorns need to have the outer shell removed with the nut body finely chopped for leaching by soaking in a bowl of water. The acorn meal is strained, rinsed, and re-soaked. This process is repeated several times over the course of a twenty-four hour period. I enjoy adding the acorn meal to cornmeal in a 1:1 ratio with an egg to make delicious fried patties.

Grapes of course are edible straight away. You can tell when they reach the peak of their season when you see some that have fallen on the ground below the vine.

Puffball fungus is much like a stiff marshmallow in appearance. It’s solid white all the way through. If you find one that has begun to turn black inside, discard it as unfit for consumption. You can eat one raw but I prefer it sliced and sautéed in butter. There are other fungi that emerge at this time, especially after a long period of rain. When seeking fungus to eat it is advisable to confirm it’s identity by a local expert as some fungus can be fatal.

These are just a few examples of edibles that I found this week but hopefully this will inspire you to explore the Great Outdoors with a new awareness of the edibles that abound around us.

A cavity whistle uses a small hollow over which there is a small hole or opening. A person can blow over the small hole and a high pitched tone can be heard. Many items can be used for a cavity whistle such as a pen cap, bullet shell, a clean cut reed segment or a pinched straw.

The most recent cavity whistle that I have learned about is the cap of an acorn. Cover the open space by placing your thumbs together and bending the upper knuckles over the outer edge. Your thumb tips will naturally spread apart, thus creating a small hole. Place your lips on your knuckles and blow into the hole. With practice you can create an extremely loud sound. Similar cavities for this “bent thumbs” method are small plastic or metal bottle caps for water, soda, beer or motor oil.

Even if you can whistle with your lips, learning to use a cavity whistle is another tool in your signal arsenal.