Acorn of oak is an excellent material for creating various crafts: miniatures, squirrels, little men, buttons, candlesticks, frames for mirrors and so on. In addition, it is still free and high-quality, if you know where, when and how to collect it. He is also very beautiful: the creamy nut sits in a small cup resembling a hat. Once the acorn is turned upside down, it will turn out a “mushroom” on a thick leg.
Types of acorns for crafts
Today around the world grows about 600 species of oaks. Consequently, acorns and their calyces have the same varieties. The most common of them in Russian forests are:
- Acorns of chestnut oak - can be found in the foothills of the Caucasus. They have a hemispherical cup with scales bent back and a length of 2.5-3.5 cm.
- Rocky oak acorns - can be found in the north of Crimea and in the North Caucasus. They are small, sitting in small cups.
- Acorns of petiole (ordinary) oak are collected in the entire European part of Russia. They have different sizes (from 1.5 to 2.5 cm). Sit in saucer-shaped cups. Fall fall to the ground.
The rest is very difficult to get, so we will not write about them. For crafts, it is worth collecting acorns of various varieties, colors and sizes.
When to collect?
Many craftswomen ask when it is possible to collect acorns for crafts and how best to do it. It is worth noting that the first oak fruits begin to fall on the ground in mid-late August, but it is better not to touch them, as they can be weakened or affected by various diseases. The best time is from late September to early October. Depending on the weather, this period may shift slightly in one direction or another.
Where to collect?
Having decided on the time when to collect acorns, you should go hiking for the "harvest" in an oak grove, forest, park or other place where a powerful tree grows. It is advisable that the place is away from roads, railways and wide paved trails. Remember that gaining acorns is only in the amount that you need to create a particular craft. Their shelf life is usually not very long. Also try to notice squirrels, they usually snoop where there is something to feast on.
How to collect?
Having determined the time when to collect acorns for crafts, and the place, hit the road. In the forest, select 2-3 of the most powerful and healthy trees with enough acorns. To see them, you may need a telescope or binoculars, so be sure to take these items with you from home. Try to remember the place where the trees grow. In the future, this will greatly facilitate your task.
Now about how to collect acorns correctly. There are two ways to do this. The first is to pick them up at the foot of the oak, removing interfering fallen leaves, branches, and grass. Here you should carefully watch so that the fruits are not of poor quality or sick. The second way is to shake the tree, spreading a wide tarpaulin or polyethylene around the trunk in advance. In this case, it is very important to run away in time, otherwise you will be "shot" from head to toe.
What to collect?
After you have chosen a place to collect acorns, and shook the tree, you need to choose the highest quality fruits. To do this, break a few pieces and see what's inside. If there is brown flour or a legless yellow-black larva - it is better to refuse collection. Healthy acorns, as a rule, are equally colored inside and out, have no signs of damage and are not populated by mushrooms. There are no cracks, bites, molds or rot on them.
When to collect acorns for amulets and charms?
If you are going to create amulets and charms from acorns, then you probably already know what mystical powers the Russian people endowed these fruits. People believed that they help increase the ability to give birth to children, cure infertility, increase attractiveness and courage, and get rid of impotence. They were also considered accomplices in the extension of youth.
Many people instinctively raise their acorns while walking and put them in their pocket, and then, at home, they wonder: why did they bring it? But in fact, these fruits themselves want to get into your home in order to bring harmony, peace and peace to it. And if you believe in it, try to find a "protector" among the rest - your own or for a loved one. If you are interested in what time acorns are harvested, it is better to do it on Thursday, as it is dedicated to the patron of the oak tree, Thor.
How to keep collected acorns?
Now you know when to collect acorns for crafts, and, quite possibly, they have already brought them home. If there are few fruits, you can simply put them in a jar to use immediately for creating crafts. If there are many, you should figure out how to save them. In both cases, the fruits must be dried before saving. How to do it right, read the article below. In the meantime, a little about storage methods.
Since acorns have a short shelf life, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for them. Humidity should be kept at 50%, and temperature - about 0 degrees. It would seem that the best option is to provide the fruits with the necessary conditions - to take them to the cellar or basement. However, it is not. Acorns are very sensitive to carbon dioxide, which is a lot in such rooms. Therefore, they may deteriorate before you intend to use them.
How to keep under the snow?
If there are too many acorns, they should be hidden under the snow. To do this, you need to choose a shaded snowy plot of land and trample a small clearing 20-30 cm high. As a result, you should get something like a scene. Pour oak fruits in its middle, trying not to slide to the edges, and cover them with a layer of snow, tamp. Do all this in the same place 3 more times. Pour another layer of snow onto the resulting pie. Cover everything with any heat insulating material, such as straw or tarpaulin.
It is worth noting that this method has its drawbacks. For example, acorns buried under the snow can become an object of attention for mouse-like rodents, who are looking for might and main in winter to feast on. As you know, these annoying animals can penetrate even very unusual places, and to climb into a snowdrift for them is generally a trifling matter. The second drawback is the inability to guarantee the absence of an increased level of humidity and flooding. After all, no one has been able to predict what the winter will be, frosty or with numerous thaws.
How to keep in the refrigerator?
Probably the best way to keep acorns intact and intact is to just put them in the refrigerator, in the compartment for fruits and vegetables. The temperature in it is always about the same, the humidity level is also. Before storing oak acorns for storage, parchment paper must be spread on a shelf. It is recommended to pour fruit on it in an even layer. You can’t put them into a jar with a twisting lid, as they can mold. In winter, it is very useful to take out and look through the acorns for damage.
How to dry?
The article has already said that before laying for storage, acorns must be well dried. To do this, rinse them thoroughly in a bowl with clean water and clean them with a brush, carefully removing any dirt, adhering leaves and insect larvae. Then shift to a dry towel lying somewhere near the battery, but not close to it. Allow to dry.
If you have not thrown out spoiled acorns, you should do it now. Such oak fruits are completely unsuitable for crafts. Inspect them for small holes. If they are, then acorns were spoiled by insects. They should also be thrown into the bin. Next, you should heat the oven to about 79-80 degrees. Put good acorns on a baking sheet and send into it. Doors should be slightly ajar so that the fruits of the oak are dried, not baked.
In total, acorns should be in the oven for about 1.5-2 hours. During this time, they must be mixed several times. When the fruits are well dried, they should be removed, allowed to cool and sort out. All acorns spoiled during the process should be immediately thrown out, the rest can already be used to create crafts. What exactly to make of them, you can think of yourself or look in books or special magazines devoted to needlework.
How to use for crafts?
Recall that the best time is to collect oak acorns from mid-September to early October. Now they are of the highest quality and easily come off the tree if you shake it. After you brought them home and dried, and also removed part for preservation, the remaining fruits can already be used to create crafts. We will not give a master class, we will talk about the basic principles of using improvised material, as well as what exactly can be created from it.
Working with acorns is easy. Their skin is well cut with scissors, pierced or burned with an iron. At the same time, it can bend in the opposite direction, which makes it an excellent material for creating the tail or wings of a bird, a conceived figure, or something else. You can paint the skin with acrylics or nail polish. If you simultaneously treat with sparkles, you will get colorful balls that can be used as Christmas toys.
When working with acorns, you should either draw a diagram yourself to create an crafts, or use an already prepared one. So it will be easier to understand how and where to place this or that fruit, so that in the future the created figure will practically “come to life”. Do not forget that you can use oak fruits not only on their own, but also in combination with other materials (cones, twigs with or without green leaves, foamiran, plasticine, and so on). In this case, any crafts will be the most expressive and beautiful.
You can pierce acorns with toothpicks (if the fruits are still young), an awl with a thin sharp end, a sharp needle. To fasten acorns or to glue any other materials to them is either with your hands using Super Moment glue, or using a glue gun. Both of these procedures should be done by an adult, not a child who can easily get hurt. If the baby is engaged in creating crafts on his own, he should be shown how to properly connect acorns with the help of plasticine.
In conclusion
In the article, we talked not only about when to collect acorns, but also about where and how to do it, which fruits are suitable for creating crafts, and which ones are not, how to use them correctly to create this or that figure. It remains only to mention the advantage of such a material. It lies in the fact that they can easily be found in any city, the main thing is to know where the oaks grow. If you are somehow unlucky with this, you can always go to the page of a special online store and buy acorns inexpensively. The price for them starts from 4 rubles per 1 piece. What to do with them further depends only on your imagination and imagination. For example, it can be beads (why not?), Owls, appliqués for handbags, frames for paintings or icons, necklaces, napkins, something else. Success in creative work!