Korean Sawtooth Oak Acorns

 High Yielding Oak for Acorn Production-Regularly Produces Acorns even in Michigan

This is one of the highest yielding per tree oak that I have at my farm. Part of this is related to its wild collection in the northern part of its native range. Most selections within the U.S. are Himalayan or other southern Asia selections that are not very hardy here. 

This particular oak is used for the making of a jelly which is done by leaching the acorns and other processing techniques similar in many ways to the way they were used within the U.S.  Acorns are normally viewed as wildlife food and this species in particular was planted in the south in great numbers sometimes in giant monocrop fashion. This was a good idea but possibly using a mix of species would have been better.

Sawtooth oak could be used to make these various types of edible acorn flour as well as provide a wood source of this unique fast growing oak. It took 7 washings to remove the tannins. It was quite a chore but worth it. I think the flavor is very good, more nut like and not as bland because the fat content is higher than the white oak family. The other aspect of the acorns are their freedom from weevils. The acorns usually drop from their caps as well. Similar in many ways to the Chinese cork oak, this species has possibilities for its high yields too.

Sawtooth oak flowers very early along with dwarf chinkapin oak. It rarely hybridizes but can cross with chestnutleaf oak. It takes two years to set acorns so each yield is two years in the making.  A minus 25 F damaged the trees one year which split the trunks a small amount. Trees are easy to limb up to produce a strong central leader tree. Pruning is best done in the winter. 

One year a severe ice storm came in and completely covered the trees to the point they were bent to the ground. These were tree over 20 ft. all and bent to the point they were now under five foot tall. After the ice melted only one tree lost a small portion of its crown. They totally tolerated the huge amount of weight on the crowns. I was surprised.