Porcupine Eggs!

Years ago, some of my children's friends were at the house and asked about some strange-looking items that they found on the kitchen table. Not being one that could ever give a straight answer when a made-up tale would suffice, I proceeded to give a detailed account of their identity. Porcupine Eggs! Of course, whatever else could these items possibly be?? The youngsters looked at me at first in disbelief but after a lengthy tale of how I found the eggs abandoned in the garden, a fascination took hold of their young minds. I had them! The story took a life of its own and soon I was relating how I believed the mother must have been a victim of some terrible accident. Mother porcupines would never just leave their "eggs" unattended...some dire circumstance led to the poor unborn babies to be left in the garden. I further related that it was my intentions to hatch these eggs and try to raise the babies! I would do my part in protecting this species! By this time, the kids were enthralled..and I was stuck explaining how I planned to hatch these "eggs"!

Those "eggs" were none other than chestnuts still in the prickly burr outer covering. I had picked them up at my Aunt and Uncle's house and had not removed the burr as I had wanted to show some friends just how sharp the burrs were. Inside that burr were the round, smooth nuts that most of us recognize.

I had not thought of that story that was reeled off so long ago until today. Son had ordered some Chestnut trees from the seed catalog and they were finally delivered! We have high hopes that these small trees will flourish and provide us with plenty of nuts. We, also, have high hopes that the burrs will deter the squirrels and raccoons from eating all of our chestnuts before we get any! It stands to reason that the burrs would be a bit more difficult to open than, say, a pecan hull. But looking at the spindly little twigs that were shipped to us as "healthy, robust trees", it appears that neither we nor the critters will get to taste any chestnuts any time soon. It will take years before these would even be strong enough to hold up a chestnut much less produce bushels full! Perhaps they grow fast....I hope! Anyway..looking back at the burrs and the story, one can full see how I might be able to convince some gullible kids that the burrs were porcupine eggs. The spines do indeed bear a strong resemblance to quills! Now if I could only explain why a porcupine that gives birth to little, live porcupets actually laid those eggs in the first place! Porcupine Eggs!!!!! Snicker, Snicker......Oh..and these "porcupine eggs" are not to be confused with "squirrel eggs" of the post dated November 26, 2010! "Squirrel eggs" are most decidedly NOT edible while "porcupine eggs" are!