Giant and strong, this tree is a prize within any forest or park. White Oak trees are easy to spot by their leaves and deeply furrowed slate toned bark. Carpenters and cabinetmakers prize the wood, using it for furniture, shipbuilding, and structures. Distilleries use the wood for barrels to store and age their bourbons.
All oak trees produce abundant acorns, which were harvested and ground to a flour substitute by indigenous people, settlers and survivalists alike ~ today they are roasted and enjoyed as a nutritious treat on their own or in trail mix. The bark can be stripped away once the trees are felled, with the inner bark saved for tea and other herbal preparations.
In the teacup, the bark makes a deep amber infusion that is woody and bitter, with ample tannins and notes of vanilla.
