cherry oysters

[Zz Yzx]

Hi all;

I just pruned my cherry tree, and took off one pretty large branch. The part I've kept is about 3 ft long, 4-6 in diameter. About 1 to 4 in of the diameter is heartwood.

I'd liek to make whatever oysters I can out of the branch. Does anybody out there have advice on:

1. Drying the branch?
2. Making hte oysters?

Thanks a heap,

-Zz

[Edwin Pawlowski]

I like the kind from the ocean. Never had any that grew on a tree. Do they taste like cherries?

[George]

One branch? Should have more than that, because it's a chancy business. Your chances increase if you don't cut at 90 degrees to the outside of the limb, the thinner you cut - down to about 3/8, and the degree to which you equalize the loss from both sides. Best luck I've seen was an old bird who packed them between layers of newsprint, changing every day for a week, every week for a month.

If you had more wood you could try acrylic soaks which limit end checks, but would be powerless against radial checking, which is what will bust yours open.

[Odinn]

On 2/12/2006 7:40 PM Zz Yzx mumbled something about the following:

Here's a good way to show them off when you do.

[klaatu]

There was an article in FW about 2yrs. ago that did a good job of describing how to cut and dry oysters.