a telling sign of winter - it's all in the nuts

This past weekend at the beach, one of my husband's uncles mentioned something I had never heard before; the size of acorns predict whether or not we are going to have a harsh winter (aka, big nuts = lots of snow). He thinks super extra large acorns are Momma Nature's way of keeping the squirrels strong over the course of a harsh winter and for those of us humans that are paying attention - an insider message to prepare for a lengthy season of chilliness. Apparently, he has seen humongous ones in his yard, which prompted the conversation. I had never heard of this before, but (I guess) it makes sense. What I can't wrap my head around is how the trees know to produce larger than usual nuts?! Is everything so well-connected that they've already gotten the memo?! I did a quick search on the Farmer's Almanac site and one of the twenty harsh winter signs they list is an unusual abundance of acorns - nothing to do with the size, just the amount. Both are news to me. I trust his uncle more than I trust most people and I can't help but believe it is true. I personally feel like this area gets hit badly with snow once every five years; enter 2008 and 2013. I like snow, but I do not like shoveling (unless it falls on weekends, weekday snow can kiss this). I guess we can only wait and see what happens...and buy good winter boots and warm winter jackets.