The story of these cutting boards began one morning when I awoke to the sound of nearby chainsaws. A city crew had dropped a Ginkgo tree across the street. This is common in cities. Ginkgos are one of the oldest and most resilient tree species. With high resistance to pests and pollution (and pretty leaves that drop like a colorful snow in autumn!) Gingkos are a natural choice for urban plantings. The fruit however is abundant and putrid, carpeting the drop zone beneath the tree and making a stinking slippery mess of any nearby surfaces. Hence it is not uncommon for the city ginkgos to be cut down shortly after they reach sexual maturity. Which is why, laying on the pavement in front of my house was a fresh ginkgo trunk ready to be chopped and chipped. I had no idea if the wood was good for anything but I took a chance and asked the work crew if they would leave the lower trunk for me. They kindly helped me drag it into my front yard.
Milling went quickly. Some logs are so spectacular when first opened that I yell out loud in astonishment, this log was not that. When I finished I was looking at a pile of lumber that was unremarkable - save for its yellow hue - and soft. Fuck, I thought. Since the cost was already sunk, I resolved myself to neatly stack, sticker and dry the wood.

After the requisite drying time (~1 year per inch of board thickness) I re-examined the wood. The color had evened out to a buttery gold and the smell of the lumber itself, unlike the fruit, was quite pleasant! A little bit of research revealed that Japanese makers commonly used Ginkgo for cutting boards. The softness of the wood is gentle on blades, particularly those of razor honed Japanese knives and provides good bite for controlled cutting. Natural oils within the wood work to prevent stains - an early user reported that even red wine left on the surface overnight could be wiped off easily. My salvaged pile of lumber was ideal for cutting boards. With a little work I was able to make packaging that was 100% up cycled as well. The cardboard is from clean used shipping boxes and the belly band is from discarded maps. Lettering was laser engraved therefore no ink was necessary.