how to eat an acorn course

How do you eat acorns?

Eating acorns falls into three categories: Eating them as nuts (they are a lot like chestnuts), making acorn flour, or cooking in acorn oil. I have not yet tried to make acorn oil. COLLECTING ACORNS. First you need to get yourself a supply of acorns.

When can you eat tanoak acorns?

Suellen Ocean, who wrote a very useful book Acorns and Eat ’em,says she likes to collect Tanoak acorns in February and March, after many have begun sprouting. She says acorns with sprouts between 1 to 2 inches long are still good to eat, but discard any acorn meats that have turned green.

What is the best way to get acorns in the forest?

First you need to get yourself a supply of acorns. Go find some oak trees; they’re the ones with all the acorns that have fallen down around them. I know this sounds condescending and stupid, but oaks come in so many varieties that in autumn this really is the easiest way.

What kind of acorns are best for cooking?

Select acorns to cook. Refrain from choosing acorns with big caps, as they tend to be very bitter. Acorns from white oak trees are typically mild and slightly sweet, while those from red or black oaks contain more tannins and are quite bitter.

Can you eat an acorn straight from the tree?

Raw acorns are considered unsafe due to their tannins, which are toxic if consumed in high amounts. However, you can remove the tannins by boiling or soaking. Properly prepared acorns are perfectly edible and full of nutrients like iron and manganese. Delicious roasted, they can also be ground into flour.

Can you eat the center of an acorn?

Acorns can be used in a variety of ways. They can be eaten whole, ground up into acorn meal or flour, or made into mush to have their oil extracted. Once you've safely leached the tannins from your raw acorns, you can roast them for 15 to 20 minutes and sprinkle them with salt for a snack.

How do you prepare acorns for eating?

Here's how to roast the nuts:Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Pour the acorns into a single layer on an ungreased, rimmed cookie sheet.Cook the nuts for about 60 minutes or until they turn a chocolate brown color.Remove the acorns from the oven and let them cool. Salt to taste.

How do you prepare acorns forage?

Remove The Shells (and the Bitterness)Step 1 – Use rocks or a wide hammer to break the acorns open and crack the nut meat into pieces. ... Step 2 – Drop the nut pieces into a pot of water, and use twice as much water as acorns. ... Step 3 – Let the acorns sit in their bath for a few hours.More items...•

Will eating an acorn make you sick?

Raw acorns contain tannins which can be toxic to humans and cause an unpleasant bitter taste. They are also poisonous to horses, cattle and dogs. But by leaching acorns to remove the tannin, they can be made safe for human consumption.

Do acorns taste good?

What do acorns taste like? They are very bitter if they are not leached, but once they are roasted they have a sweetish nutty flavor.

How long do you soak acorns?

Step 3: Soak the Acorns Pour the nuts into the pot and let them soak for a minimum of 1 hour to soften the shells. Drain your acorns in the colander and pat dry with paper towels.

How do you Leach tannins out of acorns?

Toss the nuts into a large pot, and cover them with plenty of water. Bring to a boil, then boil for about 15 minutes. The water will turn brown, the color of tea, as the tannic acid is extracted from the kernels. Throw out the water...and replace it with fresh water.

How do you roast acorns for coffee?

Place the grounded acorns onto a baking sheet and either place under a grill or in an oven to roast them until dark brown. You need to pay close attention to stop them from burning. Place around 3 tablespoons of the ground acorns in a cup of boiling water, like you would usually do with coffee beans.

Are live oak acorns edible?

Applications. Southern Live Oak acorns can be eaten as a nut, similar to chestnuts, or made into flour or oil. Shelling acorns can be challenging and may require a hammer or meat tenderizer. Leaving Southern Live Oak acorns to dry before shelling will also make it easier to remove the inner meat.

Can you forage acorns?

Fortunately for foragers, all acorns are edible! However, some people find certain acorns more palatable than others. If you want to identify oaks in your area by species, you may need to consult a local tree guidebook (here are good ones for western and eastern states).

What does acorn flour taste like?

Pre-leaching, the acorn flour initially tastes sweet, almost like maple sugar until the tannins flood in. The aftertaste is disconcertingly bitter, like a coated pill held too long on the tongue. Post-leaching, both the sweet and bitter tastes fade away.

What Kinds of Acorns Are Edible?

All kinds of acorns are edible. However, they do vary greatly in size and nutritional components, including bitter tannins. Throughout the world, there are more than 500 species of oaks, with the highest concentration in North America. Correspondingly, there is great diversity in the qualities of acorns to be found.

Which Acorns Should You Eat?

Obviously, gathering and processing larger acorns is easier because there are fewer individuals to pick up and crack open. On the other hand, some smaller acorns are higher in fat and/or protein, making each individual acorn more nutrient dense.

Nutritional Value of Acorns

Acorns are a nutritious food. In fact, all kinds of acorns contain contain appreciable amounts of the three macronutrients: carbohydrate, fat and protein – plus the essential mineral calcium and other minerals to boot. However, the specific levels of these nutrients vary quite a bit from acorn to acorn.

How to Process Acorns

So, now you’re gotten excited about eating acorns, you’ve gone out and found a great oak tree and you’ve gathered some (or are waiting for them to fall)…what next? First, look through your harvest for rotten or buggy individuals. Most of these will have an off color, dark spot or insect exit hole.

Drying, Cracking, and Removing Shells and Testas

Fresh acorns do not keep and are highly susceptible to infestations by bugs. If you aren’t going to process your acorns right away, it’s best to dry them for storage. Drying acorns has some other benefits too, even if you are able to attend to them right away. It’s easier to crack dried acorns, as well as to grind them.

Grinding and Leaching Out Tannins from Acorns

If you read about processing whole acorns to remove tannins, don’t believe it! Acorns must be ground in order to effectively remove their tannins. To do this, use a flour or grain mill, or, in the absence of such a specialized tool, a blender or food processor can work.

Cooking with Acorns

Hooray! You’ve done what millions of humans have done over the course of many centuries: You’ve unlocked the amazing nutrition and delicious flavor of acorns. Now it’s time to eat. Well, if you’re not ready to cook up your acorn meal right away, it’s best to dry it for storage.

What are some ways to eat acorns?

Basically there are three ways to eat acorns: Eating them as nuts (they are a lot like chestnuts), making acorn flour, or cooking in acorn oil .

How to whack acorns?

Best way to whack ’em is to put the flat end (the side that used to have the cap) on a firm surface and rap the pointy end with a hammer, or, with long, tapered acorns like cork oak or Valley oaks, just whack the side.

What does acorns make?

It means that in the kitchen you treat acorns from different species very, very differently. A fatty acorn will make a meal, like ground almonds. A carb-rich acorn — like Valley Oak a corns — makes a drier flour, more like chestnut or chickpea flour (acorns lack gluten and so will not rise.) Photo by Hank Shaw.

How to make acorn flour?

Grind the raw acorns into flour, then mix a ratio of 1 cup of acorn meal to 3 cups water, or more water if you have large containers. Pour this all into a glass jar with a lid and put it in the fridge. Every day you shake the jar, wait 12 hours or more, then pour off the water — and the tannins.

How long does it take for acorns to leach?

Anywhere from a week to two weeks, depending on how bitter your acorns are. This is a good way to leach acorns without using fuel for boiling water, and you do not denature a particular starch in the acorns that acts a little like the gluten in flour, i.e., it helps the flour stick to itself.

How many changes of water do you need to get valley oak acorns to taste like chestnuts?

As soon as it boils, pour the water off into the sink and repeat the process. It requires about five changes of water to get valley oak acorns to taste like chestnuts. I did this all while watching football, and did not miss a snap. Other oaks will require more or fewer changes of water.

How much fat is in acorns?

UC Riverside Professor David Bainbridge wrote in a 1986 academic paper that depending on species, acorns can range in fat content from 1.1 percent to 31.3 percent , protein from 2.3 percent to 8.6 percent, and carbohydrates from 32.7 percent to 89.7 percent. That is a huge range!

Problems with Eating Acorns

The only two problems I have with eating acorns are I am too lazy to pick them up quick enough to prevent worms from ruining them, and the bitter taste the tannins give them. Luckily there are solutions to both problems, and this article and accompanying video will show How to Eat Acorns.

How to Process Acorns to Remove Tannins

Once I got enough acorns to make the process worthwhile I took them inside to process them to remove the tannins. Tannic acid makes the acorns bitter, but different oak trees have differing amounts of tannins in the acorns. Depending on the oak tree and your taste buds, it may be possible to eat the acorns without any processing.

Dry and Peel the Acorns Before Trying to Eat Them

First thing to do is dry them out so that they don’t mold. You can lay them out on a sheet or tarp single layer deep and let the sun cook them. Personally, I would rather throw them in the dehydrator for a couple hours, or put them on a cookie sheet in the oven at its lowest temperature for an hour (about 175).

Grind the Acorns into Meal

Next get your food grinder and make a course meal. Put the meal in a pot and cover with boiling water. After an hour the water should be brown to black. You can throw this out, however, I have heard of using the tannin containing water to TAN animal hides. Since I don’t have both at the same time, I just dump it out.

Eat Acorn Meal the Same Way as Wheat Flour

You can use acorn meal in many of the same ways as wheat flour. I have seen recipes online for acorn pasta, pancakes, and various breads. Today we are going to make a kind version of bannock bread that is a cross between a pancake and an unleavened bread loaf. Historically this is the closest to the common use of acorn meal I can find.

How to cook acorns?

And here, too, we find some downsides. In a survival or wilderness setting, this method would require a lot of resources. You need a lot of fuel for your fire and several changes of water. There’s also some technique involved. You have to pour already-boiling water onto the acorns each time. If you pour cold water onto hot acorns, you risk binding the tannins to them, and they may never fully come out. Finally, this method cooks out the healthy oils from the acorns, rendering them less nutritious.

How to make acorn meal for breakfast?

Just mix some acorn meal with water or milk (to desired thickness), and heat it up on the stovetop. Add sugar or maple syrup to taste. Nothing fancy, but it’s a warming breakfast for a cool fall morning. Yum.

How to make acorn coffee?

This one is a little different than the others, because it calls for unprocessed acorns. You grind up the acorns fairly fine in a coffee grinder. Then roast them on the stovetop. Remember to keep stirring them. You want them to brown, not burn. Boil the roasted grounds in water until it suits your tastes. It’s good with a little milk. Sadly, the grounds don’t seem to work in a coffee maker. They just soak up the first of the water and become an acorn gel. The rest of the water just runs around it. To have real success with acorn coffee, you’ll need to cook it over a stovetop or fire, and then strain the grounds out afterward.

Can you eat acorns raw?

Acorns contain chemicals called tannins that make them inedible without processing. (A few oaks are reputed to be so light on tannins that you can eat them raw. But I’ve never encountered them.) Traditional methods of removing the tannins come in “cold” and “hot” water versions.

How to shell acorns?

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Place the acorns, shell and all, into the already boiling water. This is important as putting the acorns in colder water and then bringing the pot to boil can lock in the undesirable tannins. Boil for a couple minutes and strain the water off. The purpose of this first boiling is to loosen the shells in preparation for shelling.#N#Let your acorns cool off until you can comfortably hold them in your hands. We take the broad flat end of a very small log and hit them on a cutting board to crack open the shell. We peel the remaining shell by hand and place the kernels aside. This is the most work intensive step and can take a while if you have a good amount of nuts. Children love this activity and will go at it for a surprisingly long time. Once you have your acorns shelled you can keep them whole or chop them up coarsely. Some folks run them through a hand cranked grinder at this point. I prefer to keep them whole as they seem to lose less of their good oils to the leach water and drain more easily if they are not so mealy.#N#Now bring two large pots to a boil. Place your shelled acorns into your first pot of just boiled water and turn down the back pot as you will not need it for a couple of minutes. Boil your acorns until the water turns dark – probably 5 minutes or so. Strain in a large colander and use the second pot of reserved boiling water to pour over the acorns for a second round of boiling. Repeat until the acorns are less astringent; you may need to follow this leaching process two to four times depending on the species of acorn.#N#What to do with the leached acorns? You can chop them to a coarse meal and add them to a dish immediately or save them in the fridge for a couple days. To store them longer you can freeze them, dry them in a dehydrator or in the oven, set on low with the door ajar. Many people prefer roasted acorns as it brings out their rich sweetness. To roast them place the dry acorn meal on a metal cookie sheet in the oven at 175 degrees, and stir them often until they are brown and your kitchen smells like yummy forest goodness. Store the fully dehydrated meal in a closed jar until ready to use.

What are acorns good for?

Surprisingly, they are also a good source of Vitamins A and C.

How to store acorns in the fridge?

To store them longer you can freeze them, dry them in a dehydrator or in the oven, set on low with the door ajar. Many people prefer roasted acorns as it brings out their rich sweetness.

Why are acorns considered a grain?

Acorns have been a “grain from the tree” for so many Native peoples because of their abundance, nutrition, and sustainability. A mature healthy oak forest can produce as much as 6,000 pounds per acre, requires little to no cultivation, and can grow on and stabilize the steep banks so prevalent in our mountainous terrain.

Where did acorns come from?

Most of us descend from acorn eating cultures. Historically a staple food in Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Mid- East, and North America, acorns made up half of the diet for many of the Native peoples of California. Acorns have been a “grain from the tree” for so many Native peoples because of their abundance, nutrition, and sustainability.

What is the term for oaks producing a bumper crop of edible nuts?

Some years oaks synchronize their reproduction and produce a bumper crop of edible nuts; these years are called mast years. Other years can be slim pickings. The year I began experimenting with acorn eating was massively inspirational in its abundance.

How to make a sweet potato acorn?

Directions: Preheat the oven at 400 and steam 2-3 large sweet potatoes. Peel and mash the sweet potatoes. Mix together the dry ingredients – flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and sugar. Separately mix the wet ingredients – eggs, sweet potatoes, acorns, milk and oil.

How to clean acorns?

Clean your acorns. Fill a large stockpot about three-quarters full of cool tap water. Dump the acorns into the pot. Take out any floating acorns because these typically contain weevils or worms. Gently stir the acorns with a wooden spoon. Pour the nuts into a colander and rinse under the tap.

How many calories are in acorns?

These oak tree fruits contain healthy levels of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Four ounces of acorns has about 500 calories. Acorns contain bitter-tasting tannins, so you must prepare, treat and cook the nuts before you eat them.

How long to boil acorns for tannins?

Bring two large stockpots to a boil. Pour the acorns into one pot and let it boil until the water turns dark, usually about 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the acorns to the second pot of boiling water and boil the nuts about 15 minutes.

How long to cook acorns in oven?

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the acorns into a single layer on an ungreased, rimmed cookie sheet. Cook the nuts for about 60 minutes or until they turn a chocolate brown color. Remove the acorns from the oven and let them cool. Salt to taste.

Can you harvest acorns without caps?

Acorns from white oak trees are typically mild and slightly sweet, while those from red or black oaks contain more tannins and are quite bitter. The Redhawk's Lounge website suggests that you not harvest any acorns without caps because they usually contain worms.