Acorns.....how to eat?

[Amberly]

Does anyone know how to get the bitterness out of acorns? Any ideas of how to eat them? Anyone ever had them? Sounds weird, but I wanna try them. They are beginning to look really tasty lying there on the ground. Don't wanna take all of them from the squirrels, just want a few. ;)

[sptygl]

really, don't know if they are edible
wonder if they are anything like chestnuts??
i would wait before eating them, not sure if you can!! :eek:

[Revvell]

I would google this. It's not easy.

Revvell

[wildfae]

Actually, it's very easy to make them edible and unbitter....

Some acorns, especially those growing in the SW are yummy as is and contain very little tannin (the stuff that makes them bitter).

But if you live in the NE etc many people recommend boilingthem several times and changing the water... obviously not raw and obviously a pain in the butt. What Natives did and I've done with great success is to put the shelled acorns in a cloth bag and leave them in running water like a stream or river (weighed down by a rock). If you don't have running water nearby (and don't want to leave the bathtub on overnight ;) ) I think you could probably just soak them in a tub of cold water and changed it a couple times....

You can then dehydrate them and keep them in a sealed jar for later use....

The tricky part is figuring out how to prepare them after that... I've always soaked and then boiled them to make them soft in recipes before I went raw... but I want to try soaking them and then grinding them to flour and adding them to raw nut recipes....

I have added the boiled ones to raw cookies and they were fabulous...

[RowanC]

I've done this many times before I went raw. I learned from my grandmother, who processed acorns every summer/fall into a wonderful nutty flour.

First of all, it depends on the acorns. There are a lot of different varieties, some with more tannin than others. There are white oaks and black oaks and red oaks. What kind are yours? The best acorns come on every other year.

If they are big and fat, like your thumb, or like a big old date, it's an easier job. If they're tiny like a pinto bean, it's not worth your time.

First, wash the dirt off and toss any acorns with holes in them (worms)
Next, spread them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven. Now whether or not these will be considered "raw" depends on how quick you get them out of the oven once the shells pop. Pay attention, leave the door slightly ajar, and when you hear them popping, take them out of the oven.

You can shell them without putting them in the oven, but it is a big job.

Shell the acorns, then put them in your food processor or blender with enough COLD water to cover them.. and blend them up.

Strain the water out ... a cheesecloth bag or nutmilk bag is perfect. Throw away the water.. it's bitter.

Now taste the meal. Is it sweet or bitter?

If it is sweet, you're finished. Make the meal into cookies or breads and dehydrate it.. or dehydrate and put it into breakfast cereal. My gran used to bake the best bread, cookies and pancakes out of it. For that there is another step.

If it is bitter, just put it back into a bowl, and put COLD water over it, stir it up, then strain again. Repeat until the meal is sweet.

If you are not using it raw... and you want to make flour out of it.. then spread the sweet meal out on the same cookie sheet and put it into the oven at about 250 degrees until it is dry. I imagine you could put it in a dehydrator.. I have never tried.

Once it is dry, run it through the flour mill and use it like you would any other whole meal flour. It is very sweet, nutty, and good!

If the acorns are the tiny bitter kind, I wouldn't waste my time. But some trees put on HUGE old acorns, usually every OTHER year. These are the best ones.

Whether or not you can use the nut perfectly raw I don't know. I think I'd dehydrate it... but it sure won't kill you... you could try one at a time if you really wanted. If the tannin is out, the worst that would happen is a good case of the runs... :::laughing:::

Good luck! Let us know what happens... :D

[sptygl]

i wonder if they are healthy........
i love finding sources of using fresh and earthy substances!!
it's like the earth's garden!! lol

[Lunar*Fey]

I once read that they were a stable of some Native American tribes....I wanted to try some too. So I collected some with my little sister...she had the first try and spit it out so I didn't try any...

let me know how if anyone tries them raw and exactly what they did

[luckitri]

Only Native American way I know is cooked - Apache lamb stew. Rowan has given the most complete info I have ever seen. I loved the flavor but also did not know how to process...

[RowanC]

Well, that's because you have to leach the tannin out like in my post, silly gurl! :D