How to Use Acorns for Food
Gather your ripe acorns., Process acorns, for tasting nutty and slightly sweet: removing bitterness makes acorns delectable -- by simple, water leaching.Leach shelled acorns by soaking or boiling in water., Remove the acorns once leached and leave...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your ripe acorns.
Green acorns are unripe and are unsuitable for eating (but mature green acorns can ripen in a clean, dry place).
Untreated raw acorns contain high concentrations of tannic acid, so their taste is bitter, and they can be toxic to humans, if eaten in large quantities.Water process/treat only ripened, brown acorns.
Avoid any acorns that appear mildewed, dusty, blackened, etc.
Quality nutmeat will be yellowish in colour.Unprocessed, natural nuts of various kinds of oaks:
White oaks produce bland tasting acorns.
The best for harvesting are the Swamp Oak, Oregon White Oak, and the burr oak.Generally these won't need leaching.
Red oaks produce bitter tasting acorns.
The Emory Oak's acorns are mild enough to not require processing.Black oaks produce very bitter tasting acorns and need a lot of leaching to overcome this. -
Step 2: Process acorns
Pouring off the hot water (also called blanching) with repeated changes of water.
Continue doing this until the water stops turning brown when you strain and replace it.
Another method for leaching:
Place one tablespoon of baking soda into one litre of water.
Leave the acorns to soak in the baking soda infused water for 12-15 hours.
A Native American or rustic method is bagging the shelled nuts and allowing them to soak in a clean, flowing stream for a few days until no brown colored water is seen when checking their progress., (On the other hand, raw acorns can be stored for months without spoiling; this dramatically increases their value, being a "process as needed food resource".) But only when leached: are they ready to use. , Peel the ripe, leached/blanched acorns.
Divide the kernels.
Place in an ovenproof dish and cover.
Roast in a low heat oven to dry slowly.
Stir frequently.
Once roasted (light, medium or dark), grind.
The resulting mixture can be blended into commercial coffee
-- or used on its own to make acorn coffee. , Read How to make acorn flour for instructions.
Use the flour to make breads, muffins, etc.
Korean cooking is largely the only cuisine that features acorn starch.
Some Korean noodles and jellies are made of acorn starch.
As this starch is a favorite part of that cuisine, then many Asian grocery markets sell it., Use an olive making recipe and substitute acorns for the olives to make a treat/delicacy. , Ground or chopped acorns can replace many nuts and legumes, such as chickpeas, peanuts, macadamias, etc.
Follow your usual recipe and substitute acorn pieces instead.
Like most nuts, they are a nutritious, dense food; to use freely.
Make acorn dukkah, a dry spicy mixed dip, which has many uses, but is mainly used to dip bread that has been basted with olive oil or butter.
Sprinkle chopped, roasted acorns over a fresh salad as part of the dressing. , Once roasted, remove and dip in very heavy sugar syrup.
Make "acorn brittle" candy, using a peanut brittle recipe, and spread it on buttered plates to cool.
Make a nutty acorn butter spread that is similar to peanut or almond butter.
Use recipes for low carb pancakes (as crepes) of acorn starch or low carb biscuits, spread with acorn butter and sprinkle stevia natural calorie free sweetener or use raw honey! , Their nutty, slightly sweet taste adds a lovely depth to stews. , This can give these standards a nice lift in flavour, adding "conversation-piece" value. -
Step 3: for tasting nutty and slightly sweet: removing bitterness makes acorns delectable -- by simple
-
Step 4: water leaching.Leach shelled acorns by soaking or boiling in water.
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Step 5: Remove the acorns once leached and leave to simply dry or to make roasted nuts after drying
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Step 6: as desired.
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Step 7: Make acorn "coffee".
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Step 8: Make acorn flour
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Step 9: whole -- or sift to remove fiber to make a finer cake flour called acorn starch!
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Step 10: Pickle the leached acorns in brine.
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Step 11: Substitute roasted acorns for nuts and cooked beans/legumes.
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Step 12: Roast the acorns.
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Step 13: Add acorns to stews as one might add beans or potatoes.
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Step 14: Add ground acorns to creamed
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Step 15: mashed potatoes or potato salad.
Detailed Guide
Green acorns are unripe and are unsuitable for eating (but mature green acorns can ripen in a clean, dry place).
Untreated raw acorns contain high concentrations of tannic acid, so their taste is bitter, and they can be toxic to humans, if eaten in large quantities.Water process/treat only ripened, brown acorns.
Avoid any acorns that appear mildewed, dusty, blackened, etc.
Quality nutmeat will be yellowish in colour.Unprocessed, natural nuts of various kinds of oaks:
White oaks produce bland tasting acorns.
The best for harvesting are the Swamp Oak, Oregon White Oak, and the burr oak.Generally these won't need leaching.
Red oaks produce bitter tasting acorns.
The Emory Oak's acorns are mild enough to not require processing.Black oaks produce very bitter tasting acorns and need a lot of leaching to overcome this.
Pouring off the hot water (also called blanching) with repeated changes of water.
Continue doing this until the water stops turning brown when you strain and replace it.
Another method for leaching:
Place one tablespoon of baking soda into one litre of water.
Leave the acorns to soak in the baking soda infused water for 12-15 hours.
A Native American or rustic method is bagging the shelled nuts and allowing them to soak in a clean, flowing stream for a few days until no brown colored water is seen when checking their progress., (On the other hand, raw acorns can be stored for months without spoiling; this dramatically increases their value, being a "process as needed food resource".) But only when leached: are they ready to use. , Peel the ripe, leached/blanched acorns.
Divide the kernels.
Place in an ovenproof dish and cover.
Roast in a low heat oven to dry slowly.
Stir frequently.
Once roasted (light, medium or dark), grind.
The resulting mixture can be blended into commercial coffee
-- or used on its own to make acorn coffee. , Read How to make acorn flour for instructions.
Use the flour to make breads, muffins, etc.
Korean cooking is largely the only cuisine that features acorn starch.
Some Korean noodles and jellies are made of acorn starch.
As this starch is a favorite part of that cuisine, then many Asian grocery markets sell it., Use an olive making recipe and substitute acorns for the olives to make a treat/delicacy. , Ground or chopped acorns can replace many nuts and legumes, such as chickpeas, peanuts, macadamias, etc.
Follow your usual recipe and substitute acorn pieces instead.
Like most nuts, they are a nutritious, dense food; to use freely.
Make acorn dukkah, a dry spicy mixed dip, which has many uses, but is mainly used to dip bread that has been basted with olive oil or butter.
Sprinkle chopped, roasted acorns over a fresh salad as part of the dressing. , Once roasted, remove and dip in very heavy sugar syrup.
Make "acorn brittle" candy, using a peanut brittle recipe, and spread it on buttered plates to cool.
Make a nutty acorn butter spread that is similar to peanut or almond butter.
Use recipes for low carb pancakes (as crepes) of acorn starch or low carb biscuits, spread with acorn butter and sprinkle stevia natural calorie free sweetener or use raw honey! , Their nutty, slightly sweet taste adds a lovely depth to stews. , This can give these standards a nice lift in flavour, adding "conversation-piece" value.
About the Author
Timothy Ortiz
Brings years of experience writing about DIY projects and related subjects.
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