EatingAcorns

AGuidetoProcessingAcornsforUseasFood
MaryHatch

Whyeatacorns?
Oak trees, which belong to the Quercus genus, are native to most parts of the northern hemisphere. There are around 600 different species on the entire globe, each producing its own versionoftheacorn,atreenutthatprovidesnourishmenttoa widevarietyofmammalsandbirds. Acorns are known to have been a staple food of numerous human populations throughout history, playing a particularly importantroleinthedietsoftheNativeAmericansofCalifornia. Forwhateverreason,thisstillabundantfoodsourcehastakena bigdipinpopularityallovertheworld. Today, Korea is the top consumer of acorn, mostly eating it in the form of dotorimuk, an acorn jelly and acorn noodles. Meanwhile, in most other parts of the world the better part of thepopulationiscluelesstothefactthatacornsareevenedible! Well, its time we get the word out because acorns, besides having a rich history, are full of essential nutrients, not to mentiontheyredelicious,plentifulandFREE!

NutritionalInformation
CaloricBreakdown:

Nutrientsofsignificance:
Calcium Phosphorus Potassium Niacin VitaminB6 Manganese Copper Folate
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42%Carbohydrate 52%Fats 6%Protein

PART1:HarvestingtheOakNuts Ideally,thecollectionprocessbeginsinthefall,whenOak treeshavemostrecentlydroppedhundredsofacornsto theground.Butacornsfoundafterthistimecanbeused justaswell,althoughflavorwillbeslightlycompromised astheacornsage. TherearehundredsofspeciesofOaktrees,andeachhas its own variation of acorn. In the Northeast, most Oak trees encountered will either be Red Oak or White Oak, andthedifferencebetweenthetwoisnoteworthy. Acorns from White Oak trees are preferable due to a lower tannic acid content. Tannic acid is the substance that makes acorns taste bitter. Even the squirrels prove tofavorthewhiteonesandeatasmanyastheycanwhile theyarefreshoffthetree.TheacornsoftheRedOakhave aboutfivetimesasmuchtannicacidandrequireslightly moreprocessing.Bothhowever,areperfectlyacceptable for use. (Squirrels bury the red oak nuts in the ground and over time, water running through the soil helps to leach out bitter tannins. Acorns that are forgotten sometimessproutintotrees!) The collection process can be made faster using a rake. Otherwiseitshouldnottaketoolongtocollectenoughby hand.
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Hereisasimplewaytodifferentiate:
(It is also useful to note bark texture although this differenceissubtler.)
RedOak
The leaves of the Red Oak have pointed leaves like this. The red oak nuts have a squatter more curledin top than the whiteones. REDPOINTYFIRE

WhiteOak

TheleavesoftheWhiteOakhavelobed leaves like this. The White Oak nuts looksomethinglikethis. WHITELOBEDCLOUDS

PART2:StoringUnprocessedAcorns

If the acorns are not going to be processed for a while, careshouldbetakentostorethemproperlysothatthey dontrotormold. Eitherkeepthemoutinthecolduntil its time to process them or follow these simple instructions. 1. Dumptheharvestedacornsintoabucketofwater. 2. Discard all the acorns that float. (These acorns have either rotted or have a grub living inside which has been laid by a particular moth. Many people eat this grub so go for it if youre feeling hungry: its rich in protein!) 3. Ifthesunisout,drytheacorns(inshell)byspreading themoutunderthesunforafewdays.Alternativelythe Acorns can be laid out on oven trays and roasted at around250300Fforupto30minutes. 4. Theacornsarenowreadyforlongertermstorageand should last at least a few months as long as they are keptinadryplace.

PART3:ShellingAcorns Separating the acorn meats from their shells is the most laborintensive part of the process. Here are some ideas abouthowtodoit. If you have not followed the instructions for storing unprocessedacorns,youmaywanttoplacetheacorns(still inshells)ontooventraysandroastthemat250300Ffor upto30minutes.Thiswillmaketheshellsmorebrittleso thattheycanbemoreeasilyremoved. 1. Cracking an acorn is easiest if the point is facing upwards.Lineafewhandfulsupontheirtops,perhaps inapansotheycantgetawayandquicklypoundthem each one by one. Do this using the heaviest rock you canholdcomfortablyinonehand,preferablywithaflat bottomsotheacorndoesntjustslipaway.Shellthem afterabunchhavebeencracked. 2. Try not to pound too hard because you dont want to crackthenutmeatsintotoomanypieces. 3. Tomakemorerefined,sweetertastingacornflour,the paperycoveringinbetweenshellandnutmeatmustbe removed. Whether or not you choose to do this probably depends on how much time you want to devotetoyourflour. 4. A nutcracker can be used to crack acorns one by one butthisistimeconsuming. 5. THEMOREPEOPLEONTASK,THEBETTER!
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PART4:LeachingOuttheTannins Leachingisnecessaryinordertoremovethebittertannins fromtheacorns.Thefastestwaytodothisisusingthehot water method, which I will describe. A more traditional method entails placing the shelled nutmeats into a cloth sack (cheese cloth or even a single layer of thinner cotton likeanoldtshirtwilldue)thisbundleisthensecuredina runningstreamandleftthereforaweekortwodepending on the bitterness of the acorns, the aggression of the stream,andthetemperatureofthewater. 1. Placetheshellednutmeatsintoapotofalreadyboiling water. Allow the pot to boil for about ten minutes or untilthewaterisadeepbrown(fromthetannins). 2. Then remove them from that pot and place them into another pot of already boiling water. Continue this processuntilthenutmeatsnolongertastebitter. 3. The number of water changes will vary depending on thebitternessoftheacorns.Itgenerallytakesbetween 3 and 6 changes of water. Once the acorns taste pleasant,removethemfromthewaterforgood. Thedarkbrownwaterleftoverisnowheavilyinfusedwith tannins.Dontdrinkit!Ithasmanyusesandshouldnotbe discarded!Insteadstoreitinclosedjarsintherefrigerator. Ifmoldformsonthetop,skimitoffandreboilthesolution in order to kill the mold. TURN TO PAGE 10 FOR TANNIC ACIDUSES!!!
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Part5:DehydratingtheNutmeats Atthispointthewetnutmeatscanbeplacedinablenderor foodprocessorandgrounduntilassmoothaspossible.This mush should only be made if you want to use the acorn withinaweek.Itcanthenbeusedinplaceofmostflourin yourfavoriterecipesortothickensoups,orhoweveryoud like. Itsalsogreattousetheleachedacornsaswholepiecesin soupsandstirfries,orwhateveryoucanthinkof. Most people find a dried flour to be preferable to a wet mush.Heresthenextsteptowardmakingaflourthatcan keepaslongaswheatflourifmadeandstoredcorrectly: Place the drained nutmeats in asingle layer on cookie sheetsandbakeatthelowesttemperaturesettinguntil completelydrywithoutburning.OR Useadehydratortoreleasethemoisture.OR Spreadthedrainednutmeatsinasinglelayerontrays andleavethemoutinthesuntodry.Becarefulwhere youleavethembecausethesquirrelsandotherswillbe temptedtofeast. Dehydrated nutmeats can be stored longer term in tupperwareorglassjars,oritcanbegroundupintoflour.
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Part6:GrindingAcornsintoFlour Thedehydratednutmeatscannowbegroundupintoflour orcoursemealthatcanbeusedinmorewaysthatyoucan thinkof.Herearesomeoptionsforgrinding. Mortar and pestle great for smaller amounts, but requiresstrength,time,andpatience. Handcranked grain mill this is a good option if you have one but the results will likely leave some larger pieces,whichcanbesiftedoutandreground. Electric coffee mill probably also best for smaller amountsbutmakesoneofthefinestflours. Blenderorfoodprocessorperhapsthemostefficient method for larger quantities and could yield a pretty fineflour. Rockslabsyourgoingtohavetodosomeresearchif youpreferamoreprimitivemethodofgrinding. If you can manage it, finer flour will be better for most types of baking although courser meal has great texture. Usually the product is more similar in texture to fine cornmeal than wheat flour. Sifting will ensure a more consistentbatch. If you plan to store your acorn flour for a while, it is besttokeepitinclosedglassjarsinacooldryplace.It shouldlastallyearandlonger.
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USESFORTANNICACIDSOLUTIONDontthrowitaway!!! Natural Dye for Clothing: yields a beautiful brown color, butrequiresafixative.Vinegarfixativehasbeenknownto workeffectively. LaundryDetergent:useabouttwocupsperload.Clothing willsmellgreat,butwhiteswillturnatancolor.Antiseptic propertieswillactinplaceofchemicalcleaningagents. Antiviral and Antiseptic: use as a skin wash for rashes, skinirritations,burns,poisonivy,cuts,etc.Thesolutionwill mitigate bleeding and help heal wounds while stopping infection.Itisalsoanastringent,causingtheskintotighten orcontract. Antiinflammatory: taken internally, solution helps to sooth sore throats, diarrhea, dysentery, gastritis and irritablebowelsyndrome.Canalsobeappliedexternallyto hemorrhoids. (WARNING: consult professionals before takinginternally) Tanning Animal Skins: by soaking animal skins in the solution, the hide can be tanned more easily. This is why thewateriscalledtannicacid!

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ACORNFLOURRECIPES Herearesomesimplerecipesthathighlighttheacorns.You cantrythese,ortryreplacingthewheatorcornflourcalled forinanyotherrecipewiththeacornflour.Gocrazy! AcornBread 1cupsacornflour 1cupscattailorwhiteflour 3teaspoonsbakingpowder 1/3cupmaplesyruporsugar 1egg 1/2cupmilk 3tablespoonsoliveoilormeltedbutter Combineallingredientsandbakeinpanfor30minutes oruntildoneat400degrees(testbyinsertingatoothpick intothecenter.Ifitcomesoutclean,thebreadshouldbe done) AcornStew 1lbstewingmeat(beef,venison,anything) 1/2cupfinelygroundacornmeal Saltandpeppertotaste Placemeatinheavypanandaddwatertocover.Coverwith lidandsimmeruntilverytender.Removefromliquidand cutmeatintoveryfinepieces.Returnmeattotheliquid. Stirintheacornmeal.Addsaltandpepperasdesired.Heat untilthickenedandserve.
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 AcornGriddleCakes 2/3cupacornflour 1/3cupcattailorwheatflour 1tsp.bakingpowder 1/3tsp.salt 1Tablespoonhoney 1egg,beaten 3/4cupmilk 3Tablespoonsmeltedbutter Combinedryingredients.Mixtogethereggandmilk,and thenbeatintodryingredients,formingasmoothbatter. Addbutter.Dropbatterontohot,greasedgriddle.Bake, turningeachcakewhenitisbrownedonundersideand puffedandslightlysetontop.Makes12to15. AcornCookies 11/2cupsacornflour cupwheatorcattailflour 1/2teaspoonsalt Optionalpinchcinnamonorotherspicetotaste 1/2cupplus2tablespoonspowderedsugar 1cupunsaltedbutter,roomtemperature,inchunks 1teaspoonwater Combinedryingredientsfirst.Thenaddtherestand combinethoroughlyusingfoodprocessororhands.Shape into2inchdiameterlogandrefrigerateforabout30 minutes.Slicecookiesinto1/3inchdiscsandbakein
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preheatedovenat375Ffor12to15minutes,then transfertoacoolingrack. AcornSpinachBurgers 1boxfrozenspinach(canbereplacedwithlargebunch wilteddrainedandchoppedfreshspinachorstinging nettlesorothergreens) 1cupsacornflour cupwheatorcattailflour 2eggs Saltandpepper Oliveorvegetableoilforfrying Combineallingredientsthoroughly.Shapeintopattiesand fryinheatedoiluntilbrownedonbothsides.Bestserved onbreadorrollswithcondiments.
WorksReferenced http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin#Uses (Informative about uses of tannic acid) http://www.jackmtn.com/acornbread.html(Recipeforacornbread,tannicacid uses,generalflourmaking,greatreference) http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/nutandseedproducts/3083/2 (Nutritionalcompositionofdriedacorns) http://www.prodigalgardens.info/processing%20acorns%20step%20by%20st ep.htm(Greatrecipeforprocessingacornsintoflour) http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3AgkLy3EgE7vQJ% 3Aonceuponawatershed.org%2Fpdfs%2FAcorn_Recipe_English.pdf+acor n+cookies+recipe&hl=en&gl=us(Acorncookierecipe) http://siouxme.com/acorn.html (Recipes for acorn stew and acorn griddle cakes) Logan,WilliamBryant.Oak:theFrameofCivilization.NewYork:W.W.Norton&, 2005.Print.(Excellentsourceonoaktreesandhistoryofacorneating)
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Ortiz, Bev. It Will Live Forever: Traditional Yosemite Indian Acorn Preparation. Berkeley,Calif.:HeydayinAssociationwithRickHeide,1996.Print.(Most indepthinsightintotraditionalacornpreparation)

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 Thisbookhasbeencreatedinanefforttospreadthe informationnecessarytoprocessacornsforfood.

Acornsaredelicious!

Ifpossiblepleaseprint anddistributecopies ofthiszine.

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