eating acorns

[GlisGlis]

acorns time
I'd like to try to eat some 
already collected, shelled and put in water
currently they taste really bitter
seems to me that all the leaching thing will greatly reduce not only tannins but also the nutrient compounds
still unsure if is better the cold or hot water leaching
I've read quite alot online but i'd prefere some first hand experience

[wstanley]

Never done it but have spoken to many Mono elders on the topic (California Sierra Mountain/Foothill tribe) and the leaching is essential as well as very time consuming. I was under the impression the acorn needs to thoroughly dried first. Never heard of it processed green? Perhaps you can? Don't know.

As far as water temperature I have read both hot and cold were used. First starting off with cold and then hot was another combination.

You have probably read it but there are 2-3 pages explaining the process in Barrett and Giffords (1933) book on the Sierra Miwok. I think Alfred Kroeber's book "Handbook of the California Indians" probably has multiple description from many California Tribes.

Good luck! What species of oak are you getting the acorns from?

I had some a while ago with chile verde mixed in. MMMMMMM yummy.

YosemiteBen would be a good reference to ask.

[GlisGlis]

thankyou wstanley
acorns are from quercus robur. (european oak?)
after writing i grinded them to a coarse size and kept on with the leaching process with cold water
today (3rd day in water, many water changes later ) the bitter taste is still there but definitly not as before
I could eat the sample while couple of day ago I had to spit it
couple more days and they could be grinded into flour I think
it's a long process for sure if you're hungry

from what I've read drying is not mandatory. it helps in shelling and grinding

[Will Tell]

I've always heard white acorns are less acidic than the rest.

[Hawkdancer]

My guess is that the people using acorns probably did rather large batches and kept several batches in progress, possibly as insurance against winter/spring hunger times.  Never tried them myself.
Hawkdancer

[Digital Caveman]

I know hickory nuts are a lot easier, all you have to do is crack them and pick out the meat. I wish we had some here; all we have are red oak and beach. 

[Deerhunter21]

i know we have some good nuts here.... i just cant freaking find them! grrrrr... 

[Hawkdancer]

We are all around You! . Mostly they grow on trees, hickory, walnut, hazel(filberts), pecan -Bowyer's, Fletcher's, Primitve Archers, Buckskinners, Flintknappers, etc!
Hawkdancer

[Pappy]

White oaks are sweeter to start with and take less leaching, that's why deer love them right off the bat and will eat red oaks only when the white oaks are gone or after they have been on the ground and rained on for weeks if not months, either way if you eat many I would keep the paper handy until you system gets use to them.
 Pappy

[HH~]

Ate a small handfull from a big white oak other day. No need to soak. They were sweet, just needed a quick roll in the coals and they be ready. Wanted to see why all these deer were piled under this one tree. One taste told all i needed to know.

HH~

[GlisGlis]

White oaks are sweeter to start with and take less leaching, that's why deer love them right off the bat and will eat red oaks only when the white oaks are gone or after they have been on the ground and rained on for weeks if not months, either way if you eat many I would keep the paper handy until you system gets use to them.

actually it seems that tannins make toilet paper useless as they tend to clog the dumping system 

today i tasted my acorns and grinded them even more
they where 2 - 3 mm average. now they are 1mm
hope that will speed up the leaching
for sure a careful choice of acorns type would make the processing easear

[GlisGlis]

at day 10 all the bitterness is gone
I grinded all the particles to flour size, mixed with wheat flour 50/50, salt, water some yeast
ended up with a light brown color, flat bread with no particular taste. I mean bread taste with no particular added flavor. Pretty good bread.
yeast almost did nothing but I gave the dough too little time
in theory the cold water leaching should not take off the acorns the proteins needed to rise
Still have to try 100% acorns flour

I read that acorns contains so many good elements but I still wonder how many nutrients still reside in the flour after 10 days of leaching

[Fox]

We are all around You! . Mostly they grow on trees, hickory, walnut, hazel(filberts), pecan -Bowyer's, Fletcher's, Primitve Archers, Buckskinners, Flintknappers, etc!
Hawkdancer

 

[JackCrafty]

I think cooking kills more of the vitamins than leaching.  I've eaten a few acorns in my day but they were all way too bitter for my taste. Next time I try them, I need to make sure they are of the white oak variety.

I recently bought a bag of acorn flour from Japan. Big difference. Tastes great. Kind of a mild wood flavor. I used some to thicken a soup and it worked but it made the soup feel a little like a thin jelly.

[elisabethandrea]

First off, all acorns do not taste the same, so make sure to do small batches of different kinds to find what you like. My personal favourite is California Valley Oak.

I like to put mine in the oven on low heat to kill the worms inside but this is not a required step. I crack open the acorns with a pair of pliers. Grinding the acorns BEFORE soaking makes the whole process easier. Put the ground up acorn meal into some kind of sheer material and secure it so it makes a bag with the meal inside. Put the meal in a clear glass bowl or container and completely cover the meal bag with water. Change the water 3x per day the first 3 days, 2x per day for the next week. I run the meal bag under the tap and squeeze it out each time I change it. At least make sure you squeeze it before putting it into the fresh water. It takes 10-14 days for the ground meal to finally have pretty much clear water after a full day of soaking. The meal needs to be set to dry before storing it. I put it in the freezer to prevent mold. I add it to my oatmeal, meatballs, and rice. I put it in salad and change it in for cornmeal to make bread.