All About Foraging and Feeding on Acorns

Oak trees are a common piece of the forest puzzle in many parts of the United States, and where there are big, beautiful oak trees, beneath lies a bounty of food: acorns. All oak acorns are edible, and they are a tremendous source of healthy fats and quality protein. They were once used as a food staple, but they go largely overlooked these days.

In the effort to become more food secure, locally sourced, and self-sustaining, acorns can again become a piece of our edible landscapes. As we see year in and year out, the squirrels are hip to this tasty treat, so there is no reason we should, too, reacquaint ourselves. Acorns can be used to make flour for gluten-free baking, porridge for nutritious breakfasts, and even a substitute for coffee. They even have a heap of medicinal uses.

If all that sounds great, and of course it does, then it seems we do-it-yourselfers should be making the effort to be acorn aficionados.

Foraging Acorns

Source: Trillium: Wild Edibles/YouTube

As with most nuts, the best time to go out foraging for acorns is the fall. Some years they’ll drop in such abundance that a forager simply can’t keep up with them. Plus, let’s face it: oak trees are huge and acorns small, so when a huge oak tree full of acorns starts dropping them, there is a lot to be found.

While all acorns are edible, they have tannins that make them bitter, some so much so that they require a lot of work to make them tasty. To harvest the right kind of acorn, it’s important to look for varieties with certain tell-tale signs of quality, i.e. they are easy to process.

• Acorns with smaller caps tend to be less bitter.
• Good acorns should sink when put in water. If they float, they’ll have been damaged by worms. We don’t want to eat those.
• Different oak trees have different acorns with different flavors, so if one doesn’t suit you, look for another type. Don’t give up if the first harvest isn’t ideal.
• Green acorns are not ripe. Go for the ones that have changed color.

Storing Acorns

Source: practicalprimitive/YouTube

Once a good harvest is obtained and the duds tossed aside, acorns should be stored in a dry space. They can be kept this way for months. The key to preventing them from getting too moist and developing mold is to stir them around every week. It’s also a good idea to keep them in porous containers, such as baskets, where the air can circulate.

• Keeping them near a fireplace (or clothes dryer) can help. Sometimes they’ll get so warm that they crack on their own, making for easier processing.
• Sprouted acorns, which will happen when they are stored for a long way, are still edible and easier to digest, as with sprout seeds or pulses.
• If the acorns are cracking and easy to remove, the meat can be stored in a freezer until you are ready to further process them.
• Expect the size of your acorn harvest to halve once the nuts are shelled.

Leaching Tannins

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Regardless of the type of acorns you forage, they’ll need to be leached of tannins. The tannins make them bitter and can make your kidneys work overtime. This process is probably one of the reasons acorns aren’t more popular as a foodstuff. It can take about a week, though most of the work is simply waiting and changing the water.

• Blend the acorn meat in a food processor to make it a coarse meal.
• Fill a large jar or crock about a quarter of the way with acorns and the rest of the way with cold water.
• Store them in a cool place like a fridge or a covered porch.
• Either shake the jar or stir the crock and let it sit for a day.
• Drain the old water and add new water daily.
• When the water is clear, the acorns should be ready to use.
• Acorns that are sufficiently leached will taste sweet.

Cooking Acorns

Source: Chad Zuber/YouTube

The coarse acorn meal can be used as the nut component in bread, cookie, and cake recipes. It can also be cooked as a rich porridge, or it can be added to oatmeal as a wow factor of flavor and nutrition. They can be added to smoothies, sprinkled on salads, or added to breakfast scrambles. The grit can also be roasted to add flavor, and then the roasted acorn can be used to make a coffee substitute.

The other option is to take the acorn meal and further dry it out in a dehydrator or low-set oven. Then, the meal needs to be ground down even further. The acorn flour can be put in recipes that call for flour, though it will not rise, so if that’s part of the dish, just sub it in for about a quarter of what’s called for. It can also be used to make flatbread.

Related Content:

• What to Forage in Fall
• Fall Is the Time for Foraging Fungi: What to Look for From August to November
• Fruits and Nuts to Find in Fall

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