Everyone has their own method of processing acorns to make them edible. However the method used is usually a variation of each other. Here is my preferred way to process acorns.
- Pour boiling water onto whole shelled acorns and allow to soak for a few hours, then strain off the water (this removes the tannins). Repeat throughout the day. I normally do 3 or 4 changes of water.
- Do as above for 4-5 days. The coloured water will get clearer the more times you do it.
- Then on the last day put acorns in a pan of water, bring up to boil, then simmer for 10-20 minutes. Take off heat and allow to cool. Then strain.
- Either use immediately or freeze.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the timely acorn post. Just finishing soaking and rinsing mine from a harvest a few days ago. It’s only day three of leaching them after a grind to roughly cornmeal texture, but the water looks pretty clear already (I think it was a White Oak as it had rounded leaves, with no pointy tips).
Am thinking about moving on tomorrow, to what I had read elsewhere to do next – which was spread the leached grounds out over baking trays and bake on very low heat until crunchy and dry. Then I plan to grind them to use in baking as acorn flour.
Really quite excited to tell the truth – it’ll be my first time eating them since one misguided taste of a raw one as a kid! Don’t suppose you have any killer recipes which use acorn flour (and no gluten flours)? And with the boiling method you suggest at the end of leaching them, how do you cook with it next, or what do you use the cooked meal in?
Cheers!
I don’t have any recipes myself for using acorn flour (I prefer using the whole nut). However from friends that do use it they tend to mix 50% acorn flour with 50% regular flour for biscuit/bread/pasta/flan recipes etc.
Definitely going to try the pickled acorns this season since I tend not to eat much in the way of flour, bread, pasta, etc.
I live in central cal. tucked back in the mountains. Lots of natrial food, been spending alot of time on line to learn this stuff. Need books with pictures ( photographs ) not pencil sketches. Now I’m studying acorns, wild rose hips, and root plants. I live on a year around creek, many berrys, nettles, currants etc. thanks Bob.
Last year I made acorn (ersatz) coffee, leach as above then dry out, roast and grind. Tastes quite good actually, better than dandelion (next best) and goose grass pods (not that nice actually!). I believe it was in common usage, especially in mainland Europe, during the 2nd World War.
Bit of a novice when it comes to wild foods, always done the usual stuff like blackberrying. Walking in local woods today I was wishing I could confidently identify all the fungi we saw! Instead, I came home with a bag of acorns determined to find some culinary uses for them. Overjoyed to find this site, you have a new fan!
Should you pick the acorns off the tree or wait for them to fall to the ground?
Should the water run clear after leaching? I’ve followed instructions from American blogs in that I have brought to the boil 5-6 times and still the water is brown. I think this is because our acorns are more heavily laden with tannins – I wish I’d found your blog first! The kernels have also broken down, does this really matter as I’m going to make flour for some biscuits substituting the cornmeal with the acornmeal?
I was surprised to learn that acorns contain a toxic substance called tanin , the problem is that I used to grill them on fire and eat them. I have never had any health problem can anyone tell me why?
Can I use acorns in beer instead of hops Fred