Acorn recipes tend to be rather bland and boring. Most folks grind them into flour and add that to bread or as a thickener for stews and casseroles. For this acorn recipe, I decided to do something a little different. Why not spice them up and pickle them.
So there I was starring at my freshly processed batch of acorns and wondering what on earth I could do with them.
Then a flash of Pickled Walnuts came to mind. “Ah-ha,” I thought. These crafty acorns had just revealed how they wanted to be preserved.
For this acorn recipe, I used English Oak (Quercus robur), however, I think that acorns from Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) might go down rather well too because they contain less tannin and therefore require less processing, which would result in a firmer pickled acorn.
Spiced Pickled Acorn Recipe Ingredients
- 550g whole/halved acorns (Here’s how to process acorns to remove the tannin.)
- 6tsp sea salt
- 500ml malt vinegar
- 150g sugar
- ½tsp ground black pepper
- ½tsp ground allspice
- ½tsp ground cloves
- ½tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tbsp freshly grated ginger
Spiced Pickled Acorn Recipe Instructions
- Cover acorns in salted water for 24 hours.
- Strain and allow to air dry for a few hours.
- In a pan add the black pepper, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, grated ginger and malt vinegar. Bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Spoon acorns into jars, then cover with the spiced vinegar and seal.
- If you get twitchy you can eat them after 14 days, but they are best if allowed to mature for between 3-6 months.