It’s that time of year when all the acorns are starting to fall. Squirrels are collecting and hiding them for winter storage and so are some of us who think outside the box when it comes to our food supply. These little natural treats are some of the easiest natural foods you can find anywhere and if you’re ever in a survival situation can save your life. With the average oak tree producing 2,000 pounds of acorns a year, is it any wonder that people have started looking to them for a food source again?
Nutritional Overview
Let’s look at the nutritional facts of oak nuts shall we? One cup of acorns will provide you with 110 calories, 12g of carbs, and 1.7g of healthy protein! In comparison, a cup of peanuts will give you 828 calories, 24g of carbs, and 38g of protein. Yes, in a survival situation you’ll get more bang for your buck with peanuts, but let’s be honest, most of us won’t find them laying on the ground abundantly.
This also means that if you’re looking for a nutty snack alternative to peanuts that won’t add tons of calories, the acorn is the perfect fit. Not to mention free! Most people will even let you harvest the acorns from their oak trees in the fall because they make mowing a nightmare!
Uses of Acorns
With the increase of people who don’t want to use grain based flours in their cooking we’ve all noticed the popularity of using nut-based flours. In fact, many Native tribes were using acorn flour thousands of years ago. Acorns can also make a delicious nut butter once you’ve prepped and roasted them. Not to mention just roasting, salting, and popping the yumminess into your mouth.
One of my favorite recipes to use acorns is has to be acorn brittle. Substitute the traditional peanuts or almonds with acorns and follow your favorite recipe for a lower calorie treat. Prior to the wide availability of coffee, acorn coffee was always a favorite on cold winter mornings.
Types of Acorns and Best Uses
One of the reasons that acorns aren’t as popular as other locally available nuts is that they do take some work to make them palatable. Most acorns are high in tannin and have a bitter taste. If you eat a lot of these types of acorns without flushing them they can upset your stomach. Acorns typically fall into 3 types of nuts: sweet, large, and fatty. Sweet nuts have lower tannins so won’t require as many leeching/flushing as the others. Large nuts are typically higher in carbs and tend to make better acorn flour. Fatty nuts are of course higher in fat content than the others, and thus are better suited to making acorn oil for cooking.
What do I mean when I speak of flushing or leeching the acorns? Since acorns have a high tannin content, you need to rinse some of the tannins out before you eat them or they can make you sick. With that in mind, if you’ve never prepared acorns before it is better to overdue the flush than not flush them enough.
Preparing Acorns for Eating
The first step is to make sure that the acorn has not been compromised by an oak weevil. To tell this, look at your acorn. If you see a small hole in the shell, the nut has been compromised and should be discarded. If you have a nut without a hole, the nut inside is probably still good. Unlike with many types of nuts, acorns still in the shell can last for years and still be edible.
Shelling acorns is a bit tricky and by far the hardest step in the process. The easiest way I’ve found is to let the nuts dry in the shells for a month or two. Then on a flat surface, set the nuts so the flat side is the bottom. Lay another flat heavy object on the nuts and push until you hear them crack! Be warned though, acorns will oxidize so once you crack them put them in water.
Now it’s time to take care of those bitter tannins. To do this, soak your acorns in hot water until the water cools. Pour off the water and refill with more hot water. Repeat this step as many times as it takes to get the flavor you’re looking for. Acorns taste and have a consistency like chestnuts.
Once you’ve removed the tannins, it’s time to dry roast the nuts. I’ve heard of people who don’t roast the nuts if they’re going to make flour, but I personally do. It brings out a nuttier taste that I prefer. Spread out the wet nuts into a single layer. Sprinkle with salt if you’re going to munch them, or leave them plain for flour. Then bake for 15-20 minutes at 375F.
If you’re making flour, grind the roasted nuts down. If you’re munching them, dig in!
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