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Eating acorns
- Thread starter stixnstones
- Start date
Acorn Recipes
Ground acorn nutmeats may be roasted and then used as a weak coffee substitute.
Indian Acorn Griddlecakes
2 cups acorn meal 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup water
Preparation: Combine everything and beat to a stiff batter. Let stand for one hour.
Cook: Heat 1 tbsp. of fat or oil in frying pan. Drop batter into pan to form cakes about 3 to 4 inches across. Brown cakes slowly on both sides. These cakes will keep for several days.
Mexican Acorn Tortillas
2 cups acorn meal 3/4 cup flour 2 tsp. salt
Preparation: Mix ingredients. Add just enough water to make a stiff dough. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Cook: Squeeze into small balls and then press each ball into a very thin flat cake. Fry in a lightly greased skillet until brown on both sides. Use just enough fat or oil to prevent sticking.
Acorn Pemmican Tortilla
1/2 cup acorn meal 1 pound lean meat, cut in thin strips Several tortillas
Cook: Boil the lean meat in salted water until tender. Drain and allow to dry. Grind the meat and the acorn meal together using a fine grinding blade. Mix well and then grind a second time. Heat and serve wrapped in a tortilla, or on any flat bread.
Variation: Add cooked white rice, or cooked beans, or hot sauce, or grated cheese as part of the tortilla stuffing.
Pioneer Acorn Bread and Acorn Muffins
1 cup acorn meal 1 cup flour 1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. baking powder 3 tbsp. oil 1 cup milk (or water)
Optional: You may add 1 egg to the above ingredients.
Preparation: Combine milk, egg (if available), and oil and beat until smooth. Mix in the acorn meal, flour, salt, and baking powder and stir into a smooth dough. Place in a greased bread pan.
Cook: Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes. Cool and serve.
Variation: Acorn Muffins: Fill greased muffin tins about 2/3 full with above mixture and bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes.
Pioneer Acorn Pancakes
Preparation: Use the above recipe for Pioneer Acorn Bread, but use 2 eggs and 1 1/4 cups milk.
Cook: Drop batter from a ladle onto a hot greased grill. When bottom is brown, turn once and brown other side. Serve with butter, or syrup, or honey, or jelly, or fresh fruit.
Breakfast Acornmeal (Similar to Oatmeal)
1 cup acorn meal 2.5 cups water 1/8 cup hickory nuts or black walnuts, crushed
1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. honey or sugar
Boil the water with the salt. Add the acorn meal and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Allow to cool for about five minutes. Stir in the honey and nuts. Very satisfying and delicious, and it will provide enough energy for a day of rigorous physical activity.
Acorn and Corn Meal Mush
1/2 cup acorn meal 4 cups water
1 cup corn meal 1 tsp. salt
Cook: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in the top half of a double boiler. Add the salt. Sprinkle the acorn meal slowly into the boiling water and stir continuously. Then add the corn meal. When the mixture starts to bubble, it should be able to support a plastic or wooden stirring spoon in the center without the spoon falling over. If too thick, add a little water. If too thin, add a little more cornmeal.
Then put the mixture which is in the top half of the double boiler into the bottom half of the double boiler which contains boiling water. Simmer about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up any lumps, until the mush becomes thick. Serve hot for breakfast, lunch, or supper.
Variation: May be served with a topping of milk, or butter, or grated cheese, or bacon bits, or honey, or sugar, or fruit, or jam.
Variation: Pour above finished, cooked mush into a greased loaf pan and put in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. It will become solid and then it can be sliced with a knife into 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat each slice with flour and fry in a very thin layer of oil, one side at a time. Serve with butter, or syrup, or jam (similar to French toast).
Acorn Bread
2 cups acorn meal 1/2 cup milk (or water) 1 tbsp. baking powder
2 cups wheat flour 3 tbsp. butter or olive oil 1 egg (optional)
Optional Sweeteners: Add 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup or sugar, if available.
Preparation: Combine all the above ingredients and pour into a loaf pan.
Cook : Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes or until done. Yields a moist bread with a sweet nutty flavor.
Glazed Acorn Treats
Boiled dry whole acorn kernels 2 cups sugar 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar 1 cup water
Preparation: Mix and dissolve the sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in 1 cup of water.
Cook: Bring above mixture to a boil in a small pot. Continue to boil until the mixture first begins to show signs of browning. Then immediately put the small pot into a larger pot of boiling water to keep the mixture in a liquid state. (Or use a double boiler.) Use a pair of tweezers to dip individual whole acorn kernels (previously shelled, boiled and dried), one at a time into the mixture and then put each acorn onto a sheet of wax paper to dry and harden. Serve as a candied covered nut.
Acorn Cookies
2 cups wheat flour 1 cup white (or brown) sugar 1 tsp. baking powder (or baking soda)
1 cup acorn grits 1/2 cup shortening 1 tsp. salt
Preparation: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the shortening and the sugar. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Then blend in the acorn grits. Pinch off walnut sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Place 1.5" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Cook: Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly colored. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Variation: Add 1 egg and/or 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
Uses for the Brown Acorn Water (Tannic Acid Leach)
Save the brown water from the first boiling. The brown water should be stored in the refrigerator. With the passage of time a mold will form on top of the water and you will need to boil the water again to kill the mold. Then refrigerate the water again until needed. The brown water may be used in any of the following ways:
Laundry Detergent: Two cups of the brown water can be used as laundry detergent for one load of clothes. Your clothes will smell very good but lighter colors (and whites) will take on a tan tint.
Traditional Herbal Home Remedies: The brown water has both antiseptic and antiviral properties.
It can be used to wash the skin to ease the discomfort of skin rashes, burns, and small cuts.
Pour some of the water into ice cube trays and freeze it. Then rub it on poison ivy blisters. It soothes and heals the blisters and helps reduce the itching. It is very effective on about 95% of the people who try it and the poison ivy is cured in three days. The cold ice helps to soothe the inflamed tissues.
Ground acorn nutmeats may be roasted and then used as a weak coffee substitute.
Indian Acorn Griddlecakes
2 cups acorn meal 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 cup water
Preparation: Combine everything and beat to a stiff batter. Let stand for one hour.
Cook: Heat 1 tbsp. of fat or oil in frying pan. Drop batter into pan to form cakes about 3 to 4 inches across. Brown cakes slowly on both sides. These cakes will keep for several days.
Mexican Acorn Tortillas
2 cups acorn meal 3/4 cup flour 2 tsp. salt
Preparation: Mix ingredients. Add just enough water to make a stiff dough. Let stand for 30 minutes.
Cook: Squeeze into small balls and then press each ball into a very thin flat cake. Fry in a lightly greased skillet until brown on both sides. Use just enough fat or oil to prevent sticking.
Acorn Pemmican Tortilla
1/2 cup acorn meal 1 pound lean meat, cut in thin strips Several tortillas
Cook: Boil the lean meat in salted water until tender. Drain and allow to dry. Grind the meat and the acorn meal together using a fine grinding blade. Mix well and then grind a second time. Heat and serve wrapped in a tortilla, or on any flat bread.
Variation: Add cooked white rice, or cooked beans, or hot sauce, or grated cheese as part of the tortilla stuffing.
Pioneer Acorn Bread and Acorn Muffins
1 cup acorn meal 1 cup flour 1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. baking powder 3 tbsp. oil 1 cup milk (or water)
Optional: You may add 1 egg to the above ingredients.
Preparation: Combine milk, egg (if available), and oil and beat until smooth. Mix in the acorn meal, flour, salt, and baking powder and stir into a smooth dough. Place in a greased bread pan.
Cook: Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes. Cool and serve.
Variation: Acorn Muffins: Fill greased muffin tins about 2/3 full with above mixture and bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes.
Pioneer Acorn Pancakes
Preparation: Use the above recipe for Pioneer Acorn Bread, but use 2 eggs and 1 1/4 cups milk.
Cook: Drop batter from a ladle onto a hot greased grill. When bottom is brown, turn once and brown other side. Serve with butter, or syrup, or honey, or jelly, or fresh fruit.
Breakfast Acornmeal (Similar to Oatmeal)
1 cup acorn meal 2.5 cups water 1/8 cup hickory nuts or black walnuts, crushed
1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. honey or sugar
Boil the water with the salt. Add the acorn meal and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Allow to cool for about five minutes. Stir in the honey and nuts. Very satisfying and delicious, and it will provide enough energy for a day of rigorous physical activity.
Acorn and Corn Meal Mush
1/2 cup acorn meal 4 cups water
1 cup corn meal 1 tsp. salt
Cook: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in the top half of a double boiler. Add the salt. Sprinkle the acorn meal slowly into the boiling water and stir continuously. Then add the corn meal. When the mixture starts to bubble, it should be able to support a plastic or wooden stirring spoon in the center without the spoon falling over. If too thick, add a little water. If too thin, add a little more cornmeal.
Then put the mixture which is in the top half of the double boiler into the bottom half of the double boiler which contains boiling water. Simmer about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up any lumps, until the mush becomes thick. Serve hot for breakfast, lunch, or supper.
Variation: May be served with a topping of milk, or butter, or grated cheese, or bacon bits, or honey, or sugar, or fruit, or jam.
Variation: Pour above finished, cooked mush into a greased loaf pan and put in the refrigerator for about 8 hours. It will become solid and then it can be sliced with a knife into 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat each slice with flour and fry in a very thin layer of oil, one side at a time. Serve with butter, or syrup, or jam (similar to French toast).
Acorn Bread
2 cups acorn meal 1/2 cup milk (or water) 1 tbsp. baking powder
2 cups wheat flour 3 tbsp. butter or olive oil 1 egg (optional)
Optional Sweeteners: Add 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup or sugar, if available.
Preparation: Combine all the above ingredients and pour into a loaf pan.
Cook : Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes or until done. Yields a moist bread with a sweet nutty flavor.
Glazed Acorn Treats
Boiled dry whole acorn kernels 2 cups sugar 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar 1 cup water
Preparation: Mix and dissolve the sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in 1 cup of water.
Cook: Bring above mixture to a boil in a small pot. Continue to boil until the mixture first begins to show signs of browning. Then immediately put the small pot into a larger pot of boiling water to keep the mixture in a liquid state. (Or use a double boiler.) Use a pair of tweezers to dip individual whole acorn kernels (previously shelled, boiled and dried), one at a time into the mixture and then put each acorn onto a sheet of wax paper to dry and harden. Serve as a candied covered nut.
Acorn Cookies
2 cups wheat flour 1 cup white (or brown) sugar 1 tsp. baking powder (or baking soda)
1 cup acorn grits 1/2 cup shortening 1 tsp. salt
Preparation: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the shortening and the sugar. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Then blend in the acorn grits. Pinch off walnut sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Place 1.5" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Cook: Bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly colored. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Variation: Add 1 egg and/or 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
Uses for the Brown Acorn Water (Tannic Acid Leach)
Save the brown water from the first boiling. The brown water should be stored in the refrigerator. With the passage of time a mold will form on top of the water and you will need to boil the water again to kill the mold. Then refrigerate the water again until needed. The brown water may be used in any of the following ways:
Laundry Detergent: Two cups of the brown water can be used as laundry detergent for one load of clothes. Your clothes will smell very good but lighter colors (and whites) will take on a tan tint.
Traditional Herbal Home Remedies: The brown water has both antiseptic and antiviral properties.
It can be used to wash the skin to ease the discomfort of skin rashes, burns, and small cuts.
Pour some of the water into ice cube trays and freeze it. Then rub it on poison ivy blisters. It soothes and heals the blisters and helps reduce the itching. It is very effective on about 95% of the people who try it and the poison ivy is cured in three days. The cold ice helps to soothe the inflamed tissues.
I have never done this or really researched it. I knew the general process and that was about the extent of it. How many times do you change boiling water? Does it work better if you chop them up a little before boiling? How long did you roast them and at what temperature? Last how did you grind it? I intend on looking it up but I like getting answers first hand from people with experience.
Thanks in advance for any answers
Thanks in advance for any answers
Brian, check this out, it has a lot of info.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24545881/A-Long-Term-Survival-Guide-How-to-Make-Basic-Survival-Foods
Info about Acorns start on page 28.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24545881/A-Long-Term-Survival-Guide-How-to-Make-Basic-Survival-Foods
Info about Acorns start on page 28.
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Great resource, thanks!
It doesn't seem to address how long to leech. In my case I chopped them up and soaked or boiled them in water until they were no longer bitter. IIRC, it took about 6 days of alternately soaking/boiling. I think you can cut this down.
Thats because how long depends on the Type of acorn (How much tannic acid it has) and I think the Temp of the water has something to do with it as well.
But yea, its really until its no longer bitter.
Boghog1
NES Member
When I was a kid we soaked the tannin out instead of boiling buy filling a 5 gallon bucket with water as the water turned brown we would replace the water by straining out the brown and filling with fresh water, IIRC this process took about a week, the Indians would put the acorns in a basket in the river to remove the tannin in under a day. again my memory may be off but you don't need to boil, it just makes it quicker
I have in the past run them through a manual food chopper to break them up. That works a lot better and much faster than whole or quartered. This year we just quartered them and after a number of water changes they were still bitter but edible. I will probably run the rest of what we gathered through a food chopper and leach them that way.
Nope, your memory isn't off. Its not a Req to boil them, its, as you said, just quicker.
I never thought about putting them in a basket and into a river.. I might have to try that. Thanks.
I missed my window on getting them to try this year. My son did his Eagle project in the woods September and one day when we showed up, acorns were everywhere. I should have gathered them right then, I've never seen so many. I've wondered what acorn-battered squirrel might taste like.....
I think I read about that when I was a kid. A kid that ran away from home and lived for a year in the Catskills in the trunk of a hollowed out tree and made pancakes from acorn flour. The book was called " My side of the mountain" I think.
Hiked the area I last saw acorns and amazingly there were still a lot on the ground under the leaves. They were wet but I gathered ~2-3 lbs. worth. Took me awhile to shell them but got through it. There were only about 15 out of ~300 that were bad. They are in water now to keep them from oxidizing. I will run them through the food processor tomorrow and put them in a bigger jar and start regular water changes. They were easy to shell and the nut meat reminds me of a Brazil nut in terms of consistency. Most interesting point is how they smell, very faintly of walnuts. Quite good actually, I am looking forward to making something with them.
As is the squirrel population. One area was empty of acorns but a 100 yds. up the trail is where I got mine. I suspect the obese squirrels didn't want to travel further.
One bags of acorns -
One hour later -
Tonight I will chop them up more and start boiling them to leach out the tannins.
One hour later -
Tonight I will chop them up more and start boiling them to leach out the tannins.
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Above after chopping up and boiling, 5 water changes -
Finished product -
It tastes fantastic. Sweet, nutty, and going out for more acorns when the rain lets up.
I used about 1/3 of the above batch of acorns to make it.
Finished product -
It tastes fantastic. Sweet, nutty, and going out for more acorns when the rain lets up.
I used about 1/3 of the above batch of acorns to make it.
OK, so this was all great. I managed to make something edible with access to a full kitchen, electrical power, & the internet. What benefit would acorns have if you were stuck in the woods? Although time & labor intensive, you could make something edible from them that would be filling.
(1) Find acorns. Depending on their size, ~75-100 should yield ~1+ cups of nut meat.
(2) Shell them using knife as chisel and hammer with short piece of wood. I would make an indent in a fallen tree to position them while I split them.
(3) Remove shells and collect nut meats, crush them with rocks until pieces are as small as you can make them. You want something like meal when you are done.
(4) Unless you want to go totally indian-style, dig a hole, and fill it with water & hot rocks to boil, hopefully you have a vessel such as a Sierra, canteen cup, or larger in your kit. I usually hike with a Heineken keg-can pot.
(5) Build fire and boil water, add 1/2" nut meal in cup, stir, let continue to boil until water turns color. If you have a bigger vessel you can boil more. Each boil was ~10 minutes for me. I am not sure what type of acorns I had, possibly white oak. The water only looked like weak coffee, nearly tan, on the first boil only. Then it lightened up to yellowish and continued to lighten until there was barely any color at all. Most sites noted that the water will be much darker on oaks other than white oak at the end of the boil.
(6) Strain nut meal through cloth, set aside, get water to boiling, add nut meal again, boil until water turns color.
(7) Repeat step 6 until water is "clear". I boiled 5X but the water still had a small amount of color in it.
(8) Taste the nut meal. If bitter, boil again, if not, grab titanium spork & eat. Supposedly this is a go/no-go step. They are unpalatable if not boiled enough to leach out the tannins. In this state the nut meal tasted like blanched almonds to me, no bitterness whatsoever.
(9) Start again at step 5, add another 1/2" & boil. Repeat until you are full.
(10) Posit: I'd bet on the last boil you could retain the water if it is fairly clear. If you had a bullion cube or other seasoning in your kit you could add it to make it more like soup or at least, more interesting.
If I had to and there was no easier alternative, I can completely see doing this under a wilderness survival situation. It would likely take you ~2 hours total prep time after the acorns were gathered and you began to shell them.
(1) Find acorns. Depending on their size, ~75-100 should yield ~1+ cups of nut meat.
(2) Shell them using knife as chisel and hammer with short piece of wood. I would make an indent in a fallen tree to position them while I split them.
(3) Remove shells and collect nut meats, crush them with rocks until pieces are as small as you can make them. You want something like meal when you are done.
(4) Unless you want to go totally indian-style, dig a hole, and fill it with water & hot rocks to boil, hopefully you have a vessel such as a Sierra, canteen cup, or larger in your kit. I usually hike with a Heineken keg-can pot.
(5) Build fire and boil water, add 1/2" nut meal in cup, stir, let continue to boil until water turns color. If you have a bigger vessel you can boil more. Each boil was ~10 minutes for me. I am not sure what type of acorns I had, possibly white oak. The water only looked like weak coffee, nearly tan, on the first boil only. Then it lightened up to yellowish and continued to lighten until there was barely any color at all. Most sites noted that the water will be much darker on oaks other than white oak at the end of the boil.
(6) Strain nut meal through cloth, set aside, get water to boiling, add nut meal again, boil until water turns color.
(7) Repeat step 6 until water is "clear". I boiled 5X but the water still had a small amount of color in it.
(8) Taste the nut meal. If bitter, boil again, if not, grab titanium spork & eat. Supposedly this is a go/no-go step. They are unpalatable if not boiled enough to leach out the tannins. In this state the nut meal tasted like blanched almonds to me, no bitterness whatsoever.
(9) Start again at step 5, add another 1/2" & boil. Repeat until you are full.
(10) Posit: I'd bet on the last boil you could retain the water if it is fairly clear. If you had a bullion cube or other seasoning in your kit you could add it to make it more like soup or at least, more interesting.
If I had to and there was no easier alternative, I can completely see doing this under a wilderness survival situation. It would likely take you ~2 hours total prep time after the acorns were gathered and you began to shell them.
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