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Acorns

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    Posted: 15 October 2015 at 03:59
We have a bumper crop of acorns around these parts this year.....just wondering if anyone has a recipe for soaking the bitterness out of them, or possibly roasting them...a la chestnuts?

Brook? It's certainly historic food.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote drinks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 October 2015 at 09:08
Black oaks and live oaks have a lot of tannic acid, really too much to bother messing with.
White oaks have much less, one swamp white oak near where I used to live had acorns that were eatable with just a good rinse and toasting, however the quality varies from tree to tree even in the same specie.
Most people who eat acorns, shell, coarsely chop and either soak in several changes of water or place the nut meats in a net bag and place in running water to leach out the acid.
Quite a bit of work.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 October 2015 at 10:31
The way the woodland tribes did it is similar to Drinks' instructions, only they actually ground them, rather than cut in pieces.

Using a special grinding plate---basically a flat rock with hemispheric depressions, they would grind the acorns either in running water, or by pouring water over them. Once the acid was removed they'd dry the meal, and use it pretty much like flour.

Soon as I have a minute to spare I'll check my Native American cookery books to see what I can come up with.

While I confident Europeans copied this, particularly in times of privation, I have no documentation that they did.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gonefishin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 October 2015 at 11:48
Wow, the finished powder (flour) sound delicious...I'm thinking cookies, pancakes and breads right off the bat. Breadings...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote drinks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 October 2015 at 12:23
My experience has been that the acorns do not have much flavor after removing the tannic acid, the required treatment seems to remove the oils and esters that give the nut a flavor.
Toasting helps some,but pecans , walnuts and even almonds have more flavor.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 October 2015 at 03:54
Sure sounds like quite a bit of work for little return.

Perhaps I'll channel my energy in a different direction and just make some sausage instead. Been wanting to try out a recipe for Irish style bangers I found a while back.

Thanks for all the info anyway guys.Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 October 2015 at 09:51
Get some pigs and let them eat the acorns, then eat the pigs. Win, win situation! Clap
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gonefishin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 October 2015 at 11:30
pitrow, that was one of my first thoughts as well.

  Actually, I know a few pig farmers that will move their pigs to feed on the fallen nuts in fall time.  The other farmer can't move is pigs to the trees, so he pays his kids $1 for every bucket they collect.

   
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tom Kurth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 October 2015 at 15:15
Is it right that hogs fed on acorns develop a uniquely flavored meat?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 October 2015 at 07:38
Frankly, Dan, it’s only hard, time-consuming work if you use Native American methods. Things are a lot easier in the modern kitchen.

For instance, according to the “Native Indian Wild Game, Fish, & Wild Foods Cookbook,” here’s how to prepare acorn meal:

“Make meal by grinding dry, raw acorn kernels. Mix with boiling water and press out liquid through a cheesecloth. With very bitter acorns, repeat this process several time. Spread meal on a tray and thoroughly dry in oven at 250F.
     This meal will cake during the drying process. Regrind using a food chopper. Then, seal in containers, preferably glass jars.

In modern usage, acorn meal is almost always mixed with flour. Thus:

Acorn Bread

1 cup acorn meal
1 cup flour
2 tbls baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 tbls sugar
1 egg beaten
1 cup milk
3 tbls oil

Sift together acron meal, white flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In separate bowl, mix together eggs, milk, and oil. Combine dry ingredients and liquid ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Pour into a greased pan and bake at 400F for 30 minutes.

This is similar to adding other grains to white flour. But, because it’s a quick bread, you can use a higher percentage of “other” meal.

I can’t document it, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the Cherokee supplemented their bean breads with the addition of acorn meal. I know they used acorns. In fact, I have part of one of those grinding plates I described above (part because it had been, unfortunately, hit by a plow before I found it while hunting arrow heads).

A similar recipe is this one, for

Acorn Pancakes

1 cup acorn meal
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbls sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups milk
3 tbls oil

Stir together dry ingredients. In separate bowl mix together eggs, milk and oil. Then, combine dry ingredients with liquid mixture. Spread batter thinly on a hot griddle. When edges begin to bubble, flip and brown on other side. Serve with maple syrup or jelly

I'll check with friends who specialize in Native American foodways to see about additional recipes and other uses.
But we hae meat and we can eat
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote drinks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 January 2016 at 15:35
In considering uses of acorns, I do feel changing them into squirrel ,deer and pig is the most economic use of them.

;<)
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 January 2016 at 06:52


I used to tell folks I didn't really like venison. But it was the only way I got to eat my parsnips.
But we hae meat and we can eat
And sae the Lord be thanket
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Effigy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 January 2016 at 23:01
A bit of interesting history....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgjFsR-c0-Q
Start at 17:10...fattening pigs.
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