You can now grind the acorns into flour or you can store them in airtight containers until you grind them. This will fill the house with a smell that you and your kiddos will forever associate with fall!Ħ. Spread the nuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for about 2 hours. You can use a tree ID book or look up online how to tell the leaves of oaks apart.ĥ. Some acorns (from the white oak families) have fewer tannins, and may only take 3 boilings red oak acorns have LOTS of tannins, and will take a lot more. You’re leeching out the bitter tannins, which is necessary to make them tasty. Drain, add more water, and repeat until the water is clear. ![]() Put the nuts in a pan of water and bring it to a boil. You don’t need to remove the light brown covering.Ĥ. Use a paring knife to cut away any parts with tiny holes or black spots. Use a nutcracker or rock to break the shell and remove the round nut. You will probably have a lot of floaters, which is why you gather lots and lots.ģ. Toss those acorns back outside for the squirrels. Take your stash home and play “sink or swim.” When weevils have bored a hole in the acorn and laid eggs, it makes them lighter and they’ll float in a bucket of water. Wait much longer and most will be buggy.Ģ. Also, the earlier in the year, the better. If you can get to freshly fallen ones you’ll have less weevils to deal with. Go to an area with lots of oak trees and gather up lots and lots of acorns. Here’s how to harvest acorns and do boiling water leaching:ġ. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method. There are several ways to leach the bitter tannins out of acorns, and boiling water leaching is one of our favorite ways. When we first started, Daryl found many conflicting instructions online so he experimented until he came up with the way that works best for us. Our family has harvested acorns for about 15 years now. It’s also a lot of work for not much product, but the fun is in the process, especially for children. ![]() The flavor and aroma are distinct and almost buttery. We use our acorn flour to make acorn muffins, which are surprisingly tasty. The nuts can be ground into acorn flour or enjoyed whole. If you’ve never tried making your own acorn flour from this plentiful, free, nutritious food source, you’re in for a treat! It’s a lot of effort, but the results are delicious.Īcorns were a large part of many Native American tribes’ diets and have been enjoyed by many families for generations. Late summer and early autumn are acorn harvesting time in Minnesota and much of the country. I’ve since published a book with lots more information on finding and processing acorns via hot water processing and cold water processing, tips and tricks, and with 70+ recipes to use acorn flour. (Note: This post was originally published many years ago in my green living column on examiner.
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