How to Prepare Acorns for Eating

Worry not if you are out in the wild and suddenly notice acorns but are unsure how to prepare them. In this article, you can read how to prepare acorns for eating with my few special recipes that no one will leave indifferent.

Try following the preparation instructions carefully; before you know it, you will have a delicious acorn meal in no time.

How to Prepare Acorns for Eating

Although acorns are considered an unconventional cooking ingredient, there are actually many delicious dishes you can make with them if you have the right instructions. 

Therefore, as the acorns deserve much bigger appreciation, I decided to share with you my top acorn recipes and, most importantly, how to prepare the acorns for eating. 

So, if this sounds just like the information you were looking for, ensure to keep reading this article until the end.

Wash the acorns

After you have collected the batch of acorns you think will be enough to feed you, the next thing you will need to do is wash them in fresh and clear water. 

You want to remove any possible dirt or bugs and prepare them for eating. To properly wash the acorns, you will need to:

1. Take a bowl large enough to fit all the acorns and fill it with cold water. Then, place the acorns in it. If you notice any floating dirt, leaves, branches, or even floating acorns, remove them. If an acorn is floating, it means it has gone bad and is not good for eating.
2. Then, place the acorns in a colander or a bowl with a similar function, and rinse them under cold water for about two minutes. This will help dislodge any bugs or loose dirt.
3. After washing the acorns thoroughly, keep the colander aside so that they dry, or if you are in a hurry, you can dry them gently with a dry towel.
4. Finally, when all the acorns are dry, you want to remove the caps and shells from them. Use a stone or knife if needed but remember, do not eat the raw meat of the acorns yet.

Leach the acorns

As acorns contain bitter-tasting tannins, you must treat and prepare them before eating. To successfully leach acorns and get rid of that bitter taste, you will need to:

1. Prepare two pots with water. Then, drop the acorns in the first pot and wait until the water boils and its color turns into the color of a strong tea. Then, place the acorns in a colander, drain them well, put them into the second pot of water, and bring it to a boil.
2. While the second pot reaches the boiling point, pour the dark water from the first pot and repeat this process until the water is completely clear and clean. Expect this process to take an hour or so, so be patient.
3. If you do not want to boil water, you can always do this in cold water, but this might take up to a few days until the water is clean and clear.

After your acorns are prepared and ready, you might continue and try using them in some of the following recipes. 

Read more: How to Smoke Meat in the Wild

Roasted acorns

The first thing you should do before eating them is to roast them. To do this, you must::

1. Preheat the oven or prepare a wood stove to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Then, take a flat pan or baking surface and disperse the acorns so that no acorn is on top of another one. All of them should be in one single layer.
3. Then, let them bake for about 60 minutes or more, depending on the stove or oven you use. When they are done, they should get this beautiful chocolate brown color.
4. Finally, when the acorns are ready, take them out of the oven and put the pan in a colder environment so that the acorns cool off quickly.

After your acorns are ready and roasted, you can salt them to taste or add any other herb you wish so that you enhance their delicious taste even more. You can include roasted acorns in many dishes, such as mashed potatoes, roast, fried rice, etc.

Acorn flour

If you want to make something more out of the acorns, I recommend you try making acorn flour. This flour can replace standard wheat flour and is a great addition to any cookies, pastries, or bread.

1. After washing your acorns thoroughly, you want to pat dry them but not entirely. It is ideal when the acorns are part-dry.
2. Take a few of them and grind them in a blender. If you do not have one and are in the wild, you can use some large stones to crush them until you get that flour-like consistency. You will need to repeat this process a few times until you get a nicely grounded acorn flour.

When you make your acorn flour, you can freeze it for further use.

Acorn brittle

If you have a sweet tooth and prefer your acorns in a sweet dessert recipe, you can try making an acorn brittle. 

To do that, you will have to substitute the acorns for peanuts in your favorite peanut butter recipe. You will get a delicious snack full of high nutritional value and, most importantly, extremely delicious.

Bake bread

There is nothing simpler than baking delicious bread with acorn flour. Once you part-dry and grind your acorns, mix the flour with water and other ingredients you wish to add to your bread and bake it. The result will be a super delicious acorn flour bread that you will not be able to stop eating.

Read more: What Is in a Mess Kit?

Conclusion

In this article, you could have read how to prepare acorns for eating. I made sure to include the instructions for the basic preparation so that when the acorns are being washed and ready to eat. 

You can use your imagination and make hundreds of delicious and nutritious acorn recipes.