Edible acorns?
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: Mercer County, OH
Edible acorns?
I have a couple of red oak trees in my yard and this year they produced a bumper crop of acorns. From what I've heard acorns contain a tannin that prevents them from being edible for humans but it can be removed by several soakings in water. Has anyone here ever done this? Or would it be easier to just rake them up and throw them in the woods?
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From: Medina TN
I'd throw them in the woods. That just seems like way too much trouble for something that will most likely just make you crap your pants anyway. Besides, the little squirrels need to eat too!!! I'd stick with peanuts.
Postmaster
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From: Clearwater, Fl
i munch on them every now and then when im bowhunting, im still here, so they cant cause to much harm to you.
bitter as hell though...................in CT, plenty of white and red oaks.
deer love them white oaks, i guess its like candy to them, apparently, deer and we humans differ in taste buds
didnt the old schoolers, make breads and such wayyyyyyyyyy back in the day??
bitter as hell though...................in CT, plenty of white and red oaks.
deer love them white oaks, i guess its like candy to them, apparently, deer and we humans differ in taste buds
didnt the old schoolers, make breads and such wayyyyyyyyyy back in the day??
Lead Driver
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From: in the woods of MA
I eat plenty of 'em, but only in the form of beef after my cattle have done the hard work... they love them...
But I'm pretty sure Iv'e read that the native americans ate plenty of them after soaking them or boiling them or something like that to remove the tannin...
But I'm pretty sure Iv'e read that the native americans ate plenty of them after soaking them or boiling them or something like that to remove the tannin...
Postmaster
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From: So Cal
Some survival food sites have methods on how to cleanse the tannin out. Essentially if I recall they soak the nut meat multiple times in water and then dry out the nuts and grind it into flour and use it like flour.
The American Indians used this as a staple so there should be sites discussing how to do this too.
Ah, here ya go... http://www.selfsufficientish.com/acorns.htm
They say the tannin is actually poisonous.
A search of making acorn flour will turn up tons of info.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
The American Indians used this as a staple so there should be sites discussing how to do this too.
Ah, here ya go... http://www.selfsufficientish.com/acorns.htm
They say the tannin is actually poisonous.
A search of making acorn flour will turn up tons of info.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
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From: Merrill, WI
Originally Posted by freirefishing
didnt the old schoolers, make breads and such wayyyyyyyyyy back in the day??
Here's a site I found via Google that has some recipes:
http://www.siouxme.com/acorn.html
EDIT: Jim beat me to it!
Last edited by 62_Galaxie_500; Oct 11, 2007 at 10:50 AM.
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From: sunny fla sometimes windy
Just boil and change the water several times. Most wild edibles need to be boiled before we can eat then, Either because they are too starchy or from tannins and other bitter acids. Elephant ear root, Coontie root, palm hearts, those stupid air potatoes that are taking over down here in florida, they taste like potatoes after a bunch of boilings and water changes and diced up with lots of butter!! You can eat most it raw if you had to, but be ready for a stomacheache, some people can handle it better than others.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Atlanta GA
White oak is the one you want, red oak is the very bitter one.
FWIW: I didn't think the tannin was in the nut, just the bark.
FWIW: I didn't think the tannin was in the nut, just the bark.
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Originally Posted by Bruker
I have a couple of red oak trees in my yard and this year they produced a bumper crop of acorns. From what I've heard acorns contain a tannin that prevents them from being edible for humans but it can be removed by several soakings in water. Has anyone here ever done this? Or would it be easier to just rake them up and throw them in the woods?
My mother used to cook this crap called "Polk salad." There is even a song about it, "Polk Salad Annie." It is basically some kind of weed that you have to boil the hell out of it before it can be eaten. It looks like spinich when cooked, but the taste is kind of a flat nothing. Mom said tons of it were eaten during the depression. jd
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From: sunny fla sometimes windy
That's poke weed for that salad make sure you don't get jimson weed or you'll be tripping out and think your about to die!! Pick up a good survival book it is high time to figure out what you can eat that is growing all around you!! The canadian dollar is on par with ours, China is brazenly sending us poisoned products, I could go on and on
Teach your children to hunt and fish and grow vegetables, That don't have video games to learn that on!!
Teach your children to hunt and fish and grow vegetables, That don't have video games to learn that on!!
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There's an interesting section on acorns in Jared Diamond's book Guns, Germs and Steel. According to him, native Indians once in a while would find oaks that produced acorns that were significantly less bitter and quite edible with little work. Unfortunately, the genetic mutation that caused the less tannin does not breed true, meaning that if you plant the acorns from the non-bitter trees, they produce the usual bitter acorns. If it bred true, undoubtedly the first Europeans to visit America would probably have seen massive groves of oaks tended by Indian farmers.
Just thought I'd throw that in there for fun.
-Tom
Just thought I'd throw that in there for fun.
-Tom
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