EATING ROASTED ACORNS AND HOW TO WASH ACORNS

RAMBLINGS OF AN OLD MAN

EATING ROASTED ACORNS AND HOW TO WASH ACORNS

Give acorns a quick rinse in cool water. Place them in a pot or bowl and it them with water, then remove and dispose of any floating acorns, as they have likely gone bad. Place the acorns in a colander and run them under the tap for a minute or two to dislodge any loose dirt or hitchhiking bugs. Set the colander aside to let the acorns air-dry, or simply dry them by hand with a dish towel. Remove the shells and caps from your acorns with a nutcracker (or a hammer, if necessary). Do not eat the raw 

the meat of the acorns yet.

HOW TO LEACH ACORNS

Acorns contain bitter-tasting tannins, so you must prepare, treat, and cook the nuts before you eat them. It sounds like a pain but it’s really not that difficult. Start two pots of water boiling. Drop the raw, shell-less acorns into one pot and boil until the water is the color of strong tea. Strain the nuts through a colander and drop the strained nuts into the second pot of boiling water. Discard the dark water from the first pot, then refill it and bring the water to a boil again. Repeat the process without interruption (do not let the acorns cool) until the water boils clear. This may take an hour or more, depending on the variety of acorns. Alternatively, you can soak the raw acorns in cold water to leach the tannins out. Change the water when it turns a darker color. This process may take several days, depending on how long it takes for all the tannins to leach out of the acorn meat. To avoid rotting, the acorns must dry fully. Spread tannin-free acorns to dry on cookie sheets in a warm place. If it is hot out, lay the cookie sheets in the sun. Or, you could put them in an oven set to “warm.” You can also put the acorns in a dehydrator set on low heat.

EATING ROASTED ACORNS

Making acorn flour isn’t the only way you can enjoy acorns. Here’s how to roast the nuts: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour the acorns into a single layer on an ungreased, rimmed cookie sheet. Cook the nuts for about 60 minutes or until they turn a chocolate brown color. Remove the acorns from the oven and let them cool. Salt to taste.