The only acorns I use are from the White Oak (Quercus alba), which has leaves with rounded, rather than pointed lobes. Other acorns are simply too bitter to be worth the effort.
Most acorn recipes I have found are for flour, which is made my
roasting and grinding the acorns. I have done this and made excellent mixed flour quick breads.
I find it much easier to peel a handful of acorns as I need them,
boil them and eat them with a mixture of meat (or portobello mushrooms for vegan diets) and vegetables.
These acorns freeze well, both with and without their shells. I put the acorns in the freezer as soon as I gather them, which keeps them fresh until I am ready to use them.
The recipe:
Acorn Preparation:
The acorn’s outer shell is thin and can be split with very little pressure.
1. Peel the outer shells from 1/4 cup of acorns.
2. Split the acorns and put them in a pot of cold water.
3. Bring the water to a boil.
4. Pour this first pot of water into a container to use as an astringent, skin toner, or soothing agent for irritated skin.
5. Rinse acorns, put fresh cold water in the pot and repeat the process.
6. Taste an acorn, if it bitter repeat the process until it acorns are palatable and ready to use.
Venison and Acorn Stew or Soup
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds of venison stew meat*
- 3 TBS of oil or fat Marrow bones, if available
- 1 Medium Onion
- 3 or more Garlic Cloves
- 2-3 Carrots
- 2 Celery Stalks
- 1 cup of boiled acorns [see above for preparation]
- Liquid [water and/or soup stock, beer, cider]
- 2 cups of liquid for stew; 4 cups for soup
- Non-essential but nice: nasturtium petals
- Salt, pepper, spices to your taste
Preparation:
1. Brown the onion and garlic in olive oil, vegetable oil, bacon fat or whatever you prefer.
2. Stir in the stew meat and brown.
3. Add the liquid and the marrow bones, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and add nasturtiums.
4. Cover and simmer 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add carrots, celery, boiled acorns and spices and simmer another 15-20 minutes.
The opportunities to experiment are limitless. I find boiled acorns taste best when warm. Once they cool down, their mealy texture and slightly astringent quality are more apparent.
*Venison is farmed in many places, so even if you don’t hunt, this is a treat. Stew can be any blend of veggies and/or meat. So use your imagination. These amounts are approximate, depending upon the size of your soup pot and the number of people you’re feeding.