New - Seeking information on Acorn Processing...
Submitted by NickWRayl on Sun, 09/26/2004 - 10:53pm.
I am seeking different ways to process Acorn's into flour. How do you store Acorns? How do you deal with Bugs? Can you process the Acorns Green or do they need to dry? Any help would be appreciated...
Thank you in advance for your information and knowledge Grandmother...
I seek information about the old ways...
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I store acorns in baskets and cardboard boxes. Shallow baskets and boxes work best and you have to stir the acorns occationally so they dry evenly. (Which is why shallow containers work best)
Acorns can be processed as soon as you gather them, but it is easier to crack the shells and remove the "paper" coating on dried acorns. Among the tribes I am familiar with, when the ripe acorns first are gathered, they use these "green" acorns to make a mush served in a "First Acorn" ceremony. But generally they use dried acorns otherwise. So, for example, I have acorns from last autumn, and I preferably use these dried acorns, but at this time I take some of the fresh acorns and make a dish to celebrate the harvest.
Bugs are not much of a problem. The only bugs you need to be worried about are the bugs that are already in the acorns. Just before acorns are ripe, the trees will have a "fall" of acorns that have bugs in them, or are mishaped and not developing right. Do not gather any of these acorns. This "fall" of buggy acorns signals that soon the acorns will be ripe and the real fall of mature acorns is soon to follow. So this is a good sign, but not the start of the harvest. Also when you are gathering acorns, leave behind any acorns that have a tiny bored hole in them or that feel too light. These have bugs in them that have eaten part of the acorn inside. I haven't had any problem with healthy acorns with shells on them getting bugs once in storage.
When the oaks start dropping the mature acorns, it can be a pretty steady rain of big heavy acorns, that is the real harvest time. At lower elevations in my area I am now gathering acorns for storage.
I have more information on acorn processing in my BLOG. Please refer to that, read up on what was said there, and then get back here and post again on this thread if you still have questions. ~ Mugwort