Acorns

[dalewick]

Acorns are also a great feed for hogs as they gain weight quickly by putting on a thick layer of fat and the hogs actually taste good when butchered. Grandpa used to run them in the woods and would have the kids collect more out in the woods for feed. I think he used to leach them for feeding to the chickens and turkeys also. But, it seems like it gave the eggs a funny taste for awhile.

Would love to hear from anyone that has feed them to goats also.

Oaks are great to have around. The acorns, of course as well as great firewood. The bark ground up is a great astringent for medical use as well as being able to use the bark for dying everything from cloth to metal (great for dying traps). The ash from burning the firewood makes great lye water for soap making.

I've never had a problem with composting oak leaves for the garden and I also spread hardwood ash on my garden for trace mineral replacement. I also add lime and other compost materials (poplar leaves, grass clippings, garden plants, veg. peelings), into my compost which probably helps with ph and carbon uptake.

Dale

[RICHFL]

Since we are talking about OAK trees and what you can use and what not to use. I do not use the leaves fro OAK trees in my compose piles due to the tannin leaves that remain even in the leafs.


Hint:
Tannin will leach into your garden if you use OAK leaves in your composite pile. Once in the soil Tannin will be absorbed into your plants, vegetables, herbs, and fruit. This you do not want. It has a sever reaction to the human body including up to kidney failure!

Best way to get rid of OAK leaves is to burn them.

[Schneb]

Hickory nuts, not acorns, but same general idea.

http://ouroneacrefarm.com/hickory-nuts-foraging-pignut-shagbark-hickory-nuts/

Hickory Nuts: Foraging for Pignut and Shagbark Hickory Nuts



A while back I asked about nut gathering on a thread, here, somewhere, and had some good responses. Looking at this I realize I had some pignuts. I'm guessing the season for gathering them has passed for this year, but next year...

Any one know about this nutcracker: the kenkel kenkel hardshell nutcracker?

[Schneb]

Thought this article was a good way to give the thread a bump, and for this time of year that maybe made sense. Or are we too late to make good on acorns?



Nutritious Acorns Don't Have To Just Be Snacks For Squirrels

I know there have been other threads that explored this topic--this is the first that looked good when I searched for 'acorns'. If the others have a richer discussion of the topic, which ones are they?

[johnnie l.]

I don't know how I missed this. Cox .... how'd grandpa turn out.

O.W.

Owwww. That's bad

[Oscar Wilde]

Brain tanning... I did that years ago with my grandpa, it works and you had to do it about 3 times and the smell is bad. But it is a good way to tan.

I don't know how I missed this. Cox .... how'd grandpa turn out.

O.W.

[Aurora]

The white oak has the sweetest flavor of them all. What I learned is to put the acorns in a burlap bag and run water for 24 hrs. to get the tannins out. Or, change the water every day for 7 days. If they're still bitter, there's still tannin.

It's also not just the calories; it's the protein. There is about 10 times as much protein (ounce per ounce) in acorn meal as there is in ground beef. It is also a complete protein; unlike beans. Protein is a serious challenge in a wilderness/survival circumstance; particularly if an area gets over-hunted as will likely be the case if the grocery stores close.

Mix herbs and spices into it to cover the dirt flavor. Heck, we may all come to appreciate the flavor of dirt some day. There are people who eat dirt by choice for the nutritional value. I hear Mississippi has some of the tastiest dirt around. I haven't eaten any since I made mud pies as a kid..... but I would recommend cooking it first to get out any parasites. I'm not there yet.....

[Chefsimms]

I have tried acorns as well. I boiled, changed, boiled, changed, boiled, changed etc etc etc. Mashed them up, put some salt and pepper on it and it tasted like a spoonful of dirt with the same consistency. I guess they could be made tasty but it sure was a lot of work.

I don`t like the taste either, seems like no matter what you do the taste like dirt...My horses love them.

if your hungrey its good to know how to prepare them....

[ZAGran]

Here are 2 recipes for using acron meal.

Steamed Acorn Black Bread
Mix together:
1 1/2 cups Acorn Meal
1/2 cup Acorn Grits
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Add:
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 1/2 cups sour milk
2 tablespoons salad oil

Wring out a pudding cloth in boiling water, spread it in a round bottom bowl and turn the batter into it. Tie the corners and suspend the bag over boiling water in a closed kettle for 4 hours. This should be served hot from the bag, and a steaming slab of this rich, dark, moist bread is just right with a plate of baked beans.


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Apache Acorn Cakes
1 cup acorn meal, ground fine
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup honey
pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients with enough warm water to make a moist, not sticky dough. Divide into 12 balls. Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes or so. With slightly moist hands, pat the balls down into thick tortilla-shaped breads. Bake on an ungreased cast iron griddle over campfire coals or on clean large rocks, propped up slightly before the coals. If using the stones, have them hot when you place the cakes on them. You'll have to lightly peel an edge to peek and see if they are done. They will be slightly brown. Turn them over and bake on the other side, if necessary

[hikinmike]

Supposedly the NE Indians used to make a flour out of the processed and dried acorns. I've had bannock bread when backpacking...it fills ya. Perhaps some kind of acorn fry-bread would be similar. Maybe more palatable if berries were added to the mix.

[survivalguy]

Saving the water is a good idea for many reasons. Drinking after filtered, washing up, other cooking needs.

YES save the water Tannin is a great antiseptic use it on cuts, abrasions, scratches ETC

[TheMadPlumbarian]

I only thought they were good for the slingshot! :^) JR

[JLBIII]

Yeah I've tried this before, not my first choice if hungry but it's better than starving.

Joe

[rcsaxby]

Thanks for posting I've bookmarked it.

[krink545]

good squirrel bait