Oak: A Foraging Guide

by Robin Harford

How to Process Acorns METHOD 1 You can either process acorns fresh (green shell) or dried (brown shell). First, you need to remove the nut from the shell. The easiest way is to split them in half using a knife. Then pop the nut out. Discard any damaged nuts. Put the nuts into a food processor with enough cold water to cover. Never use hot water at any stage when processing acorns. Then pulse until you get a mash, next pour the mixture into a large jar or bucket. Place the jar under a tap (or use a hose) and allow the water to circulate and gently overspill for between 1-2- minutes. Slowly stir the mixture. While doing this make sure the mash doesn’t come out. Pour off the water and refill one last time. Then cover the jar to prevent dust and insects entering. Each day, pour off the dark tannin water and refill. Make sure you don’t pour away the fine starch in the bottom of the jar or bucket. Refill with cold water. Stir twice a day throughout the leaching process. Acorns can take anything from 2 to 10 days to remove the tannin depending on what species of oak used.