Oak: A Foraging Guide

by Robin Harford

Once the leaching is complete. Spread the mash in layers no thicker than 1 cm on a baking tray. Then place in an oven at the lowest setting leaving the door slightly ajar. Turn the mash every hour breaking up any clumps that have formed. Once dry (takes around 12 hours) cool before storing in sealed jars. Blend the mash until it becomes flour. The flour will store in sealed bags in the freezer for up to 2 years. METHOD 2 Slice each acorn in half, and pop the nut out into a bucket. Fill with cold water and cover to keep dust and insects out. Stir twice a day. Each day pour off the water and replace with fresh cold water. Repeat until the nuts taste sweet and you feel most of the tannin has been removed. Acorns leached this way can take anything from 2 to 14 days to remove the tannin depending on what species of oak used. Let your tastebuds tell you when they are done. Once leached spread out the halved acorn nuts in single layers on sheets and dry in a low-temperature oven leaving the oven door slightly ajar. Takes around 12 hours, maybe longer. Or dry in a dehydrator. When completely dry, place in halved acorns in an airtight sealed container and freeze for later use.