Have you ever wondered what to do with acorns? They are an abundant source of starchy food, but you need to know how to process them.
I did a lot of work with acorns from 2008-2014. Back then, I practically broke my hands trying to get dried acorns through a hand-crank mill, then had to sift and grind repeatedly. A lot has changed since then—most notably, the availability of high-powered blenders. But this has raised some new questions. With such powerful grinding, does the starch get so fine that we lose it in the cold-leaching process? On the other hand, can we extract acorn starch like they do in South Korea? If so, is the leftover meal food or mostly fiber? Lately I’ve been revisiting the many acorn-processing methods to reevaluate and fine-tune my approaches with questions like these in mind.
Whether you are just starting out or curious about the nuances—I hope you’ll join me on Saturday, October 17 for Acorn Processing, the latest web class in the WFG Learn series.
We’ll learn when, where, and how to forage acorns, then compare processing methods in terms of labor, time, and their effects on the texture and behavior of the finished acorn product. We’ll discuss what changes when you work with fresh, frozen, and dried acorns, and how to cook with leached acorns as flour, bits, and larger chunks. You’ll come away understanding not just how to process acorns, but how to choose the right approach for what you want to make.
Join us live on Zoom at 9 AM Mountain Time on Saturday, October 17, or sign up to watch the replay later. I hope to see you there!
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