Aren't some acorns poisonous?

[Makiaveli]

I see mention from time to time here of eating acorns. However the last time I did research on this it said the only "safe" ones were from white oaks from the west coast or some such. Local ones have too much tannin(?) and have to be boiled repeatedly.

Can someone here provide me with reliable info? I have many huge oaks on my property and so would be useful to know this before the SHTF

[enfield]

I don't know that tannin is poisonous as much as nasty-tasting. I've never heard of poisonous acorns.

[buck1032]

Tannin is toxic. If enough is consumed it will shut down your kidneys. So yes the tannins must be leached out via boiling, soaking in a running stream, etc...

[Makiaveli]

Tannin is toxic. If enough is consumed it will shut down your kidneys. So yes the tannins must be leached out via boiling, soaking in a running stream, etc...

Thanks. Soaking I take it you mean in a porous bag? Mostly looking for SHTF solutions, as anything lesser will be easier. IE if we still have reliable power, I will just boil them on the stove. Just not sure that hauling firewood to boil acorns would result in net gain in calories

[buck1032]

When leaching acorns make sure the nut is pure white prior to eating or it will still contain tannin. A little wont hurt you but when you are down to foraging for food taking chances shouldnt be done.

[Makiaveli]

When leaching acorns make sure the nut is pure white prior to eating or it will still contain tannin. A little wont hurt you but when you are down to foraging for food taking chances shouldnt be done.

Okies. I was planning to gather some just to see what it would take to get them ready. Now to find that water source I was told is down in the holler somewhere

[subsonic]

Tannins are found in many common food items...tea, red wine. Oak is full of it and used for aging wines and whiskeys, but too much of anything will kill you.

[buck1032]

If you try to leach the acorns its easier and faster if you crush or break up the acorns first.

[Makiaveli]

If you try to leach the acorns its easier and faster if you crush or break up the acorns first.

Yea I get ya, more surface area and all that. I am going to do some thinking on that ie small bags vs larger which would likely require more manipulation etc.

@subsonic Hmm as much iced tea as I drink, maybe I am immune?

[buck1032]

When I was a SERE instructor back in the late 90's I leached acorns in a stream and it took about 8 hours to do. With that said it was winter time and the stream was running rather fast and I only leached maybe 40 crushed acorns, which I feed to my students. I am sure if you just soaked them and changed the water every 24 hours you would expend less calories and energy for the amount of food you get out of it.

[Makiaveli]

When I was a SERE instructor back in the late 90's I leached acorns in a stream and it took about 8 hours to do. With that said it was winter time and the stream was running rather fast and I only leached maybe 40 crushed acorns, which I feed to my students. I am sure if you just soaked them and changed the water every 24 hours you would expend less calories and energy for the amount of food you get out of it.

Good deal. There is supposed to be a water source nearby. Not sure what to call it as it's not really a creek, or a very short one. IE the water comes up from under some rocks and only goes 10 feet or so before going back under from what the old timers told us. That and I am looking for a combination electric/hand pump for the old well that is under the house.

Thanks again for all the info. Very helpful, as I am too paranoid to trust too much info I find in wiki's etc.

[Timestepper]

On a similar, but not quite related note, the Cherokee (among others) would make hickory nut milk by crushing the nuts, shell and all, to a paste, adding water and boiling the whole mess. Eventually a white creamy film forms on top. This is the "milk." It's high calorie, sweet and nutritious.

As we have several Shagbark Hickories on our property, I've tried this a couple of times in small batches and it does indeed work and the result is indeed rich and tasty. (My wife even made an excellent batch of fudge-like candy last year using hickory milk I'd made - don't know what kind of recipe she used or if she just kinda' played it by ear. Whatever she did, it was damned good and very fattening!)

One thing I've learned (the hard way) is that, before you start, if you'll toss all your gathered hickory nuts in a bucket of water and pick out and throw away the ones that float, you'll have much better results.

Apologies for going off-topic.

...TS...

[tnhawk]

Acorns are harmful if not poisonous, as shown by the election a few years ago.

[buck1032]

Acorns are harmful if not poisonous, as shown by the election a few years ago.

[wewoapsiak]

I know this thread has pretty much ended, but I found this while watching some of his videos today:

[UncleJak]

I have personally ate acorns that I leached out. They are nasty and I think I would move on to another food source if at all possible. I even made acorn flour and it is also nasty.

[Makiaveli]

On a similar, but not quite related note, the Cherokee (among others) would make hickory nut milk by crushing the nuts, shell and all, to a paste, adding water and boiling the whole mess. Eventually a white creamy film forms on top. This is the "milk." It's high calorie, sweet and nutritious.

As we have several Shagbark Hickories on our property, I've tried this a couple of times in small batches and it does indeed work and the result is indeed rich and tasty. (My wife even made an excellent batch of fudge-like candy last year using hickory milk I'd made - don't know what kind of recipe she used or if she just kinda' played it by ear. Whatever she did, it was damned good and very fattening!)

One thing I've learned (the hard way) is that, before you start, if you'll toss all your gathered hickory nuts in a bucket of water and pick out and throw away the ones that float, you'll have much better results.

Apologies for going off-topic.

...TS...

Not sure if I have any of those around, but will sure keep an eye out. Thanks for the info.

You too wewop

@UncleJak I have heard it isn't bad, but then again it may well be a acquired taste. My plan isn't to use it as a money saver, more just total SHTF type thing.