Just curious after seeing the "dual survival" guys try to eat some boiled acorns and explaining that you have to get some of the tannic acid out of most varieties. And evidently the ones they had tasted pretty bad.

A little googling and you see that early settlers and Native Americans used them a lot. Does anyone in this day and age successfully prepare them for eating?

I've eaten a roasted pin oak acorn, I don't recommend them for you're daily value of roughage.

[This message has been edited by OnlyForNow (edited 2/8/2012 6:43p).]

I have in the past for an interpretive program. We make a flour that we then made into a pretty basic flatbread. One of the guys I worked with did his Masters work on Southwestern ethnobotany. So he knew a lot of tricks. Between the two of us, we tried anything "edible" northern NM. Acorn recipes were alright, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat them. And not all oak species are created equal for eating.

One trick I do like--if you have a mouth sore (or just play a trick on someone), chew on a live oak leaf.

I wanted to try gathering some and preparing them based on this outdoor cooking and foraging blog I read. I never got around to it this year though. Here is the blog post that inspired me. http://honest-food.net/2010/01/14/acorn-pasta-and-the-mechanics-of-eating-acorns/

The author gives a pretty good description on what types of oaks, how to leach the tannins, how to prepare the meats and make a pasta with the flour. He claims the white oaks have the best(least tannins) acorns, but still require quite a few water changes to make them usable.

I have. Not a big fan but it'll do in a survival situation.

I have enough in my yard to feed a third world country.

Crunch them up and if you have running water on your place put em in it for a day or so. Otherwise put em in a bucket with water, replace the water once or twice a day or a couple of days and you should be good. Eaten them as a bread and just by themselves. Not bad, not necessarily good.

pretty good link Seco Kid...thanks.

Ursus, what effect does chewing on an oak leaf have?

It will make your mouth go numb.

I've munched on some raw acorns from various oaks over the years. The munching was just usually taking a small bite and getting a taste, then spitting it out entirely. Not very good at all.

I wonder how my acorns would taste?

Sweet. I have live oak in my front yard. Must try...on my brothers.

Those trees with the thorns the trunks, the name escapes me, also make you go REALLY numb if you chew the leaves, twigs, and green bark.

Hercule's Club

Hercules Club...badazz....I guess they like acidic soil because you don't see them in most of Texas. Although my Father-in-law has a tangerine tree that is almost as thorny. From trimming the lower thorns the past years, it has made it look a little bit like the trunk of one of those Hercules.

Hercules Club aka Prikly Ash or Tootache Tree is a good one. Those leaves seriously work... Chewed them one time to test it out. Usually grows on fencerows or in disturbed areas.