Put That Acorn Down! Stealing from the Squirrels! Shame!

A new survivalist technique for your tummy - acorn flour to make baked goods or coffee.  Here in California, you will be well fed as our land is prolific with various kinds of oak,  apparently all of which are edible.

Turning acorns into food is not a  new thing - in Korea they have acorn jelly and acorn noodles.  Back in the 17th century (country not specified) a broth was made from acorns and given to the alcoholically challenged as a restorative cure - or as a defense against future binges.

In the American Civil War acorns were boiled to be used as coffee and in WW2 the Germans made a version they simply called "Ersatz" for coffee.

The acorn as a visual marks the Trails in England and Wales and is also popular in the Celtic and Scandanavian arts.

Ah, I see you are panting at the bit to make your own. 

First, get a basket or other suitable container and a big stick (to ward off furious squirrels) and find your hunting ground.  Bring a First Aid kit in the event the squirrels triumph. 

Bring them home and shell them - recommended was slicing them in half and digging out the meat with a smaller knife's point or nut pick.

Use a mortar and pestle (or go modern and use a Cuisinart) and mash them into little bits, like grits.

Get a pot of water boiling and drop them in - this will leech the tannin out of them.  Taste and if necessary drain out the water, get another pot of water boiling and repeat.

Strain the well-cooked nut meats through cheesecloth or clean kitchen towel into a container and dry them - cookie sheet in a low-heat oven until they become "cake-y." 

Turn the meat into flour (rolling pin?) and use as flour.  The final taste is said to be "nutty."

If this sounds labor intensive, it is.  Let alone the risk of having to treat squirrel bites.  Just slip quietly online and buy a pound for $30 at Etsy (whatever that is.)    Caveat emptor though - this product is rich in fat so it spoils/molds quickly.  Have your muffin pan at the ready!