Lisa M. Rose
wild tales from the journeys of lisa m. rose
Acorns are a quintessential Michigan local food. A few barrels of acorns (Quercus spp.)
gathered before winter will bring you an abundance of nuts that are nutrient-dense, filled with complex carbohydrates, and are packed with plant proteins.
How do you make acorn bread?
Gather sound acorns from oaks (Quercus) between August and winter, shell them, and simmer the nutmeats in changes of water until they taste nutty. Dry and grind them into flour, then bake it into this banana bread with an equal amount of all-purpose or gluten-free flour.
It takes effort to process the unpalatable, bitter nuts into a flavor-state that can be used in the kitchen, but that effort is well-worth it. Prepared acorn nutmeats have a flavor similar to the chestnut, and can be used in soups and pulverized into nut butter, as well as ground into flour for baking. The acorn has a special place in my home.
My father instilled in me the love for the oak tree and its acorns. My family gathers them in our yard, on walks, and friends drop them off by the bag-full. We shell them around my table, or outside together in the park.
I am known for inviting people around the table for cocktails and charcuterie, and for hauling out buckets of acorns to shell while friends catch up. I process enough nuts to make about 10-15 pounds (4.5 to 7 kg) of flour each fall. It is a nut that not only nourishes our bodies, but nourishes relationships and connectedness to the community around us.
Acorns start to fall in August, and can be readily be gathered off the ground well into the winter. Gather only those with firm, clean, and fresh-looking discs (the spot on top of the acorn where the cap was once affixed). Also discard any who’s cap appears dislodged, moldy, or simply “off.”
Make sure nuts with obvious insect infestation are discarded. Shelling acorns is done tediously by hand, with a hammer or pair of pliers, or by a hand-cranked nutcracker to process large batches.
Nutmeats will need to be soaked in water to remove the bitterness. Simmer the nutmeats in water at a 1:5 ratio and replace the water until the nutmeats are palatable and nutty-flavored.. To make flour from the acorns, dehydrate the nutmeats and then the dried nuts will need to be ground into flour. This can be done easily in a coffee grinder – simply toss a handful of dried nutmeats into the grinder and process it into a fine powder. Use immediately or freeze the remainder of the flour to extend its freshness.
Acorn Banana Bread
Ingredients
● 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose (plain) flour, or a gluten-free blend
● 1 cup (about 110 g) processed acorn flour
● 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
● 1/4 teaspoon salt
● 1/2 cup (115 g) butter
● 3/4 cup (150 g) brown sugar (light brown soft sugar)
● 2 eggs, beaten
● 2 1/3 cups (about 550 g) mashed overripe bananas
● 1 to 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, if desired
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C, 155°C fan). Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf tin.
- In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed
bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture, add a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder, if desired. - Pour batter into prepared loaf tin.
- Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let bread cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
Questions readers ask
When do acorns fall?
Acorns start to fall in August and can be gathered off the ground well into the winter. Keep only those with firm, clean, fresh-looking discs where the cap was attached, and discard any with insect damage.
How do you take the bitterness out of acorns?
Simmer the shelled nutmeats in water at a ratio of one part nuts to five parts water, and keep replacing the water until they taste nutty rather than bitter. The full hot and cold methods are in How to Make Acorn Flour.
How much acorn flour goes into acorn bread?
This acorn banana bread uses one cup (about 110 g) of processed acorn flour with one cup (125 g) of all-purpose (plain) or gluten-free flour.
Safety
Be certain of your identification before eating any wild plant. If in doubt, don’t forage it. Never eat acorns raw; leach them first. As with introducing any new food or herb into your diet, do so with care to rule out any adverse reaction.
Acorns in my books
I’m Lisa M. Rose, author of Midwest Foraging, Midwest Medicinal Plants and Urban Foraging. Oaks and acorns are in Midwest Foraging (page 184) and Urban Foraging.
Recipes are part of my weekly foraging musings on Substack. Subscribe and follow to get all my tips.
Hi Lisa. I heard your interview with John Fuselgang today. I am happy to find a kindred spirit, although I am much older. I grew up in Michigan and have a lifelong interest in Anthropology, food and culture. Finding mentors was challenging. So wonderful to see more teachers like yourself providing access to such knowledge. Congratulations! And much gratitude.
It’s so good you’re teaching these things. Some of us never stopped living with wild foods and medicines and learned from our elders as well as studied the more recent peer-reviewed scientific studies that show why these plant medicines work, but there aren’t many of us left.