Acorn Waffles
A few years ago, I collected a few pounds of acorns from Joseph D. Grant County Park by Mount Hamilton, took them home, processed them, and mixed them into my waffle batter.
They were good waffles.
As many of you may have noticed, this has been what ecologists call a “mast year” for Chico’s valley oaks (the big ones), and as a result an abundance of acorns—what the Native Californians once called “dinner”—litter the streets, paths, and sidewalks of Chico.
For the curious, collecting and processing them is pretty basic. There is a nice article explaining how in the fall issue of the magazine Edible Shasta-Butte, but here is the procedure in a nutshell:
1. Gather
2. (optional) Dry in the oven--This is supposed to make shelling easier
3. Shell
4. Chop/pound/crush into smaller pieces
5. Boil. Water will turn a dark color as the tannins leach out. Pour off dark water and repeat until water no longer changes color.
6. Acorn meat can then eaten, or it can be dried and stored as pieces or ground into a flour. (I think I used a Cuisinart, but there might be better methods).
More detailed instructions can be found on multiple websites, just type in "acorn processing" on your web browser.
Okay, it is a bit more time-consuming than picking and eating wild blackberries, but I think it is something every should try at least once. The meats are very nutritious, by the way.
I recommend gathering the acorns soon, however, as I would guess it is only a matter of time before the fall rains render the acorns less than ideal.