![]() Try different species and different methods to process them. So, before assuming acorns are only for squirrels, consider collecting a few to make your own flour. Acorns of any species of oak can be processed into food, but there are nuances between various species that an acorn connoisseur might consider when choosing the trees from which to harvest. Oak trees can be found in temperate forests all around the world and have long been a source of highly nutritious wild food and medicine. Our ancestors knew how and it’s time we experience it again. Processing the acorns to make them palatable and digestible is not rocket science – one just needs to understand a few guidelines that were established millennia ago. In today’s culture, there are far fewer grandmas and grandpas who share stories of their own elders eating acorns during times of hardship, and even more members of the younger generations who consider eating an acorn a foreign idea. It’s been so long since eating acorns was considered completely normal that folks have forgotten the art of processing them into edible food. Over time, people have learned to depend less on wild food and opt more for the field and plow. It is unfortunate that the early stories of acorns being a source of food for people turned into warnings of “Don’t eat those, they will make you sick.” Although rightly so, the acorn eaten raw might make one sick, the wise warning tends to stop there making it sound like acorns are highly poisonous. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated it best, “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” Endless years of food, shelter, and oxygen. However, the forgotten acorn is not forgotten by the animals of the woods it is a source of food that sustains life. Oaks are deeply embedded in culture and lore, but in many areas today they are cast aside as nothing more than yearly sources of leaves to rake. A crunch underfoot startles the meditative mind and a quick glance down indicates what was stepped on. It’s almost as if someone, or something, is practicing using a sling shot from above. Thuds, boinks, and plunks start from overhead and then sound as if they are coming from all directions. This walk through the woods is a noisy walk, unlike the peaceful quietude of a morning stroll during the summer. The squirrels laugh from high on the branches and dart about. ![]() The wind rattles drying leaves still hanging on their branches above. A new scent of decaying leaf litter fills the nose. The leaves have already turned their brilliant reds and yellows and oranges, and are now settling on autumnal tans and browns. The animals are scurrying around preparing for the winter ahead. The days are shortening and the nights are getting cooler.
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