What Eats Blackjack Oak
The most common and widespread upland oak species in the state are white oak (Quercus alba), southern red oak (Q. Falcata), blackjack oak (Q. Marilandica), chinquapin oak (Q. Muehlenbergii), northern red oak (Q. Rubra), post oak (Q. Stellata), and black oak (Q. Blackjack oak is a small to medium-sized tree with a rounded, irregular crown; distinctive bark; and a tendency to retain dead branches on the middle to lower part of the trunk. It is well limbed along the entire length of the trunk. Leaves are distinctively wedge- or bell-shaped; alternate, simple, bristle-tipped, leathery, and shallowly 3-lobed. The oak tree leaf is broad, thin and flat and is called a broadleaf. The shape of the leaf may be ovate, obovate and sometimes, elliptic. Oak tree leaves may be deeply pinnatifid-like seen in Canada. The characteristic features in an oak leaf are its lobes and sinuses (space between the lobes). The number of lobes may be from 5 up to 20 in a leaf.
- Blackjack oak is a small to medium-sized tree which can grow to heights of 50 feet, but is usually much smaller. The trunk is often gnarled, with a diameter of up to 1 1/2 feet. The crown is rounded, with lower branches hanging downward. Blackjack oak grows on poor, dry, and rocky or sandy soils in Illinois.
- Bark of a medium-sized tree. Orange Co., NC 4/12/08. Staminate flowers with Blackjack Oak tree in background. Orange Co., NC 4/12/08.
You need Carbs to survive!
Yes, carbs, the “bad guy” in just about every new diet out there.
Why? Because carbohydrates are one of the easiest sources of energy for the human body to digest.
Simple carbs like honey and sugar can enter your bloodstream quickly. These provide a near-instant boost of energy and mental agility when you’re starting to fade.
More complex carbs from whole grains provide a longer-lasting source of energy. Making grain-based carbs better for extended periods of activity.
And a healthy body does require some carbs, just not as much as most of us consume on a daily basis.
Because if you regularly consume excess carbs (more than the body needs), your body will ultimately turn those extra carbs into fat.
Carbs are hard to avoid in the grocery store, so most of us end up on diets high in carbs.
What Eats Blackjack Oak Brook
As we all know, storing lots of fat is unhealthy. So in modern society carbs tend to get a bad wrap.
But what most people don’t realize – carbs are difficult to find in nature.
That’s not to say there aren’t wild carbohydrates out there for a savvy forager.
One of the most common wild edibles is something you’ve passed on countless walks and never considered a food source.
Acorns! But are acorns edible? Can you eat acorns? Are acorns poisonous to eat?
Today We’re going to get to the bottom of these questions and more…
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ARE ACORNS EDIBLE?
Yes, they are, but eating acorns is a hotly debated topic.
Anytime someone suggests acorns are a viable food source, someone else is claiming they’re poisonous.
And if you’ve ever taken a bite of one, you might be inclined to believe them. In fact, raw acorns taste TERRIBLE!
They’re incredibly bitter due to the high levels of tannins. And they will leave your mouth feeling dried out and chalky.
In fact, some studies show consuming a large number of raw acorns often can lead to health issues:
Side-Effects & Allergies of Raw Acorns
What Eats Blackjack Oak Creek
Acorn poisoning, or oak toxicity, occurs when too many raw acorns or buds are ingested, and creates gastrointestinal and kidney problems. Excessive consumption of these raw nuts can also cause nausea due to the tannin content.
Despite all that, there are some legitimate health benefits for acorns as a food source (see Health Benefits diagram below).
Like many nuts and seeds, they’re basically a small packet of fats, carbs, and protein.
So in a worst-case survival emergency, eating acorns as a “last resort” might be better than starving.
But, what if there was a way to get around the less pleasant aspects of eating acorns?
If there were a way, then they’d become a viable long-term human food source.
A natural way to provide some healthy critical, complex carbs! Well, guess what, there is a way!
So if you want to consume acorns without the side effects, you must learn how to process acorns properly.
It comes down to knowing how to pick the right acorns to harvest and how to process them afterward. You can make three different consumable end products from acorns:
- 1) Acorn Flour
- 2) Acorn Meal
- 3) Acorn Oil
So let’s get started.
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TYPES OF OAK TREES AND ACORNS
Acorns grow on oak trees, and there are hundreds of unique species of oak trees. So that means, there is a vast variety of acorns available in the world.
So not all acorns are the same.
Each specific acorns have a different ratio of fat/carbs/protein.
This ratio helps determines the best way to process them into a food source.
So it’s worth taking some time to learn which oaks grow in your area and how to tell them apart.
The best time of year to identify an acorn species is to start early in the spring. That’s when you can take note of the small green acorns forming in the trees.
Now you can compare these “young” acorns, as well as the new leaves and bark. You can then use a good tree guide and to see which oak species match for your area.
Even if you can’t figure out the exact species, knowing a red oak from a white oak can be helpful, as you can see in the chart below.
This allows you to determine how to proceed with your harvested acorns.
Some of the best acorns for harvest are those considered “sweet” – meaning they’re low in tannins.
These include Valley, Blue, White, Pin, Burr, and Emory oaks. These types are great for producing both acorn flour and acorn meal.
Many of these species also produce large acorns, which means fewer to peel when the time comes!
Red, black and live oaks produce acorns extremely high in fat content. So they’re often better suited for pressing into acorn oil.
Yes, it’s still possible to make an acorn meal from them as, but the high-fat content limits their storage life.
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HOW TO HARVEST ACORNS
Once acorns begin to fall from the tree, it’s time to harvest!
If you’re lucky, the ground under your oak trees is clear, and you can gather them up by the handful.
If you’re “really” lucky (like I was this year), your oak tree is growing in a parking lot island. So the acorns fall on the pavement and can be swept up with ease!
I gathered about 50lbs of acorns in just a few minutes!
This is the best way to get a ton of acorns fast – so check out your local parks and parking areas! Many cities have mature oak trees dropping thousands of acorns in parking lots.
While harvesting, pay attention to split or damaged acorns, as well as any that have a small hole in the shell.
Splits and other damage allow water to get inside or the acorn “meat” to dry out. And a small hole is a clear sign of an oak weevil larvae and a rotten acorn.
Toss these acorns out; it’s not worth processing them; plus oak weevil larvae are just gross!
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HOW TO SHELL AND CLEAN ACORNS
After you get your harvest home, there’s a couple of ways to remove the tannins and get rid of the bitterness.
The best way is to cold-leach them in water.
This is a long and time-consuming process. But it gives better results than boiling them (another common method).
Well, be sharing the cold-leach process…
Cold Leaching
The best way to learn the cold-leaching process is to watch this excellent video from Suburban Foragers; if you can’t watch a video right now, then read on and we’ll explain how to do it.
First, you’ll need to shell all your acorns.
If you’re working with fresh acorns, this can be difficult since the shells are pliable and soft. These little suckers don’t come off without a fight!
Mature shells have had a chance to harden so you can crack or cut the shells open.
Either way, once the shell is removed, you’ll find the acorn wrapped in a dark “skin.” This outer skin also needs to be removed.
This skin contains most of the tannins, so try to pick off as much as possible.
If you’ve got dried acorns instead of fresh ones, the shells will be easier to remove. However, the skin inside will be much more difficult.
It’s easier to remove the skins from fresh acorns.
To help, shell them in water, and allowing them to soak for 10-15 minutes. This softens the skin and makes it easier to remove.
I’ve also heard others claim the easiest way to remove the skins is to freeze fresh acorns for several days.
What Eats Blackjack Oak Run
Once frozen, thaw them. Now cracking the acorn will be much easier, and the process makes the skins slide right off.
What Eats Blackjack Oak Lawn
I haven’t had a chance to try this yet, but I will next year! Getting rid of the skins is the worst part!
Once skinned, immediately toss each cleaned one into a bowl of cold water before they oxidize.
Soaking won’t change the flavor profile of your acorn flour, but it lightens the color. This helps your acorn flour look more appetizing when processing is complete.
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HOW TO PROCESS AND LEACH ACORNS
Once you have all your acorns shelled and cleaned, the hard work is over. But the time-consuming part has just begun!
Use a strong blender or food processor and liquefy the acorn meats. I used equal parts acorns and water in my food processor, and it worked out to a thick soup consistency.
Work in small batches and collect them in a large glass jar (think giant pickle jar or 1-gallon mason jar).
With all your acorns blended and the jar full, put the cap on and give it a vigorous shake to mix it up. Then store it in a cool (below 70deg), dark location (fridge, basement, garage, etc.) and let it sit overnight.
The next morning, you’ll find that the acorn solids have settled to the bottom.
Next, carefully open the lid and pour out the surface water out. Do this without disturbing the acorn submerged solids.
Now, refill the jar with fresh cold water, screw the cap on tight, and give it another shake before putting it back!
Repeat this process daily.
This cold-leach process removes much of the remaining tannins and bitter chemicals. These tannins and chemicals slowly leach out into the water little by little each day.
But how will you know when it’s done?
After a few days, give the solids a small taste.
If they’re bland, the leaching process is complete. If the solids are still bitter, go a few more days and taste again…
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HOW TO DRY AND GRIND ACORNS
When the leaching process is complete, you’ll need to dry and grind the resulting flour before you can use it.
Line a strainer with fine cheesecloth and pour the acorn mixture into it.
Let it drain through the strainer until it stops.
Then wrap the cheesecloth tight and carefully squeeze the rest of the water out of the acorns.
Spread the wet acorn meal in a thin layer on cookie sheets or flat pans. Now use a food dehydrator (or your oven on low heat) to dry the meal thoroughly.
This can take several hours or even overnight, but be sure to get it as dry as possible.
Once the acorn meal is entirely dehydrated, you have 2 options:
- use it as is – a coarse-textured “corn” meal (like cornmeal)
- or grind it further to make acorn flour
Again, a food processor or blender will work to turn the meal into flour, as will a small coffee grinder. But consider getting a quality flour mill if you want to process acorn flour often.
Finally, sift the ground meal to get a clean, fine acorn flour.
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HOW TO STORE ACORN FLOUR
Acorn flour is generally higher in fat than other meals and is more prone to going rancid in warm temps.
So, it’s best to store it in tightly sealed jars (or mylar bags with oxygen absorbers) and to keep it refrigerated – similar to storing all other types of emergency survival foods.
If you’re not going to use it in the next few days, put it in the freezer to be safe.
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USING ACORN FLOUR
Acorn flour has a slightly nutty taste and sweet in a mild way.
It’s obviously gluten-free (no wheat = no gluten) and can be used in place of many other gluten-free flours.
This also means it’s not going to rise the way traditional wheat flour will.
But it fine for dense baked goods (such as cookies or bars). It also works well as a base to sauces or a soup thickener.
You can also mix it with regular flour to cut the acorn taste. And this mix helps retain some of the benefits of traditional wheat flours.
So CAN You Eat Acorns? Yes, you can.
WRAP UP
If you’re still seeing acorns on the ground, it’s time to add another foraged food source to your food supplies.
They’re plentiful and nutritious as long as you take the time to process them correctly.
From what I’ve seen, there’s not a lot of (human) competition for a big acorn haul, making acorns a good “last resort” type prepper food.
But you might have to fight off a lot of angry squirrels!
Jason K.
P.s. Do you know where the closest nuclear bunker is from your home?
There are a lot of natural nuclear shelters in the US that are absolutely free. And one of them is near your home.
Click on the image above to find out where you need to take shelter.