Read on if you like acorn flour, how to cook with acorns, native Californians.
Dec. 17, 2013—Ever wonder how the heck native Californians wrung any nutrition out of acorns? With great difficulty. But it can be done by people with first world problems. A Bay Nature article on acorn preparation tells how, with the help of local wildlife and modern plumbing, you too can enjoy the original gluten-free California food.
First, start a year ahead of time. Collect the acorns (the natives preferred tanoak, but any kind will do) and store them in a wormwood-lined granary.
What's that? Don't have a year? The warp-speed version takes 7-10 days. Gather your acorns from the ground and separate out the wormy, infested ones. (One woman puts the bag on her driveway and lets the raccoons do the sorting, since they like the infested nuts.) Spread the acorns out in the sun for two days to dry or put them in a shallow cardboard box for a week, which will wick the moisture out of them. Smash the acorn shells with a hammer to get to the kernels. Grind the kernels in a food processor, then soak the flour in cold water, changing the water each day, for three days (a week if you're using coast live oak acorns). That will leach out the bitter tannins.
If you're really not into all the fuss, put your flour into a pillowcase and drop it into the tank (not the bowl!) of your toilet, where repeated flushing will automatically change the water for you. After that, strain the flour through some cheesecloth. Let it dry and you're ready for muffin-makin'!
Too much hassle? Make a sojourn to Martinez to visit Sue's Acorn Cafe and Mill—or hell, just order a loaf of bread from her on the phone and call it good.
Sue's Acorn Cafe and Mill
400 Ferry Rd, Martinez
925.372.7177
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