Survival Skills: Understanding Acorns
In the earliest part of fall, the acorns start to drop. These are the nuts produced by oak trees, and their size and appearance will vary quite a bit between different species. They may even resemble other tree nuts if they fall free from their caps. Verify your acorns by checking for a solid nutmeat, surrounded by a thin shell. This shell grows inside a cap, which may come off the tree with the acorn or remain behind on the twig. The acorn caps may be very flat, with the majority of the nut sticking out of it. The caps may also be very deep, surrounding most of the nut. This all depends on the species of oak tree that the nuts are falling from. Acorns are a wild food powerhouse, containing roughly 2000 calories per pound of shelled nut meat, and they can be found across the Northern Hemisphere. Ancient peoples used these nuts as a carbohydrate rich staple food, similar in nutrition to bread. Today, we can use them just the same, and in new creative ways.
All oak acorns are technically edible, but some are so bitter that they cannot be tolerated. The bitterness is water soluble tannic acid which can be leached away in water through a variety of methods. White oak (Quercus alba) typically have the least bitter acorns, followed by chestnut oak, and other members of the “white oak” group. Bitterness can vary by nut to nut, tree to tree, different habitats and certainly by species. Tannic acid does provide some useful medicinal benefits when used topically or as a mouthwash, but consuming tannic acid can lead to nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and in extreme cases, intestinal bleeding.
Spot A Good Nut
Acorns are fine to use -
even if they have sprouts coming out of them.
even if they are bug eaten (just pick away the bad spots and worms).
even after sitting on the ground all winter, if they don’t have a strong fermented smell.
even if the nut meats are orange, red, tan or brown (but don’t smell fermented).
Acorns should be avoided -
if they have a strong fermented smell
if they are moldy
if you’re not 100% certain it’s an acorn (buckeyes and other toxic nuts that have fallen out of their husks can resemble acorns)
Fall foraging classes are available every year, and in these classes we’ll go into great detail on acorn identification and uses (along with dozens of other wild foods). Check out the entire description on our Course Details page.
Written by Tim MacWelch First draft published in his book The Hunting and Gathering Survival Manual