The deer have been busy around here vacuuming up every acorn they can find. That, of course, has gotten me thinking and wondering. I don’t believe I’ve ever known any people to eat acorns. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a recipe that includes acorns. And, yet, they would seem such a plentiful food source. So, always on the look for free and local foods I began to wonder if they were edible. (After all, I grew up with Euell Gibbons telling me “Some pine trees are edible.”) I thought perhaps they just had a flavor that was very unappetizing. Then we went to the Zoo in DC this weekend and there was an informational plaque telling me that acorns are actually poisonous to human beings. That got me curious.

And it turns out it’s not quite that simple. Acorns were apparently a major food source for some native Americans. While it’s true that acorns have tannins in them that are, at the very least, unpleasant tasting and at the worst, harmful, those tannins can be leached from the acorns. Some animals, such as squirrels do this naturally. They hide the nuts and over time the water washes over them and leaches out those tannins. By the time the squirrel finds its stash, no more problem! Other animals such as deer seem to not be affected by the tannins.

Horses, on the other hand, are more like humans apparently. Acorns are definitely toxic to horses. Their stomachs simply can’t deal with the tannins.

How much tannin is in an acorn is dependent on the type of oak. While I can’t attest as to which varieties of local oaks might produce the tastiest acorns, apparently the Black Oak was a favorite of some California tribes for it’s supposedly sweeter flavor. I’m sure there’s an ongoing argument amongst acorn connoisseurs!

I was able to find descriptions of how you’d go about leaching the tannins from the acorns in order to make them edible. You actually turn the acorns into a meal and then leach the tannins from it. While I had no trouble finding recipes to go with all this, I have to confess that it sounds like more work than I’m likely to take on. Besides, the deer look pretty hungry around here. I don’t think they really need to compete with me for the meager food supply available to them.

Jen Copperthite of Amissville recently became a Tastefully Simple consultant. If you aren’t familiar with the company or their products, they sell great tasting, easy to make foods designed to help people with busy life styles still eat great food. I’ve tasted their pumpkin muffins and they are very tasty! If you’re interested in finding out more about Tastefully Simple foods you can reach Jen at 937-2483.

If you’ve just started a business here in Amissville, I’d be happy to let everyone know about it! Please give me a call on 937-2315 or e-mail me at Julie@JulieEmery.com with your information.

Susan Grigsby would like to send birthday greetings to her husband, Rick. His birthday was on October 17^th. Happy Birthday, Rick!