dipirro@amber.DEC (If ignorance isn't bliss, I don't know what is.) (11/05/85)
>Are acorns, in any form, edible? Squirrels and chipmunks eat them, but >can humans? Are there any culinary treats containing acorns? > >(The entry with the best recipe may have half the acorns on my front lawn. >The runner-up may have the other half.) The most popular acorn recipe that I'm aware of (the one which is indigenous to the New England region of course) is called "Chicken with Acorns." It is a spicy dish, robust in a nutty, garlic flavor. The first step is to clean out the systems of the acorns. Remove them from their shells and soak them in water for a couple of days. (Save the little shell sleaves so that you can whistle at your kids and impress them). Set the acorns aside. Dice some chicken into bite-size pieces and deep fry them in ~2 cups of oil for 30 seconds to a minute (or until white). Remove the chicken and set aside. Drain out all but 1 tbsp of oil. Stir fry 1/4 tsp of hot pepper until golden brown (about 30 seconds). Add chicken and stir fry for another 30 seconds. Now add hoisin sauce (one of those little jars from the supermarket will do), 2-3 tbsp of soy sauce, and 1 garlic clove (chopped fine). Next add enough acorns to offset the amount of chicken used. Stir fry for another minute. Remove from heat and sprinkle with 1 tsp of sesame oil. Now let the mixture cool slightly and place several tbsps in small cardboard ashtrays. Place these ashtrays in damp, dark corners of your house and say goodbye to those damn field mice that have moved in for the winter! Really, Harry, if you want to get rid of those acorns in your yard, simply collect them and remove the shells. Then fill up jars labelled "Macadamia Nuts" and leave them on coffee tables around your house...Then have a party! Steve DiPirro Digital Equipment Corp. "If you are what you eat, then I can be anything."
ran@ho95e.UUCP (RANeinast) (11/06/85)
> > > Are acorns, in any form, edible? Squirrels and chipmunks eat them, but > can humans? Are there any culinary treats containing acorns? > > /harry hersh/ Yes, acorns are edible, but you need the right species. There are white oaks and red oaks; the white oak acorns are sweet (edible) and the red oak acorns are bitter (really awful). In general, white oaks have leaves with rounded tips, and red oaks have pointed tips. Also, if you open the acorn, the red oak acorn generally has a layer of light fuzz near the shell. Finally, white oaks drop acorns every year, red oaks every two years. Supposedly the best species are the White Oak and the Chestnut Oak. One of the Foxfire books (I'm pretty sure it's number 3) has an article on edible nuts of all kinds, and talks about acorns and acorn flour and bread. By the way, I collected a bunch of acorns about a month ago (could only get red oak--the chestnut oak acorns had all *sprouted*) and tried boiling them to leach out the tannin. The water gets very brown, and you have to keep changing it until it stays clear. The house smelled absolutely wonderful the entire time. However, the nuts (red oak, remember) never ended up tasting very good. Next year, I'll catch the chestnut acorns (not to be confused with chestnuts) before they sprout. Interesting sidenote: Remember how in Grade School, you were told that the tip of your tongue tastes sweet, and the sides near the rear do bitter? Well, it sure is true, and you can test it with a red oak acorn (raw). Nibble on it (a tiny piece is enough), and while it's up near your teeth it tastes just fine. Then let it drift to the back and side--WOW!, now you really know bitter. -- ". . . and shun the frumious Bandersnatch." Robert Neinast (ihnp4!ho95c!ran) AT&T-Bell Labs