The first order of business is making sure you're collecting good quality nuts. The second, and just as important order of the day is LEACHING, because otherwise they're inedible. Right now I'm leaching mine in pieces (instead of grinding into meal first) and put 'em in a paint strainer bag that's sitting in the tank of our most-often used toilet. Right now the toilet water has turned a rather pretty purple, but that's after it first turned BLACK, then coffee/tea brown.
This is a cold leaching process, which is better for retaining good flavor and nutrients (based on my reading, please remember this is my first time doin' the acorn thang) as opposed to using boiling water for leaching. Leaching absolutely requires many water changes to remove the tannins. Fortunately, tannins are pretty much entirely water soluble.
I guess I should outline my process thus far. Have gathered healthy acorns, I've gotten at least 2.5lbs thus far because I keep going out every day and gathering freshly fallen nuts. Good ones from my tree weigh about 1/3oz each.
Those need to be dried, low and slow is best because if you dry them too quickly the nut meat turns dark, even black. I'm using a combination of my large electric convection oven set on Warm (about 150*F) and the small convection oven set on dehydrate (MUCH hotter at 195*F) for 2hr periods of time, then allowing to cool, then going at the drying again IF the shells are still too pliable.
Drying out properly is important for saving you time, because if you don't then the skins will stick to the nut meats instead of the insides of the shells. Also, trying to crack a soft, pliable shell isn't so easy.
After that, I have taken the acorns, including all the little pieces (I want every bit of goodness!) and into the paint strainer bag and toilet tank they've gone. This is where I've diverged from how most folks do things--once they have the nuts dried they immediately grind into meal and THEN they concern themselves with leaching. It makes sense because the tannins will be leached much more quickly from meal than large pieces, but you still have to do all those water changes and we're still in heavy drought mode out here.
From
there, once leaching and grinding has been done, what recipe you use the acorn flour for is really up to you. I've seen recipes for pancakes, for a bundt cake (I'll link to that, it's the recipe I want to try first) and for cornbread.
^^ Follow the links she provides, they're very educational.
Here are pix of my nuts. :D
