Acorns make great prepper food, because most people have no idea how to make acorns edible. Almost no one looks at an acorn and thinks “food!” That’s because they aren’t edible until they’ve been processed properly.
One of the problems with acorns, is that they have tannin in them. This makes them inedible. However, with a little work, you can leach the tannin out of acorns and then bake them for a good treat, or as an ingredient to use in baking bread or other items.
Bur oak acorns are not the tastiest, but they are the biggest acorns. The reason I like them is that shelling acorns is a huge pain. The less acorns I have to shell before preparing them to eat, the happier I am with the whole process. So big acorns equal a happy me!
Like I said, … those in the know, know that acorns are edible when prepared properly. The problem with raw acorns is that they have tannin in them. Tannins are great for tanning hides and production of ink, but aren’t really good to eat, and taste horrible.
The trick to preparing acorns for eating is to first get the tannin out. Do this by shelling and dicing the acorn. Then boil them and drain repeatedly until the water is clear. An alternative to boiling is putting them in a water bag and submerging the bag in flowing water, such as a clear stream, for several days.
After you get the tannin out of your acorns, bake them on a cookie sheet. You can add some salt at this point, if you want. Use the processed acorns the same way you would any other nuts.
If you’re a prepper and have some land, I recommend planting a few bur oaks on it. Most people won’t steal your acorns, even if they are starving. Also, the acorns will attract squirrels that might serve as another source of food when everything hits the fan.
Enjoy!