September is Acorn Month!

 

 

September is Acorn Month at NatureOutside!

Each season brings its own special joys.  Fall heralds the acorn harvest.  I love acorns, and you should too!

Acorns remind us of nature’s bounty.  Each year at this time nutritious food literally falls from the trees.  Wherever they are found acorns were used by indigenous peoples for food.  Acorns possess a rare combination of nutrients and chemical preservatives.  These made them an ideal staple to sustain native peoples through winter.

Acorns allow us to celebrate human ingenuity.  How did ancient man learn to leach the bitter tannic acids to process acorns into food?  When we replicate their methods, it forces us to ponder the intelligence and enterprising spirit of our ancestors.

Acorns link us to the Earth.  The process of selecting, gathering, processing, and cooking acorns connects us to our environment in a way that is missing from modern life.  We experience the heightened sensitivity and focus of the gatherer.  We gain the satisfaction of producing food from nature with our own ingenuity.  But most importantly, we begin to understand what it is like to depend on nature for our next meal.

 

Acorns for Food

 

 

This month, I will teach you how to process acorns into food and give you my favorite recipes.  We will also discuss how Native Americans in California processed acorns and how, if you are observant, you can find evidence today of their ancient use.

Acorns can be used to make anything from a traditional mush to a chocolate mousse.  I will teach you my favorite recipe, Orange Acorn Bread.  But first, we will discuss how to select our acorns and learn how to leach their bitter tannins.

 

Acorns as Toys

 

 

Fall also signifies the start of the holiday season.  We celebrate the fall harvest and its bounty that will sustain us through winter.  As part of our holiday tradition, we give gifts to our friend and loved ones.  I will teach you to use acorns to make two simple toys.  The toys are made from natural materials you can gather as you hike.

 

Remember to Harvest Responsibly

 

 

Nature will provide for our needs, but not our greeds.  Gather wild foods responsibly!  If you harvest acorns, do not overharvest.  Leave plenty for the wildlife because they need them a lot more than we modern humans.  Also, adhere to all laws about gathering on public land.  As bushcrafters, we are stewards of the land more so than others.

 

Here are links to all of September’s acorn articles:

How to Make Acorns into Food (Part 1) 

How to Make Acorns into Food (Part 2) 

How to Make Acorns into Food (Part 3)

Turn Acorns into Spinning Tops in just 10 Minutes (Children’s Toys)

How to Make Orange Acorn Bread 

 

Acorn articles appear in the edibles section and the skills section.