How to eat acorns, but maybe don't

Thanks to Trade Coffee for sponsoring this video! Get $30 off a subscription with Trade: www.drinktrade...
1993 paper on squirrels and oaks: www.researchga...
1991 paper on how traditional clay processing of acorns adsorbs tannic acid: academic.oup.c...
2003 booklet on the Pomo people from the Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkley: hearstmuseum.b...

[@johnboy3307]

A tip for acorn harvest if anyone attempts it: always collect the late season acorns and make sure to put the nuts in a bucket of water. Only bother with the acorns that sink as both the floating and early season acorns most likely contain a gross weevil larva that basically turns the inside of it into dirt. It may not work 100% of the time as I have found a weevil in an acorn that sunk, but it is better than finding a whole lot more of them and wasting time cracking them open. Hope this is helpful!

[@nikkimcdonald4562]

I will never collect acorns, but I appreciate the information 👍

[@chezmoi42]

I have also read that if you live near a creek or river, you can put them into a cloth sack, tie them shut, and sling them in. Some people go take them out again after a week or so. I wouldn't bother.

[@vigorouspringle8962]

Swag information

[@brynnplant]

Can confirm, you WILL want to do this if you are harvesting them. I collected a bunch last fall and about a week later... they hatched. Trust me, you don't want that!!! Lmao

[@IMBlakeley]

@@chezmoi42 I've seen a demo where this was done. As I recall the forager concerned when back and forth a few time shaking them out and putting the sack back into the flowing stream over a couple of weeks+

[@josiahhockenberry9846]

It really does suck that acorns aren't better tasting. They're all over the place where I live and they look so darn good.

[@entity6609]

They are pretty good when you leech out all the tannins correctly.

[@Ps3luvr260]

Worth the effort, taste is subjective

[@howdareyouexist]

acorns are good for chucking at people

[@Your_Local_Weirdo75]

@@howdareyouexist yos >:)

[@bomen330]

The process of removing tannins is painful but worth it. if you are hungry

[@Gluodin]

It’s pretty normal in Korea to eat acorn jelly. My 93 years old grandma still climbs the mountain and comes back with a bag of them.

[@ThePieMaster219]

Came here to comment this! 도토리묵 is pretty bland by itself but the soy based sauces make it the bomb.

[@PaulCHa]

I have fond memories of collecting acorns around the neighborhood with my Korean grandma when I was like 6 years old in Los Angeles. We collected so much and we ate acorn jelly for days.

[@azael1474]

Never tried them myself but I do know there are in both Korea, China and Japan several kinds of noodles made out of acorn flour, either pure or mixed.

[@billmalcolm4291]

Grandma sounds like a badass. Tell her some internet rando sends his respect

[@chungga94]

도토리묵 is one of my favorite foods~

[@ForeverMasterless]

I love how we've found a way to eat pretty much anything, even the things that REALLY don't want to be eaten. Honestly this process seems convenient and pleasant compared to what we have to do to olives to make them edible.

[@enoch9468]

Lol, just what I thought as someone who made olive oil and olives this year. also, making capers is pretty masochistic compared to both of these

[@unionmen2312]

everything is edible, some things only once.

[@diggysoze2897]

See: Cassava

[@attemptedpolymath9660]

@@diggysoze2897 now there's a vegetable that wants you dead!

[@maxsolo2652]

Mushrooms are not digestable, unless you cut them in really small pieces. Powder is best digested.

[@DovidM]

Korean grocery stores have acorn flour and acorn starch for those who want to try them out. The tannins have been leached out. They are used to make a jelly or noodles.

[@SianaGearz]

I'm always tempted by these stores. They're full of pleasantly smelly stuff but i don't understand what any of this is and how to eat it!

[@Wawawalulu]

​@@SianaGearzthere's an Asian supermarket right next to my house (like a 2 minute walk) And I love it. So much weird and wacky stuff. My friends and I sometimes go, and spend $100 on stuff we don't understand/never seen before, then go to the nearby park with a few drinks, and have fun opening, trying and figuring them out! Also, like 20 flavours of Japanese coke, kit-Kats, and all sorts of neat stuff, it's the best. It's a once in a while thing though, think of the calories! 😂

[@user-bf7sl3uo9p]

Muk (묵) if you need to google how to prepare/eat them

[@justinbuddy56]

I would be incredibly interested in making acorn noodles lol

[@cidredwood6170]

“You have to smash your nuts” Adam’s always happy to shell out new YTP material

[@Jelly-lc2db]

someone get it to 69 pls

[@fleeingglory4352]

Get it 'Shell out'

[@mummer7337]

Busting his Ragussy for us to make good content

[@jaghatarkebab2020]

The next 'Squish that cat'.

[@chair547]

@@mummer7337 please never type that again

[@Kalithrasis]

Acorns were the staple carbohydrate for many California tribes, enough such that despite proximity to corn growing regions, there wasn't need to cultivate corn in California. Because of how plentiful food was in the region, California had the highest density of native folks compared to other regions of the US north of Mexico. Certain species were preferred. Incidentally, tanoaks (Notholithocarpus) were preferred over actual oaks because their seeds had higher tannin content and thicker shells which helped ensure they didn't go bad or get infested with pests. The Rumsen folks would travel north into the territories of other native tribes because tanoaks were so highly valued. As for processing, the way California Natives would process them is to either put them into a porous bag and leave it in a cold running spring for a week or two, or to grind the kernels into a fine meal and then leach the tannins out until the meal tasted sweet and not bitter. This was often done in shallow sand pits lined with pine needles to act as a sieve. This method was so common that you can often run into acorn processing stations near all of the favored oak and tanoak groves in California. The bit of nutrients lost made leaching worth it.

[@majorxmelee]

I live on Nisenan people's land in Northern California and almost anywhere you go where there are boulders you can find acorn meal processing holes carved into them, the little cakes that can be made with it are quite flavorful!

[@sheenawarecki92]

Yup! My family is Tsalagi which is the Tennessee-ish area and we also ate acorns historically and some still practice it to keep the culture and our food ways alive :)

[@Leonaati]

I'd love to know your source! My understanding was that the Indigenous population on the Pacific coast was pretty evenly distributed (salmon aplenty up north!) And that the most populated area was the southeast

[@iuchoi]

This may not be the specifically acorn video but the nut processing method was very common. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXuYiYd-Z8x-ras

[@cervid_appreciator]

I’m not native, but I live in the Bay Area and pick acorns in the fall. My favorites are valley oak acorns bc they’re so low in tannins, I only need to leach them for a day and I can freeze the meal. Most of the valley oaks are pretty tall, though, so I have to climb. The deer LOVE valley oak acorns, so I always leave a pile on the ground for them hehe. Haven’t had enough rain these last two years so I’ve had to skip it ;-;

[@jaimepujol5507]

In Spain we have an artificial landscape called "dehesa", dominated mainly by oak trees, in which pigs are bred. The pigs are fed exclusively acorns to produce what is considered the highest quality ham, which is a big deal in Spain. So not only squirrels are appreciating those acorns!

[@klaasdeboer8106]

My father used to collect acorns as a child in the eastern Netherlands. they sold them for a couple of cents to farmers who fed them to their pigs, I guess it was fun for children to have their first own pocket money to spend on candy.

[@victordesanderobledo4522]

And some trees produce acorns that are perfectly fine to eat as they are. I'd describe the flavor as something between chestnuts and walnuts. To be precise, the name of the tree is Quercus Ilex. Y algunos de esos árboles dan bellotas que son perfectas para comer tal y como son. Diría que el sabor está entre el de una castaña y una nuez.

[@Click3tyClick]

@@victordesanderobledo4522 Yes, we have those trees in southern Portugal as well and the acorns from there taste pretty good and are used in some traditional recipes.

[@FeedMeSalt]

And that ham tastes really. REALLY Fking weird. Distinct but off putting for me, probably because my brain thinks ham should taste a certain way and variations trigger a warning.

[@Craxin01]

Jamon iberico, right? They are EXPENSIVE! It's like 200 to over 500 dollars for a whole leg! There are also less expensive jamon that finish the pigs with acorns, so, only when they're getting ready to slaughter the pig.

[@asdf-un9gs]

My grandfather was from the Extremadura region of Spain. There, oak trees are everywhere, and acorns are almost worshipped. He showed me how to find the good ones (stay away from the bitter ones!), and you can roast them the same way you would do with chestnuts. The flavor is similar, I loved them.

[@RareEarthSeries]

I'm my experience cold-leached properly-prepared acorn flour is actually pretty good, depending on how you present it. But yeah, don't eat an acorn straight up.

[@TroIIingThemSoftly]

I mean, ideally preparing any ingredient is preferred to straight up.

[@Hedgellpuff]

In Korea, we eat acorn in the form of 'mook,' which is a kind of jelly. It's a bit bitter, but it's pretty mild, and it's nice to have cold in the summer, with a little soy sauce. Here's a gross little story related to acorns: One summer when I was a kid, I saw a bunch of acorns on the ground and thought, 'Oh, I like mook, maybe I can get my mom to make mook out of these?' So I gathered them in a small backpack and brought them home. But being a child, I forgot about this backpack for several weeks. Then, one day, while I was hanging out with a friend in my room, I remembered the bag of acorns and wanted to show her, so I unzipped and poured them onto the carpet. There were SO MANY MAGGOTS. I was disgusted and scared but I didn't want to get in trouble so I cleaned it up by myself. I ended up smashing some of the maggots into the carpet in the process. I just avoided ever stepping on that patch of carpet for all the years I lived in that house. The end.

[@peterstedman6140]

Great story, did you ever end up telling your parents about it? They might laugh now that it's past.

[@joshuairvin9661]

Thank you for sharing this I got a light chuckle

[@ogadlogadl490]

👏👏👏👏🤩

[@YounesLayachi]

Perfectly relatable. A single one of those dirty little worms gives me serious anxiety, can't imagine a whole pack of them in my room

[@SayAhh]

The road to hell is paved with good maggots?

[@Kedai610]

Living in California, I learned in elementary that acorns were the main staple food for the natives here, but they needed to process them first. The teachers were sure to tell us kids not to eat acorns straight off the ground!

[@jennrodriguezdaluz]

aah same! i remember field trips to learn about the maidu and i recall that tidbit.

[@PKDoesStuff]

And there are plenty of granite boulders along rivers and creeks with holes in them that were made for grinding and leeching acorns.

[@markadams7046]

I learned that the Yakuts who lived near the Bakersfield area of California in the hills to east at the base of the mountains would make an acorn flour by grinding and crushing out the toxins. It was a main staple for them.

[@CaseNumber00]

I remember at my school in elementary there was this tree that had had acorns and was always perplexed by it since the acorns it gave off were long and not short and stubby like in kids picture books or featured here. First time I had these thoughts in 25 years, what were those long acorns? Is there a difference between west and east cost acorns? Do they taste better than these in the video?

[@markadams7046]

@@CaseNumber00 I remember an oak tree outside of Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, CA, that had the long acorns.

[@thomasdzubin]

when I was young, I noticed that crushed up acorns looked like tobacco. my dad smoked a pipe, so I asked him to try putting some of my "acorn tobacco" in his pipe to try out. He lasted about ten seconds. But, at least he humored me

[@akale2620]

Smoked tobacco but couldn't handle acorns 😂 weak

[@azh698]

Acorns were a staple on the island of Lesbos until about 70 years ago. The island used to have a booming tanning industry and lots of oak trees were cultivated because the acorns were used in the tanning process. In times of hunger, the acorns were ground into flour. They were also used as feed for the livestock. You can see lots of remaining oaks on the southeastern side of the island, though they are a bit unkempt nowadays.

[@dayc801]

There is a joke in there somewhere I just know it

[@jadecoolness101]

THERE'S A LESBIAN ISLAND?

[@azh698]

@@jadecoolness101 Lesbianism as a concept was named after the ancient Greek Poet Sappho and her (female) disciples. She was born and resided in the village of Eressos, which is located on the island of Lesbos, hence the name.

[@edelgard.hresvelg]

@@azh698 You could make a religion out of this.

[@ryno4ever433]

Thanks Adam, this will be great for the coming depression.

[@TheTrueGlaukos]

I don't know why but "acorns: maybe just leave them on the ground!" really got to me. I think I need that on a shirt

[@Your_Local_Weirdo75]

This message brought to you by squirrels

[@1224chrisng]

heard of the national pork board? this is the national squirrel board talking

[@nahor88]

As a young child, I was always curious about why we don't eat acorns when they look perfectly edible. My neighbor finally dared me to eat one off the ground, and it was absolutely VILE, lol.

[@puellanivis]

Fun fact, the word “acorn” is related to the Germanic word for a squirrel. The presumed *aikwernô comes from presumed *aiks (oak) and *wer- (squirrel). So that “acorn”, “oak” and “squirrel” are often all fairly related in Germanic languages. In German: Eichel, Eiche, and Eichhorn (more often with diminutive Eichhörnchen); in Dutch: eikel, eik(enboom), eekhoorn. Even into the Scandanavian ones: Swedish: ekollon, ek(träd), ekorre, Danish: agern, eg(træ), egern. Even Icelandic: akarn, eik(itré), íkorni. Surprisingly, Bokmål and Nynorsk both share terms: eikenøtt (oak nut), eik(etre), and eikorn. English stands as the weird one of the family. 🙂

[@toni6194]

Interessting

[@eagle-from-aut]

Being from austria i was going to comment on the similarities between eichhörnchen (occasionally also referred to as eichkatzl, so oak-cat, as far as i can remember) and eiche, but you have done a better job, thanks.

[@onesob13]

I blame the Normans

[@terribleatgames-rippedoff]

About Bokmål and Nynorsk sharing terms: That is no surprise as Bokmål literally is Norwegianised Danish, and the mentioned words are those adopted as they already was used in the Norwegian spoken languages.

[@morganb8250]

The word squirrel, first attested in 1327, comes from the Anglo-Norman esquirel which is from the Old French escurel, the reflex of a Latin word sciurus, which was taken from the Ancient Greek word σκίουρος (skiouros; from σκία-ουρος) 'shadow-tailed', referring to the long bushy tail which many of its members have.[2][3] The native Old English word for the squirrel, ācweorna, survived only into Middle English (as aquerne) before being replaced.[4] The Old English word is of Common Germanic origin, cognates of which are still used in other Germanic languages, including the German Eichhörnchen (diminutive of Eichhorn, which is not as frequently used), the Norwegian ikorn/ekorn, the Dutch eekhoorn, the Swedish ekorre and the Danish egern.

[@aragusea]

I feel like this was a good video.

[@WanderTheNomad]

A comment that isn't a reply to someone else or pinned to promote the sponsor? That's not something you see everyday

[@aragusea]

@@WanderTheNomad I’ve been drinking.

[@WanderTheNomad]

@@aragusea Hopefully not for any negative reasons 😅🥂

[@aragusea]

@@WanderTheNomad nah I always have a drink after I finish a video, as long as it isn’t right before bedtime, which it usually is.

[@dvrz]

@@aragusea How much did the squirrels pay you to make this video?

[@DaZebraffe]

Also, something to help make them taste better: Those papery skins on the outside of all nuts, acorns included? Those contain significant amounts of bitter compounds, including tannins in at least the case of acorns. If you do a cold leech of your acorns, take the time to peel off the skin between one soaking and the next, while the soaking has left them nice and loose. This will significantly improve the flavor of whatever end product you're working toward.

[@NeilHaskins]

My brother has been making acorn bread each fall for a few years now. It actually tastes pretty normal, which seems like high praise given Adam's experience.

[@leandervr]

The Dutch word for squirrel is eekhorn, pronounced a lot like acorn. It's almost certainly pure coincidence, but I've always found this amusing.

[@Grimsace]

Dutch and English tend to share a lot of roots. Might not be as coincidental as you may think.

[@Valosken]

That and 'Eichhoernchen' in German originally meant "oak ferret".

[@Hobbit9797]

No coincidence there. Squirrels are called Eichhörnchen in German which is pretty much the same to your eekhorn. And Oaks are called Eichen. The English terms acorn and oak are both cognate to the German words which means that they share the same etymological origin.

[@MrTheSmoon]

in german its eiche = oak and eichhörnchen =squirel

[@Your_Local_Weirdo75]

Cool!

[@jeph9466]

there's a really traditional korean dish that uses acorn called "muk", basically a korean jelly. i have fond memories of eating it growing up, but i imagine to most non-koreans it's a little weird and doesn't taste like much.

[@alexcarter8807]

I followed up on this and found a recipe from H-Mart, they apparently sell acorn flour and they have a recipe where you can make your own. I think seasonally they have it all prepared too because I've seen stuff by the checkout that looked like it. At times they have seasonal stuff and at the time I just thought it was tan colored mochi (which is made of rice flour) but I think it's acorn "muk". BTW what you say about the taste reminds me of how people thiink of poi, which is made from taro, where I grew up. I like it and it has a nice flavor but most Americans do not feel that way about it lol!

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

I've seen other posters spell it mook. Does it use the vowel in food or the vowel in tug?

[@jadsel]

I had seen the acorn flour in Korean markets, and wondered what it was generally used for. May have to try that! Where I'm from in the US, it mainly just got used for breads and to thicken soups/stews.

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

There are stories of an occasional oak tree with no tannins in their acorns. The squirrels really love those!

[@FabbrizioPlays]

Missed opportunity: "the squirrels go nuts for those"

[@qwertyuiopgarth]

@@FabbrizioPlays I left that as an exercise for the readers.

[@arnoldmmbb]

Holly oak usually dont have tannins and can be eaten raw

[@ShankarSivarajan]

That's sounds like a promising long-term agricultural project: breeding better acorns.

[@rylandrc]

@@ShankarSivarajan Good luck keeping the squirrels off of your farms.

[@iggysixx]

I'm from the Netherlands. Learned from my grandmother and mother that acorns are edible. BUT - according to your description - we only have WHITE oak here.. Rounded tips on the leaves. (Thanks for that distinction, by the way. I never knew the difference between red oak and white oak. ...always wonder about that type of stuff; never got around to really researching this. Too many interests + ADD ;))

[@Stierenkloot]

From NL too. Looking at this video I could tell we don’t have red oak just by observing how the acorns look

[@rb8954]

In our neighbourhood, the bark of 15 year old oak trees was used by tanners. But the practice died out and we are left with oaks that have been pruned and regrown for hundreds of years.

[@greatest_jagras5132]

Please do a video about Matcha. I've been drinking it for years and would love to hear your takes on the taste and, potentially overblown, health benefits. Your research deep-dive videos are some of my favorites. Thanks!

[@xZOOMARx]

Beyond overblown, overdosing on green tea extract can even put you into liver failure. As always the dose makes the poison

[@GrandIntellect]

I read an article on this subject ages ago in which some people swore the best way to leech out the tannins was to put them in a porous bag in your toilet cistern for a few days. Then every time you flush, the water the acorns are soaking in goes down the drain and is replaced. Makes the whole thing even more delicious.

[@fredericapanon207]

@GrandIntellect, soaking the shelled and lightly crushed acorns in the toilet tank is a brilliant idea! It replicates soaking them in a spring or creek. I do wonder if the tannins would cause the toilet bowl to stain though...

[@FeralForaging]

Hey, Adam. Thanks for this video! I'm always excited to see acorn foraging content. I'm glad that you explained the nuance of tannin content which is often oversimplified. Two things I wanted to note were that although white oak acorns may have lower initial tannin content, as an acorn forager, there are many situations where I still prefer red oak acorns. In my area, they typically are infected with fewer acorn weevils and also dry, store, and keep much better than white oak acorns! They will just take slightly longer to leach. Additionally, cracking becomes much much easier if the nuts are first initially dried enough that the nut meat pulls back a bit from the shell! Thank you again for this acorn video. I hope it creates more curiosity in people who watch it. If anyone happens to be interested in more details on acorn processing and cooking, I do have a series on my page about it! Best wishes. Happy foraging!

[@lyreparadox]

Ooh, I'd read somewhere that if the acorns are dried first and then crushed (by a rock or something) you can put them into water, shell and all, and the shells will float and can be easily skimmed off, reducing the labor of shelling them. Do you know if this is true?

[@FeralForaging]

@@lyreparadox this is true! It works especially well with red oak acorns because the hairs on the inside of the shell make them float a lot. I actually demonstrate this method in one of my videos!

[@hara3435]

​@@FeralForaging Thanks for the tip. will come check out your channel 🌞

[@justhumanthings6711]

As a kid I always assumed acorns probably just tasted like peanuts or something

[@Kinitawowi]

They look like they should taste like a sweet nut in a cup. They probably taste like my nuts in a cup.

[@ThePigeonBrain]

You didn't try to eat them then? I know I did - and I quickly learned the truth.

[@KeiFlox]

I always thought they would taste like chestnuts.

[@syiunshi]

@@KeiFlox They do after you leach and roast them

[@Dang3rMouSe]

Yeah, in my experience they were super bitter

[@Cruznick06]

I have a huge box of acorns (thankfully no horrible weevils so far). My plan is to use them for making dye. They produce a pretty steely grey-blue.

[@hara3435]

Grest idea!!! have tons of huge cyprus oak acorns. & love natural dyes.

[@fredericapanon207]

Interesting. Which part of the acorn is used to make the dye (or pigment?)?

[@ahmednaveedalam6385]

My question is: how does Adam know what drain cleaner tastes like lmao

[@csours]

Lye is used in food prep.

[@skoomymooms8845]

I'm just trying a bit of sodium hydroxide here or, colloquially, lye. Now you might say "Adam there are a lot of other components in most drain cleaners like sodium hyperchlorite etc. and it's all always in solution". Well yea, but since sodium hydroxide is the primary caustic component it should dominate the flavor of drain cleaner and give me pretty much the same effect. Ugh god that is awful. Reminds me of some fresh acorns eaten raw.

[@Moewenfels]

I'd argue most things taste like they smell.

[@0852657luis]

What you haven't tasted it before in your toddler years. Man you missed out

[@danielwatson5595]

His wife feeds it to him in hopes she can one day get a man with more testosterone than herself.

[@javik9165]

The age old question.

[@khaiasaurus2595]

"Does acorns is edible?"

[@LightSpinAngler]

Should eat me acorn from the ground ?

[@Your-Least-Favorite-Stranger]

Acorn taste yes? Acorn taste is no? Tummy frown?

[@PankoBreadcrumbs]

Will it acorn?

[@TiberiusKringle]

Watching my childhood friend choke down an acorn while trying to convince me that they are great tasting is quite a priceless memory.

[@Oscar-rq8zr]

I found that by grinding acorns before roasting, you can achieve a food that can substitute for grape nuts. They have an amazing roasted nut taste and are really crunchy. Perfect addition to Greek yogurt with blueberries and banana.

[@n16161]

Ohh very interesting idea

[@MFBjosejuFanNumberUan2047]

Just make sure there aren't any police officers near when you get them acorns

[@wesleythegreatgamer0943]

Nah💀

[@evotikto]

Koreans also have acorn jelly (dotorimuk) that is usually served with seasoned soy sauce. The jelly itself tastes very mild and I personally don't find them offensive in flavor. If you've never had it, I think you might enjoy it in comparison to those pancakes!

[@Urstupidumbass]

I went to a acorn specialty restaurant in Korea where they had a wide variety of dishes made with acorn and I had probably the best seafood pancake I've ever had and it was made with acorn flour. If I did a blind taste test, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between normal vs acorn flour tho.

[@yacht-responce]

It's really glad to see comments about 도토리묵(dotorimuk).

[@Mr38thstreet]

You're a master at transitioning from the videos to the advertisements. Well done.

[@vcpark]

Ragusea, you really have to look into Korean acorn jelly. They taste very bland by itself but certainly not bitter

[@gmatz9390]

I love how Adam gives me tips on how to properly prepare acorns knowing full well almost none of this will give it a try. Keep being you Adam we love you ♥️

[@AndresArizmendi]

I used to eat raw (white) acorns as a kid. There was an oak tree in my school yard in Spain and it was such a treat to sit underneath the tree during recess and munch on the acorns while playing with friends. I remember acorns as being really tasty.

[@machematix]

I like acorn pancakes. The work foraging and processing makes it taste even better!

[@Gum_Cuzzler]

I like the mix that comes out of a box and I don’t have to forage for

[@gregmuon]

I've heard that grinding the acorns up and leaving them to soak in a stream for a day or two is pretty effective. It would be interesting to compare this to the boiling and changing water a few times method.

[@dijonjohn1011]

He mentioned running water working better... I doubt a stream has any magical properties, and would probably be just as good as running tap water.

[@alexandragatto]

@@dijonjohn1011 Yeah but you wouldn't be wasting an enormous amount of fresh drinking water like you would if you tried to replicate that at home.

[@gallusdomesticuskfptechpriest]

I'd image you're risking coming back the next day to a clear stream and a very fat squirriel...

[@dijonjohn1011]

@@alexandragatto Yeah, but not many people live right next to a safe stream... So for the majority of people, that would mean they'd be driving into the mountains, just to save a few gallons of drinking water haha.

[@PKDoesStuff]

I mentioned this in another comment, but the Maidu people in northern California processed acorns by creeks and streams, and there are still easy-to-identify holes made in granite boulders along the streams which they had made and used for grinding and leeching the acorns.

[@tungdil3221]

A traditional way to leech out the tannins in acorns was to put them in a large sack bag and let them sit in a running stream for days. I always somewhat liked the taste of acorns.

[@alexandergangaware429]

My favorite seed-spreading strategy is the chili pepper's: evolve capsaicin, who's fiery disposition repels mammals, but birds are resistant to it. So your main seed-spreaders are flyers, who can travel farther before they poop out the seeds. Brilliant

[@sibauchi]

Judging from the comments I believe Adam will soon try acorn jelly/dotori-muk soon, so here are some fun facts: 1. Acorn jelly is made from acorn starch, which in turn was quite a chore to produce in the home. Traditionally, water will be changed constantly throughout 3~4 days to get rid of the bitterness caused by tannin. 2. Although mostly utilized as famine relief, acorn jelly was also commonly used for packed lunches or travel food as it stays fresh for days. (I've never tried though, acorn jelly rarely survives that long in my family fridge because somebody's bound to gobble it up.) Currently, acorn jelly is considered a delicacy and at times recommended to people trying to lose weight as it's low in carbs and calories, although the tannin does cause constipation. 3. Legends say that when King Seonjo was fleeing from the Japanese army during the Imjin War of 1592, he was served acorn jelly and either liked it so much or wanted to remind himself of the hardships of war (or possibly a combination of both), that he ordered the royal kitchen to serve acorn jelly after peace was restored. 4. In Kochi prefecture, Japan, there's a type of acorn jelly called kashi dofuカシ豆腐 except it's garnished with yuzu and miso instead of soy sauce. (This is possibly because true soy sauce本格醤油 wasn't popularized in Japan until the 17th century.) It was created by Korean prisoners of war who were forcibly relocated to Japan following the Imjin War.

[@falcolf]

Thank you!!!❤

[@jenniferkaplan1956]

My cat likes to go on leashed walks, but sometimes, when we can't take her, I bring in an acron for her to play with - supervised only - and she loves it. I think the acorn brings in the smell of the outdoors for her.

[@amberhawksong]

That's really cute! I know some cats like rounded objects, chasing and batting them around. I bet your cat does the same. Also I wish I could take my cats on walks to experience and enjoy nature, but they've been indoor cats for their lives and I live in a semi-rural area with predators. If one of them got off the leash or slipped out the harness and ran off, I fear I would never seen them again. Not to mention the deer ticks in the spring, summer and early fall.

[@cristopherblunt1]

Honestly, as a crazy prepper, I really appreciate this video.

[@rephaelreyes8552]

Are you also active in r/collapse? Going in that subreddit for 10 minutes is a good way to make me sad the rest of the day

[@sarahusrey5909]

My brother is a huge prepper, but he saved our families butts during that texas winter storm 😅🥲😎

[@austenhead5303]

Not that crazy anymore.

[@AaronC.]

Adam's channel is just gold for the preppers/bushcrafters out there

[@Well_Meaning]

Hope you enjoy your eternal yearning

[@efrenchen293]

One method of cold leaching I've heard of is to coarsely grind the deshelled acorns, stick em in a cheese bag, and leave it in the toilet tank for a few days. Flushing will replace the tannin rich water with fresh water, replicating leaching using a stream like certain peoples did.

[@vseslavkazakov356]

I recently tried processing some live oak acorns at home and making a few cookies out of them. It actually tasted very good and I would actually make them more often if it wasn't for the very long and tedious process of refining them.

[@griggorirasputin6555]

There's probably some tools and techniques that would help. How did you make the cookies?

[@vseslavkazakov356]

​@@griggorirasputin6555 I soaked the acorns in very salty water(after shelling them) for around a week and a half. I changed the water every few days. I then soaked these acorns in warm regular water for 4 hours to remove all the salt. Afterward, I put the acorns on very low heat (~150 F) in the oven and kept them there for another 4-5 hours. I ground them down into a bunch of slightly sticky powder. I then just followed a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe except I used acorn flour instead of regular flour and did not add any chocolate chips so they do not interfere with the acorn flavor. I did not add any vanilla either for the same reason. This turned out to be fine except the cookies had a slightly burned flavor. I assume this is because acorn oils burn at low temperatures, so I recommend you bake them at a lower temperature(300 or maybe even less?) but for a longer time so they are completely cooked. Also, acorn flour is not as sticky as regular flour and the cookies turned out a bit crumbly. You can add a bit more flour and eggs than the recipe calls for to counteract this.

[@LucasAndrade-ut4ml]

here in Brazil, more common in the north of the country, the people of originari develop an immunity, or a high resistance, to hydrocyanic acid because the basis of their cuisine is mandoca, also known as Yuca or Manioca. As you say to do to the acorns, they put cassava roots in bags of palm leaves, at the bottom of small rivers for several days to eliminate part of the hydrocyanic acid. wonderful video

[@advancewarstournamentseries]

A mandioca normal tem isso também? Se ferver não né? kkkk

[@LucasAndrade-ut4ml]

@@advancewarstournamentseries kkk a mandioca que a gente come normalmente é a mandioca doce, não a mandioca brava, ela ou não tem essa toxina ou tem em quantidade muito pequena, aqui no nordeste a gente diferencia como mandioca e macaxeira

[@ibetyoufivedollars]

God, those ad transitions come out of nowhere, I never know when to expect them, well played.

[@jenb6412]

I have recently become a little obsessed with foraging and processing acorns just for something fun and educational to do. It really is nice to know about different wild foods because it eases some anxiety to know that in the worst case scenarios I can at least not starve to death. Fully leached, I find the acorns kind of bland. They taste almost like bland walnuts after being roasted. I haven't made flour yet but that's my next experiment! Wish me luck! ^_^

[@Exderius]

Keep up the great work Adam! Thank you for your contribution to society. You are effectively one of my teachers, indirectly of Course.

[@adammitchell3462]

Excellent video man,I live in south western Virginia and grew up amongst plenty of huge,healthy white and red oak tree's, I understand what you meant about tannins because if you've ever cut down and processed an oak tree as fire wood,you can smell it from a mile away! It's a strong,astringent smell and I cant imagine how eating one would taste

[@Emperorerror]

That transition into the definition of "tanning" was mindblowing. So well taught.

[@gregswank4912]

Last night I found an acorn that I had collected on a walk, and decided to search online to see if they were edible. I had wondered why we've never seen them in the bins of mixed nuts that show up in the grocery store before the holidays. Today this video shows up in my feed, spooky. Thanks Adam!

[@ShirleyTimple]

Man, I was showing my younger sister some chestnuts i collected not long ago that I'm going to prep for Thanksgiving as a sort of novel snack. They too have a tannin content that can be high so it's recommended to only eat a few at a time, but i was coming up short on the reasons why tannins are best in moderation. Then Adam dropped this lol. Perfect timing

[@RealBrokoli]

1:50 Adam knows what he is doing

[@liamthompson9342]

This was straight comedy. I'm sensing Adam doesn't like the taste of acorns.

[@knauhaurk]

Nah. He obviously likes them. Thats why he doesn't want us to eat them.

[@alexcarter8807]

He's trying those little round ones which I see as a problem right there. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area and we have lots of acorns that are long shaped that you can pick up all over the place and have a very light flavor.

[@SianaGearz]

@@knauhaurk He's hiding a squirrel in his genealogical tree.

[@rainynight02]

Okay, THAT was an EXCELLENT ad transition. Almost didn't realize it was an ad

[@hernandoprophe2071]

You can also use acorns to feed pigs, to produce excelent spanish style acorn ham (jamon de bellota).

[@ikkydee99]

you have to SMASH YOUR NUTS 1:52 made me laugh

[@bartesveldt]

Adam! Could you maybe make a video about some common, often-used herbs and spices? Like how to use them while cooking (using them early on or at the very end) but also how to decide what to use in certain dishes (food pairing of some sorts, and the science behind fat soluble or alcohol soluble flavor compounds)

[@skoomymooms8845]

This video is beautifully shot and that jacket rocks. Great content as always.

[@ikbintom]

In the Netherlands, white oak acorns are a traditional food for pigs. Not super common anymore since there are now better food sources for them, but still occasionally done on small organic farms to mix things up in the fall

[@RePetesBees]

Love how the "most replayed" portion of the video, is right where the in-video ad ends.

[@ianoliverbailey6545]

Absolutely brilliant, as ever. Thanks so much for sharing, Adam.

[@matthewrichard9626]

I laughed a little too hard at that "brought to you by squirrels" line 🤣

[@BeastMadeReviews]

@3:28 - I've always admired Adam's ad segues, but this one is absolutely MASTERFUL. 🤣

[@KikiYushima]

Huh, learned a lot about tannins in this video! I'm an aquarist/fishkeeper so tannins tend to be a pretty big source of discussion in our community. Things like driftwood and indian almond leaves are used to bring tannins out into the water. We _want_ the tannins in the water because they have beneficial uses in aquariums. Plus, some fish, like bettas, really enjoy tannins in their water. We call tanks that are incredibly heavy on tannins "blackwater" tanks because the water can get so absolutely dark.

[@Ariovistvs]

Fun fact: The tannic acid content in the wood has it the other way around. Red = low, white = high content. Hence white oak is very weather resistant and suited for outside furniture, wooden ships and boats, barrels, timber framing and such. Cities like Amsterdam or Venice were built on top of oak logs forced into the swampy soil beneath. If submerged in the ground or in water it can last for thousands of years. Red oak will decompose rather quickly when left unshielded from the seasons.

[@placasowuicho967]

I wonder if you could use the tannins in the acorn as a natural pesticide for other crops or to stop disease spreading over certain crops

[@ryno4ever433]

This is a brilliant question

[@mikeystorm8124]

Hmm maybe soak them in water for a moth or longer and spray it on your plants ? Imma try that

[@suzettehenderson9278]

Using oak leaves as a mulch suppresses many types of weeds.

[@fubbypeets7058]

Sometimes I nearly let the intrusive thoughts win and eat them off the ground

[@leetri]

Young man, there are nuts all around, I said young man, eat a nut off the ground~

[@latifoljic]

Do it, they're not that bad if you only eat one at a time

[@danglerumphston5363]

The segue into that ad was flawless and it brings me joy.

[@wouterleten1982]

GREAT sponsor plug. First time I didn't instantly skip the commercial plug

[@Sambieg]

Great video once again Adam. I love how this channel combines some of my biggest interests: food, history and biology.

[@annslow41]

This video reminds me of a wilderness survival video I saw, where the guy would gather acorns, wrap them in a small cloth, and place them in a small flowing stream to cold leech. After a couple days he could come back and they would be edible. If you had a fire going at the time I'm sure he might roast or boil them as well

[@alectrem]

This is really well made adam! I was unsure if the squirrel footage was stock or not, if you got it yourself that’s awesome! Proper wildlife stuff! Cool drone shot too! Color grade was tasteful and well balanced too, that main talking shot you did looked balanced throughout despite the lighting change!

[@kavitasinha2302]

After having moved to North America recently from Asia, I was really curious about these acorns. So thanks to you Adam and your host of followers' comments that has more than enlightened me !

[@joshmcdonald9508]

Your coffee commercial is by far the best. I hate that I'm commenting on the commercial part of your wonderful video, but I feel that nobody else will. I would like to get the equipment you use in that commercial because it looks delicious like that and I've never tried it when it was done like that. Super video too! I'm going back to look at some of your older ones now. Cheers

[@LamarrWilson]

That ad transition tho! 👏🏾

[@user-nh4kv1ly5o]

This was great. You should do more episodes on this kind of stuff. I was fascinated to find out about ancient cultures that used to feed their livestock pine nuts to help with their flavor profile. I've never even eaten a pine nut, but apparently ancient cultures used them quite widely. A series on forgotten or under utilized ingredients might be a cool idea. Anyways thanks for the content Adam.

[@jacquelyns9709]

People also eat pine nuts directly today. However, they cost a lot. I've eaten them myself. They taste mild and they are white like an almond. They are found inside a pinecone. I don't know which pine species they come from.

[@gregsanderson2470]

There's a branch of forestry. Tree crops for a permanent agriculture. Written by R. SMITH. Now morfed into Permaculture. I'm now planting my food forest. My 1st was a honey and syrup forest.

[@chezmoi42]

@@gregsanderson2470 Do you follow Kirsten Dirksen's channel? She's featured several instances of permaculture and food forests, as well as desert rain water harvesting.

[@chezmoi42]

@@jacquelyns9709 I looooove pine nuts. There are a couple of varieties of piñon in the US/Mexico that can be harvested, as well as in Italy and China.

[@gregsanderson2470]

@@chezmoi42 no. I start ed working with the sugar forest before I ever heard of permaculture. Wow they are now WAY ahead of me. Now I'm loosing the ability to walk. So now will build the forest and beehouse around what I am able to do. Ideas and hints are always welcome.

[@mummer7337]

Thanks Ragussy

[@miah5561]

Jesus

[@boliosbread]

I'm gonna have a Budd Dwyer moment from reading comments like this

[@TEC-XX_619]

Don't... don't call him that...

[@bijanshadnia3620]

You have one of the best channels for food on youtube. I'm blown away at how you have videos on the most random and specific food questions I have. So in-depth, too. Thanks

[@chrisweldon6076]

I love seeing these essay style videos on odd items we don't think about in the states or consider in the states! Thank you for another fantastic video!

[@seongheecho9875]

I'm sure all Koreans love acorns. We make acorn jelly and eat it. They are sold at any grocery store or traditional market. Also, many people made jelly at home. In Korea, you can sometimes see signs saying "Don't take acorns from this park. Squirrels and other animals need acorns."

[@officialdjinnx4756]

Guns germs and steel has a part on this contrasting them to almonds which can also be toxic. Another good youtube video idea Adam.

[@ShirleyTimple]

That was a great documentary series!

[@iooooooo1]

I really love the playing that (I assume) you've been doing with your sponsor lead-ins. I used to be able to predict them, but you got me on this one. At about 3:15 I for sure thought it was Bright Cellars or a similar wine-based sponsor.

[@tomypreach]

Thanks for saying. Now I know not to watch further than to 3.15 👍

[@iooooooo1]

@@tomypreach no, don't do that, the whole video is good!

[@tomypreach]

@@iooooooo1 there are add's everywhere these days. That's the reason I bought KZbin Premium. But i guess Adam needs the money.

[@icedcat4021]

@@tomypreach just get the sponsorblock extension. it skips all of the advertisement segments

[@purplebeast8536]

@@tomypreach there are so many ways to remove ads and get other premium features on youtube for free on both phones and computers, youtube premium is a waste

[@loneturtle8925]

Funny that I should come across this video after I made some acorn cookies for thanksgiving! I saw a video a couple months ago on how to process them and knew that my college campus was covered in oak trees. My family did not spit them out and they were actually quite sweet!

[@lucila00gp83]

Exquisite level of sarcasm! I even happily swallowed the coffee advert even though I don't even drink coffee live in Europe. Nice 🎉

[@ChefCarolsShow]

Watching this now….already loving it👌🏾

[@mustafa_checker]

1:47 AYO 💀

[@arale1402]

South Korean acorn jelly is one of my favourite ingredients (either as a side dish with a soy sauce based dressing) or in salad. I'd like to know how they process the acorns because they are indeed mass producing acorn starch for the jelly.

[@veramae4098]

Place acorn kernels in a net bag, and hang in a running stream for almost a week. A huge problem native Americans faced was the lack of domesticated plants and animals. Acorn flour essentially was used as Eurasia used wheat, barley or any other grain. Almost all of Earth's domesticated plants and animals originated in the Middle East.

[@zinou8643]

I live in North Africa, Algeria, and the common variety of acorn here we eat during fall/early winter is sweet right off the tree, if not we roast them and we've got a snack.

[@kimandre336]

Fascinatng. Maghrebi cuisine is extremely under-rated and I seriously wish Maghrebi cuisine would be more popular around the world.

[@sarahshealthyrecipes]

I've never cared about acorns or nuts but you made it super fun and interesting! I feel like we just had a one on one chat! Love your approach and thanks for doing the leg work.. now I won't bother with acorn flour 🤣

[@sangyoonsim]

As a Korean, I had a lot of chance to have acorn... as a jelly!

[@salvadormuro7346]

Jelly?? But howwww? 😮

[@Roonayy]

If the acorns really taste that bad, I'd hate to know the taste of the bcorns

[@dayc801]

The dcorns are not bad though. If you like nuts. Might be a bit of an acquired taste.

[@paulweber1740]

This is fairly serendipitous, as just on Saturday I had actually wondered if one could eat acorns. Now I know.

[@rvnurse2b]

I made Acorn griddle cakes- 1 box jiffy corn muffin mix, water enough to make the acorn flour stick together when you squeeze it, 1 egg, 1/3 cup Maple Syrup. Make silver dollar-sized griddle cakes. fried in oil or butter. I used butter and olive oil. They are delish!

[@mubinsaeef8529]

Adam is such a goated underrated youtuber, man deserve so much more than 2M.

[@joeswarson4580]

Meat riding

[@redson4994]

@@joeswarson4580 hey 🅱️eter