Acorns take over Sonoma

Each year, as summer fades and fall quickly approaches, I encourage foragers to head out into the wilderness and gather food for the table.  Once again, it is time for the acorn harvest and a rerun of a much-requested column.  Local historian and dentist, Peter Meyerhof, emailed to say that he had not seen such a bumper crop in his 21 years of living in Sonoma. Local culinary legend and Del Monte Meat Co sales manager, Joe Vitale, attributes the bumper crop to the drought.

For the last 6,000 years, indigenous peoples from this area have been collecting nuts and storing the excess for use during the following year. As our holiday season is quickly approaching, it is time once again to prepare this delectable little morsel known as the acorn cookie.

The acorn was the single most important food used by Native Californians and was a dietary staple for at least 6,000 years.  The acorn comes from a variety of oak trees and can be collected in great quantities and stored until next year’s crop arrives.  For early California Native populations, a reliable food source provided them with the ability to stay in one place. This sedentary lifestyle eventually replaced the continual migration of groups across the land in search of food.

Acorns are nuts produced by the oak tree and of the 10 species found in California the tanbark, black and valley oaks were preferred by Native Californians.  Acorns are nutritious, containing around 18% fat, 6% protein, 68% carbohydrate and contain both vitamins A and C. It is estimated that a single adult would consume around 2000 pounds per year. Native Californians cooked the acorn meal in baskets adding hot rocks and water to the mixture, stirring with a wooden paddle to form a mush.

This year, an abundance of acorns can be found almost anywhere there is an oak tree, and they are easily foraged from the ground. You’ll want to avoid acorns with small holes, as the worms inside will eventually infest all of your harvest.  Once collected, the shell is removed and the acorns are ground into fine flour.  I use a wheat grinder, but cuisine arts and hand-held grinders also do the job quite nicely.

The next step is a little labor intensive.  Acorns contain tannins that are bitter to the taste.  They must be removed or your goodies may prove to be quite bitter. Native Californians used sand, baskets and water to remove bitter tannins; today we’ll opt for a simpler method, just as effective. Take a large pot and place a large piece of cheesecloth over the top, securing the cloth to the rim of the pot with a string.  Place at least three cups of acorn flour and SLOWLY run warm water over it.  When the bucket fills, leave it for 2 hours then pour out the water carefully. Repeat the process three times.  Your flour should be ready to go, and since it is wet, should be used right away.

Now, head to the cupboards and collect:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup acorn flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1 tsp. nutmeg;
• tsp. allspice
• 2 tsp. ground ginger

Cream the brown sugar and butter together.  Add egg and mix thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, mix flour, acorn flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix dry and wet ingredients together; batter should be soft rather than stiff. Form into rounded spoonful’s on a cookie sheet and flatten.  Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes.

For me, the result varies every time I prepare them.  I am not a baker, but have found that children will eat every last one, regardless of what they look like coming out of the oven.  There is also a great sense of satisfaction knowing that we have collected at least one of our ingredients from mother earth.  While the Miwok used their acorn flour quite differently, many of the Native Californians I have shared my acorn cookies with, found them quite tasty with a cup of cold milk. (P.S. Some Korean specialty shops sell packaged ground acorn meal).