Oak trees can provide a lot for people who live off the land. The acorns can provide food for us humans, but also quite bountiful to bring in wildlife, from turkeys and other birds, to deer, raccoons, possums and so much more.
The leaves and the acorns are edible by us humans ... cooked or raw. More about the acorns in a moment. The leaves are best when young and tender, and if picked then, can be dehydrated to store for winter's use. I imagine you can probably fry them with tempura batter just like maple leaves.
The bark can be used as a tea to stimulate appetite, improve digestion, and to help your body fight off cough, bronchitis, fever, colds and diarrhea. It can also be applied directly to the skin as a poultice or compress, or you can add it to your bath water for red itchy skin from cold exposure, and for swelling and pain in mouth, throat, anal, and genital regions.
And, of course, you can use the wood, branches, and trunk to burn or make a variety of beautiful furniture. Remember, liquor cures well in oak casks and barrels!
ACORNS:
As with most all seeds, acorns from the oak are a fairly good source of protein.
Now, acorns ... yes, they are bitter and can be nasty tasting (tannin: bitter and astringent compounds), but this can be mitigated. Lay out the acorns and allow to dry. This will make them easier to take off the shell/husk. OR freeze fresh to get off the papery husks, etc.
Shell and immediately place in water until you are all done. Place the nutmeats and water (half and half) in a blender, whir to pulverize. Do it in small batches. (If you are doing this without electricity, use a mortar and pestle.)
Place the mixture in glass jar or ceramic container with a tight cap. Put in a cool place, below 75 degrees, to prevent fermenting. Change the water every morning, using a strainer PLUS cheesecloth so you won't lose the acorn fat, oil or flour. Be sure to shake the jar or stir thoroughly so that all of the flour touches water. This is called "cold leaching"; do not boil as this could kill the starch and gluten.
You will know when the flour is ready when you can place a little in your mouth and taste, basically, blandness. It could take anywhere from three to ten days.
Do a final strain with REAL cheesecloth over a bowl (you'll need this remainder liquid). Squeeze every drop of water out that you can. The lump remaining should seem like a ball of clay.
Take the bowl with the remainder liquid in it. Let it settle for one hour. Carefully scoop out the top water. When you have only sludge on the bottom, which is acorn fat and starch, use a spatula to scrape it into whatever you are drying your acorn flour in.
Dry the flour on a baking sheet (cheesecloth on bottom and across the top to prevent bug contamination) in a hot room or garage, or use a solid fruit-roll-up dehydrator tray. Set the dehydrator to its lowest setting. Check every hour or two. Dry until completely absent of moisture. Carefully store.
Yes, it's a lot of work, but when you are in a situation where you really need to do this, you can. Consider the Ancient Peoples of North America ... they would do this often, not just with acorns but many other nut meats. They obviously didn't have blenders or glass jars so they used a mortar and pestle, tightly woven baskets and warm rocks.
For a coffee substitute, shell, soak, bake then grind.
To use as flour, add a little water, pat into a little flat rounds and bake on a hot rock. Make it a little tastier by adding chopped dandelion leaves,
wild chives or onions, dried or powdered fruit or veggies, and, of course,
maybe a beaten egg (rob that nest!).
ADVICE: Take a walk around your neighborhood. Make a note of any oak trees. When acorns start to drop, gather as many as you can (probably should ask permission) and experiment with them. This is an EXCELLENT stealth foraging opportunity.
