ACORNS: Feeling squirrely? 

Farmers Almanac tells us we can make like a squirrel and munch on some acorns — with some necessary prep work. Of course the first step is gathering them. Avoid the ones with cracks or holes because they may contain insects or mold.

“Once you’ve collected the nuts, put them in a pail of water and keep only the ones that sink. Nuts that float haven’t matured. Lay them out to dry in the sun or in an oven or food dehydrator set to low. They’ll be easier to shell when they are dry.”

Traditional nutcrackers might not be enough to shell these tough nuts. Try a hammer, a vice or a rock. Remove the skins, pick out the nut meat and chop or grind it. The next step is crucial — wild nuts contain toxic tannins that must be leached out. Leaching simply means soaking them in water. Put the shelled nuts in a large pot of cold water. The water will darken as the tannins leach out. Keep changing the water out until it no longer turns dark. The ultimate test to see whether you need to continue leaching is to taste the nuts for bitterness. If the nuts are still bitter, continue leaching.

Once leached, the nuts can be strained using a sieve and cheesecloth and then dried in a low-temp oven or food dehydrator. You can keep them in chunks for roasting and snacking, grind them into meal, or grind them further into flour.

Store processed nuts in airtight containers at room temperature in your pantry, or in the freezer, where they’ll keep for up to two years.