They’re here already! Acorns are starting to drop. Don’t try to leach them when they’re green. They need to turn brown. Try picking them up and throw them into a basket. You’ll protect them from the worms, and they should eventually turn brown. Leave plenty for the wildlife. They depend on them.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns:
I swear, there are some personality types that never seem to learn. They get distracted and let the beans burn. Because, let’s face it, beans take forever to cook and I mean, who worries about whether you’re going to burn fifty cents worth of beans? I mean… really. On the other hand, as a vegetarian, beans and legumes are a crucial part of my diet. And I believe they give me stamina. But here’s the deal, you put them on the stove, and you forget about them. Yes, I could have set the timer, but I didn’t. And when I was upstairs typing away, I heard weird noises coming from down below. Was it the woodstove or was it the rain on the roof? Not a thought to the pot of beans on the kitchen stove, I forgot about those long ago. I didn’t even remember I was cooking them, until I heard the crackling noises of the water being all boiled out and the beans burning. So, I dashed downstairs and just like my mother taught me, I picked up the pot (with hot pads) and I stuck the pot in sink water, and I quickly added cold water to the pot. It did the trick. I saved them. And it wasn’t the first time, nor the second, nor even the third time I’ve salvaged burnt beans.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns:
Acorns will be falling again. And when they do, every animal in the forest will benefit. Either directly or indirectly. They will hoard them. Bury them. The birds will fight over them, putting on quite a show. The worms will get at them too. Much sooner than you think. They’re the worst. But if you are an early bird, you’ll get your hands on some. You’ll collect ‘em, crack ‘em, leach’em and cook ‘em.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns:
One of my favorite pastimes is making biscuits and muffins. I made some cornbread muffins and used polenta (coarse ground corn). I wasn’t sure how it would turn out because I usually use cornmeal, but the polenta was delicious. They were crunchy and the unusual spices I added gave them a tasty kick. The basic recipe was whole wheat flour adding one-third polenta. Of course, I added baking soda, baking powder and salt, and I used water to moisten it. To the dry flour I added powdered orange peel and turmeric. Between the turmeric and the bright yellow polenta, the muffins had a great color. Because there were no eggs or milk added, these muffins would be considered vegan. It’s probably my mother’s love of making cornbread (she grew up on the Kansas prairie) that makes this a comfort food for me. But because of my desire to keep calories to a minimum, I have changed the recipe quite a bit. I would be lying if I said my corn muffins are better than my mother’s, but I need to keep the calories down and still enjoy a good muffin. Let’s just say they are so tasty… I could eat a dozen.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns:
Everybody loves chocolate and it’s hard to improve on it but believe it or not, you can. Add acorns. Harvesting acorns is an earthy, back-to-nature endeavor. If you’re a wild foodie or just simply love to bake… gather and leach some acorns and throw them into your favorite chocolate cake recipe.
Suellen Ocean is the author of Acorns and Eat’em, a how-to vegetarian cookbook and field guide for eating acorns:
suellenocean 