Hi Jamie- I took a Cherokee wild cooking class and one of the dishes
was acorn bread... actually more like the texture of corn mush.
According to Indian Herbology of North America, acorns can be used for
soup, bread and pudding. I can't find my recipe book right now, but
I'll check for recipes. Indian Herbology says these were gathered
sometimes, ie 500 lbs per person and stockpiled for winter cooking, so
I'd assume they were gathered in the fall... and I'm guessing it was
after first frost just because most things for winter were gathered
after first frost (grapes, persimmons, hickory nuts). Were the White
Oak better? Above source says acorns have the property of neutralizing
poison... Just guessing that the high tannin content does the ph
thing. I recall you roast them before grinding, and pour boiling water
over them to take away the bitter... k