Nuts

Whole

Whole acorn means the intact harvest unit—usually still in shell—as gathered or traded before cracking and milling. Buying whole lets you control shelling, leach water, dry time, and grind size instead of trusting anonymous bagged flour. Sound nuts feel heavy, show tight caps scars, and lack weevil exit holes. Once cracked, meats still need species- appropriate leaching before they become mild kitchen food. Whole lots store cooler and drier than open meal, but moisture inside a closed shell can still spoil a bin if the crop was wet. Sort aggressively: floaters, mouldy caps, and powdery interiors never improve in a soak. Foragers often mix oak species in one mast year; separate high-tannin reds from milder whites when possible so leach schedules match. Whole stock is the starting form for traditional staple processing, not a ready snack.