Break off a steaming hunk of Acorn Crusted Cornbread, dip it into sticky-sweet honey, and take a delectable bite. Oops! There's a little honey stuck to your nose! Sweet, nutty, and steeped with buttery goodness, this recipe is sure to bring out the kid in you. In fact, why not make an adventure for the whole family? Head outside with a paper sack and fill it to the brim with acorns fallen from your lawn's great oak tree. Warm and aromatic cornbread made from hand-collected acorns is the perfect way to celebrate the harvest holiday.

Soul Food with a Rustic Twist

Cornbread recipes are an American staple- it seems every region has its own cultural rendition. In the South, you find the classic cornbread recipes. In the Southwest, you'll see green chili on the ingredient list. Emanate the Appalachians by incorporating acorn flour. Wild-crafted acorns contain tannins which are drying and bitter, but once you remove the tannins (see process below), they become nutty and rich. What a perfect crunchy crust for soulful cornbread! Using wild-crafted ingredients connects you and your family to food on a deep level- you will begin to understand nature's role more completely, becoming more thankful for the earth's elegant process. Your kids, who used to utilize acorns solely for their aerodynamic qualities (they are quite satisfying to try and throw over the roof), will begin to realize that acorns are also food. The squirrels have it right; acorns are delicious!

A Sweet Treat

Although corn meal is great for pacifying Kapha, the additions of sugar, butter, and whole wheat in this recipe end up provoking Kapha. Vata should still be cautious of the drying qualities of corn- they could become constipated or gassy. Here's a happy solution: Spread with more butter or ghee to increase the oily quality in Acorn Crusted Cornbread and enjoy!

Reported by Frank Cook of Asheville, NC and Grass Valley, CA. (https://www.plantsandhealers.com)