# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Gardening >  Coffee Substitute

## Rick

SUBSTITUTE FOR COFFEE.--

Take sound ripe acorns, wash them while in the shell, dry them, and parch until they open, take the shell off, roast with a little bacon fat, and you will have a splendid cup of coffee.


Confederate Receipt Book - 1863

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## Ken

I read that a few years back and borrowed some acorns from some squir, er, friends, and tried it (didn't use bacon fat, used Crisco I think).  It wasn't terrible, but it didn't taste anything like Folgers.

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## Sourdough

It might be a Dark Colored hot drink........but baby that ain't COFFEE.

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## Ken

> It might be a Dark Colored hot drink........but baby that ain't COFFEE.


Betcha' even vanilla creamer won't help, will it, HOPE?

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## Pal334

blasphemy, no coffee, no work!!!!!!!!!!

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## Jonesy

I need the caffeine substitute but I would try just about anything made with bacon .  :Smile:

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## vthompson

You can also use Chicory roots as a coffee substitute.

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## TucsonMax

Where exactly does one find acorns?

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## TucsonMax

Sorry but...

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## Ken

I REALLY like that T-shirt.  Wonder if I could talk her out of it.   :Innocent:

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## wareagle69

you won't find them there, but i have millions of them here, i could send you some

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## wareagle69

ok has anybody actually evr made a substitute
how and what was the results.if yes

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## Ken

> you won't find them there, but i have millions of them here, i could send you some


Wareagle, I have several "acorn eaters" here who would gladly accept any acorns that may be in your way.

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## wareagle69

send sase and i will make your "freinds" happy

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## Rick

I have. I've use roasted dandelion root. It was not bad at all. It obviously wasn't from Juan Valdez but it would do if I could not get real coffee. I have some in a jar on the counter now. I roasted this batch just a hair too long so it sort of had an off flavor but if you keep an eye on it and don't let it get too dark then the taste isn't bad.

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## wareagle69

when did you pick the root? early or late

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## Ken

> send sase and i will make your "freinds" happy


I was thinking more in the lines of an empty frieght car.   :Innocent:   Probably save me quite a few bucks.  

Peanuts - $4.99/bag x 3-5 bags/week x 52 weeks/year ..........

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## Rick

These were late spring roots. I picked them in May, I guess. A pint of roots is a LOT of roots. I must have dug up 200 or more plants. If you slide the shovel down vertically beside the dandelion as far as it will go then push the handle of the shovel forward or toward the dandelion then remove the shovel you can usually slide the whole root right out of the ground. If you don't go straight down you will push through the root, though. Then you can just step on the mound of dirt, the hole will close and you don't have a bunch of ground disturbed. It works most of the time and it's pretty slick when it does work. You get the whole danged plant at once.

There were a lot of yellow flowers but not many had gone to seed yet. Fried some fritters up, too.

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## pocomoonskyeyes

A digging stick will work well too,if the ground isn't too hard.I've used one digging spurge nettle roots in N.C.  take a straight sapling about 1 1/2" thick whittle one end in a chisel shape( a diagonal cut  kinda flattened out) about 3-4' long. Push down into the ground beside the root and gently "pry" the root up. most times the root will pop right up.

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## wareagle69

> I was thinking more in the lines of an empty frieght car.    Probably save me quite a few bucks.  
> 
> Peanuts - $4.99/bag x 3-5 bags/week x 52 weeks/year ..........


just need some sniper cover, bears keep trying to take the squrreil bate er i mean supplies



> These were late spring roots. I picked them in May, I guess. A pint of roots is a LOT of roots. I must have dug up 200 or more plants. If you slide the shovel down vertically beside the dandelion as far as it will go then push the handle of the shovel forward or toward the dandelion then remove the shovel you can usually slide the whole root right out of the ground. If you don't go straight down you will push through the root, though. Then you can just step on the mound of dirt, the hole will close and you don't have a bunch of ground disturbed. It works most of the time and it's pretty slick when it does work. You get the whole danged plant at once.
> 
> There were a lot of yellow flowers but not many had gone to seed yet. Fried some fritters up, too.


i think i will stick with chicory since it grows on disturbed soil and doesn't matter about digging up, but hmm second groth of dent de lion are coming up fritter sound good, have you tried muellin also with it? awesome

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## Tx Rd Kill

> SUBSTITUTE FOR COFFEE.--
> 
> Take sound ripe acorns, wash them while in the shell, dry them, and parch until they open, take the shell off, roast with a little bacon fat, and you will have a splendid cup of coffee.
> 
> 
> Confederate Receipt Book - 1863


Do acorns have caffine? maybe a silly question.

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## crashdive123

Not silly at all.  No caffeine in acorns.

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## Ken

> Do acorns have caffine? maybe a silly question.


No.

*Bambu Organic Instant Coffee Substitute 200g*

*Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.*

*Coffee substitute prepared from organically grown chicory, figs, cereals and acorns.*

Customer Reviews Write Review

Use one teaspoon per cup, pour on hot water or milk and stir well. 

*Ingredients*

Chicory, figs, wheat, malted barley, acorns. 

*Other Information*

Organically grown and prepared in accordance to the EEC Council Regulation 2092/91. _Caffeine Free, Organic_

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## pocomoonskyeyes

Wasn't it Luzianne that added chicory to their coffee back in the 70's? It was pretty good as I recall.

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## Ken

> Wasn't it Luzianne that added chicory to their coffee back in the 70's? It was pretty good as I recall.


A few of 'em did, poco.

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## Pal334

In my early military days, we had a supervisor that was allergic to Chicory. When he was "less than nice" we would mix a bit of that chicory mixed coffee (can't remember the brand name)into the midnight shift coffee boiler and sit back and watch the blotches appear. I provide this as an FYI, not advocating that anyone mess with their supervisor like this. :Smile:

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## wareagle69

so one thing i have not seen is how do you make the coffee, i like instant, so do you guys use it for instant or do you have to use a filter and make it like regular coffee

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## Rick

The write up I originally had said to cut it into small segments, roast, then grind to use in a perculator or drip coffee maker. 

I just cut it up and roast it then boil some. Once it's dry it's pretty small. I use about a tablespoon full to make a couple of cups. I use it just like cowboy coffee. You could put it in cheese cloth if you wanted to and tie it up like a tea bag or grind it.

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## wareagle69

my chicory is dry now, have not roasted it yet just left it on my drying rack in the dininngroom always amazes me how much water is in stuff, so i wonder what the roasting does for it, might just try it like it is, grind it up and add as instant

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## woodsy_gardener

Where's the caffeine? Sorry, it's the caffeine I need.

I found it in the Yaupon holly, a relative of the South American plant used to make Yerba Mate.

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## pocomoonskyeyes

> Where's the caffeine? Sorry, it's the caffeine I need.
> 
> I found it in the Yaupon holly, a relative of the South American plant used to make Yerba Mate.


Perhaps you noticed it's scientific name _Ilex vomitoria_? vomitoria is in it's name for a reason. Seminole and Creek as well as some other NA peoples used it as a purification purge. Be careful of what and how you use it. It WILL empty your bowels.

 Just noticed this is your first post. why not stop by the introduction section and telling us a bit about yourself!!

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## crashdive123

http://www.wildcrafting.net/forage/plant/156/

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## woodsy_gardener

> Perhaps you noticed it's scientific name _Ilex vomitoria_? vomitoria is in it's name for a reason. Seminole and Creek as well as some other NA peoples used it as a purification purge. Be careful of what and how you use it. It WILL empty your bowels.
> 
>  Just noticed this is your first post. why not stop by the introduction section and telling us a bit about yourself!!


They drank lots of it in the ceremony. I bet you'd throw up too if you drank several quarts of coffee in an hour. At the bottom of my Yaupon link there are details for making a delicious, caffeine containing beverage.

On to the intro section shortly.

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## pocomoonskyeyes

> http://www.wildcrafting.net/forage/plant/156/





> They drank lots of it in the ceremony. I bet you'd throw up too if you drank several quarts of coffee in an hour. At the bottom of my Yaupon link there are details for making a delicious, caffeine containing beverage.
> 
> On to the intro section shortly.


Just so you know it wasn't the tea they used it was a drink from the fruit used to "Purify" themselves. I used to show that plant to tourists all the time when I was a boat guide in the swamp.Stay away from the berries unless you want to lose your lunch.

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## Rick

If you aren't using the berries to make your "coffee" then what are you using? And Poco is correct. All my references indicate the berries can cause diarrhea and vomiting.

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## crashdive123

According to my Peterson Field Guide Medicinal Plants and Herbs 


> American Indians used a very strong leaf tea as a ceremonial cleansing beverage, drinking large amounts to induce vomiting or act as prgative.

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## Rick

Thank you!! My references all say berries.

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## crashdive123

I found one of these trees on one of my hikes.  Now I know where to find one if I ever need to perform a ceremonial cleansing.

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## pocomoonskyeyes

Go with what Rick's books say the BERRIES are the purgative!! The leaves CAN be used for tea. This comes from a bunch of oldtimers BEFORE the edible books came on the scene. It may be Oral tradition but had been passed down for a long time. If you drink too much water it will make you upchuck. Seminoles and Creeks used the berries as a purgative. Names you may recognize like Osceola,and Billy Bowlegs.

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## Winnie

In my research for living a WW2 lifestyle there's talk of roasting dandelion and chicory roots to make a coffee substitute, something I'll have to look into That 2oz tea a week isn't going to last!

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## crashdive123

> Go with what Rick's books say the BERRIES are the purgative!! The leaves CAN be used for tea. This comes from a bunch of oldtimers BEFORE the edible books came on the scene. It may be Oral tradition but had been passed down for a long time. If you drink too much water it will make you upchuck. Seminoles and Creeks used the berries as a purgative. Names you may recognize like Osceola,and Billy Bowlegs.


Poco - the leaves are purgative as well was the point of my post.

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## pocomoonskyeyes

> Poco - the leaves are purgative as well was the point of my post.


OK I know that the fruit from any holly will induce vomiting :Blushing: something I found out early in life :Blushing: The hard way!! Personally I haven't had that tea. Might not if I have to be careful how much I drink... If it's good I won't know when to stop!!

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## Rick

Winnie - roasted dandelion root is tolerable. It isn't coffee but it isn't bad. It has its own flavor. Just refer back to my earlier post on how I harvest them. There's the easier way and then there's the hard way.

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## woodsy_gardener

Ilex vomitoria 

Sounds pretty disgusting. And initiation ceremonies had young men drink it till they puked.

However: The tribes off the coast of Fla. Ga, SC, NC, and VA drank the tea as a pleasant tasting stimulant. The roasted leaves were a high value trade item with interior tribes. There are reports of both English and Spanish people trying it and liking it.

Google around if you wish to find out more about this almost lost caffeine plant. I have, and thanks to a trade on IDigMyGarden I have a patch growing. I hope to be roasting Yaupon leaves next year.

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## Winnie

> Ilex vomitoria 
> 
> Sounds pretty disgusting. And initiation ceremonies had young men drink it till they puked.
> 
> However: The tribes off the coast of Fla. Ga, SC, NC, and VA drank the tea as a pleasant tasting stimulant. The roasted leaves were a high value trade item with interior tribes. There are reports of both English and Spanish people trying it and liking it.
> 
> Google around if you wish to find out more about this almost lost caffeine plant. I have, and thanks to a trade on IDigMyGarden I have a patch growing. I hope to be roasting Yaupon leaves next year.


I'm English, but I think I'll pass on this one. I can't think of anything worse than being sick.

Rick, I'll give both a try and see which one I like best, like I said that 2oz of tea is going to be difficult to cope with and herbal teas just don't hit the spot for a Brit!

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## crashdive123

Winnie - not sure how they'd do in your climate, but is growing your own plants for real tea an option?  http://coffeetea.about.com/od/prepar...growingtea.htm

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## Winnie

Tea is already being grown in England! There's a small plantation in Cornwall, but I doubt it would have been thought of in the '40's, so it's the rations for me.

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## your_comforting_company

what about sicklepod? _cassia obtusifolia_ also called coffeeweed. supposedly the seeds contain caffeine. I've never tried it and don't know anything about it but I do remember reading about it.

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## COWBOYSURVIVAL

The black drink that the Muskoggee drank was used to purify ones body for decision or war. The young warriors drank it after fasting to prepare for war. The elders drank it during council meetings to clear their thoughts. It wasn't just a daily routine drink.

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## skunkkiller

ACORN COFFEE IS GOOD . But the way I do it is diffrent I leach out the bitterness in 3 chages of water that I let them sit in the water over night and chage the water in the morning on the 4th day I poor out water and put on a plate in one layer and let dry then raost to black but not burnt grined and you have some good coffee

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## pocomoonskyeyes

> The black drink that the Muskoggee drank was used to purify ones body for decision or war. The young warriors drank it after fasting to prepare for war. The elders drank it during council meetings to clear their thoughts. It wasn't just a daily routine drink.


 I tried to tell them it was a purification drink!!!  :Smash:  Thanks for the back up CS!! :clap:

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