Thank you for another very useful post, as usual from you.
Acorns are one of the most abundant tree nuts we have and probably the LEAST used owing to the bitter tannins. It is surprising that someone hasn't figured out a way to process them commercially.
They are hard to shell, but so are black walnuts and folks have addressed that problem. Sound like a challenge to me. Maybe I'll work on that this year. Has anyone ever heard of an easy/automated way the shell acorns?
Different varieties have different types of shells. Some are very easy to crack and peel, others are tougher. I haven't heard of an automatic way of shelling them, but I have never looked either. If you could invent a low cost, homeowner size, you would be doing a GREAT service to the world.