<i>Boil it, if you've got the means. The army disparages this practice, saying boiling doesn't destroy all toxins. Maybe not, but it'll destroy some toxins, and at the same time get rid of the tannins that render foods like acorns unpalatable.</i><p>Boiling doesn't get rid of tannins.  Native Americans poured boiling water over ground acorns to leach out <i>some</i> of the tannins.