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| Blogs > rm_blondeapril > Pieces of April |
Toung Nut to Crack
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Toung Nut to Crack This post is only viewable by Senior Sizzle members. Join Senior Sizzle now! |
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I have a multi-colored driveway thanks to the black walnut tree in my yard.
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Around here the black walnut tree is a target of thieves. The wood is so coveted by furniture manufacturers that trees run about $10,000. I love pecan pie. I am allergic to nuts but I still eat the pie.  I also like banana bread with walnuts.   The perversity of the universe is unbounded.
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11/7/2011 3:20 am |
Walnuts are one of my favorite trees. I spent most of the falls of my youth collecting black walnuts from the various trees on our family farm to sell. This was the primary source of income for myself and my brothers. From Nov 1 until mid December we spent every day after school and on weekends going from tree to tree picking up the walnuts; late in the season we climbed the trees to get the last hanging nuts. My hands were darkened, stained and constantly smelled of walnuts. Now this is a smell of a less complicated and joyous time. There were good years and bad years for production, but most years we averaged $400-600 for each of us; a sum that seemed a fortune to a 9 yo.
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That is a great deal of work. I can relate, when I was a kid, we used to collect, shell and eat black walnuts. My mother would actually let them dry in the attic first, then, break them up for cakes and cookie or just eating. I always enjoyed the collecting, the rest was so much work and like you stated, if you didn't wear gloves you were stained for a few days.  Bud Always Ready for Fun.
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I'm not sure what happened but the headline should read: Tough Nut to Crack
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Around here the black walnut tree is a target of thieves. The wood is so coveted by furniture manufacturers that trees run about $10,000. I love pecan pie. I am allergic to nuts but I still eat the pie. I also like banana bread with walnuts.
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Thanks! That's a fascinating bit of history
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Walnuts are one of my favorite trees. I spent most of the falls of my youth collecting black walnuts from the various trees on our family farm to sell. This was the primary source of income for myself and my brothers. From Nov 1 until mid December we spent every day after school and on weekends going from tree to tree picking up the walnuts; late in the season we climbed the trees to get the last hanging nuts. My hands were darkened, stained and constantly smelled of walnuts. Now this is a smell of a less complicated and joyous time. There were good years and bad years for production, but most years we averaged $400-600 for each of us; a sum that seemed a fortune to a 9 yo.
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In class we made a flour out of harvested acorns my students helped pick. It takes multiple boilings and a bit of work to remove the tannic bitter taste ... but you can use them.
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That is a great deal of work. I can relate, when I was a kid, we used to collect, shell and eat black walnuts. My mother would actually let them dry in the attic first, then, break them up for cakes and cookie or just eating. I always enjoyed the collecting, the rest was so much work and like you stated, if you didn't wear gloves you were stained for a few days. Bud
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