“Let food be your medicine.” Hippocrates
Last year we moved into a two hundred year old barn, which was an awesome decision. We have black walnut trees all around the property. I had never seen or tasted black walnut before. I did some research and found out that this unique American tree nut is full of health benefits. The first harvest season, I collected them and tried to break the shells to get the nuts. Well, the worms and our three different kind of squirrels (red, grey, and flying) were much faster and more effecient than I was in harvesting them. I didn’t know how exactly to perform do this messy job properly.
This year I learned how to do it 🙂 Every day in fall walnuts fall on the grass under the trees. I let them sit there for a couple of days for the outer green casings to rot and become black. Everyday I take a plastic bag to the yard, and with gloves take the rotten casings off and put the nuts with hard shells in the bag. Then I wash them and put them on a baking sheet in one layer and put them in the oven at 170 F with the door cracked open for a couple of hours. Once they are dry, I either collect them in a container to protect them from the squirrels or break the shells and collect the nut meats. Then I roast them to use in baking goods or freeze them for later use. Black walnut has much stronger flavor than English walnut. I like them in pumpkin and banana bread, but you can use them in granola, ice cream, salad, and other pastries. Of course there are always enough walnuts for our squirrels too.
Black walnuts are considered a “super food” because of their many health benefits. It is an anti-aging food that has lots of manganese, omega-3, vitamins (primarily A), minerals such as iron, fiber, multi unsaturated fat, and lots of protein. It is good for metabolism, bone and cardiovascular health, and it has anti-cancer properties.
One day, I saw a nut smaller than walnut around our mailbox. I learned that it was hickory nut. I hadn’t seen this nut before either. I learned that there are eighteen different varieties of hickory trees all over the world; not all of them are edible, but the prevalent types here in Pennsylvania are. Hickory nuts have lots of vitamins, (mostly Bs) and minerals. This nut has many benefits such as aiding bone & kidney health, weight balance (It helps both increasing and losing weight), boosting energy and fighting fatigue. Hickory nut is especially good for savory food and can be used as an ingredient in sauces for fish and chicken. Enjoy nature’s abundance around you, but make sure you don’t have allergy to nuts 🙂
“Let’s always eat and drink healthful food and beverages and do it in moderation.” Dr. Sii
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