BLACK WALNUT TREES FACTS. The black walnut (Juglans nigra) is one of the most popular trees in the United States, but it also has a dark side. How to harvest and eat these delicious walnuts and what to know before planting them in the garden.
FACTS ABOUT THE BLACK WALNUT TREE
Furniture and cabinetmakers have long appreciated this easy-to-work, densely grained wood for its durability and durability. These trunks are so durable that walnut rustlers have been breaking up trees in the middle of the night and have even used helicopters for their mission.
Early settlers discovered that black walnut can grow in many parts of the US and Canada, especially in the western United States. This rich brown heartwood has proven to be extremely resistant to rot and is used for fence posts, poles, shingles and sleepers.
Planted outdoors, the tree branches closer to the ground and develops a scattering form that makes it easy to harvest to use as a food source for birds, squirrels and other animals. When surrounded by other trees in the forest, black walnuts grow straight and tall, with little or no branching.
The hard shell provides the perfect package to store the nuts for the winter. Settlers nibbled the nutritious walnuts with their hands, ground them into flour for baking, added soups and stews, and baked them in bread.
Black walnut tree
Black walnuts have many uses and advantages, but they also have a unique characteristic: their trunk (which can reach five meters or more in the trunk) releases a natural herbicide known as juglone. The substance is also found in the leaves and fruit peels of the tree, but pitcher lones have a different purpose.
It inhibits the growth of many plants and trees, limits competition between trees and leaves them with more water and nutrients. It numbs and kills the ability of plants to grow and grow faster than other plants, such as weeds, grasses and even trees.
A GREAT SHADE TREE
The black walnut is still a big shadow on large plots, and specimens of more than 100 feet have been recorded. Normally they are in the shade of the trees, but not always, as in this case, in the treetop.
This provides light and airy shade for grasses and ground cover, which are not infested by juglons, and for the trees.
Black walnuts are pretty much disease-free and are threatened by a few pests, but require a high level of care and a good amount of water and good soil conditions. The leaves turn bright yellow, forming the base of the trunk and the tip of the trunk, the base and the trunk.
PICKING UP THE NUTS
Most walnut tree owners have trees that bear fruit from late summer to October, and I can understand the anger. The fruit is quite heavy, about the size of a baseball and of lime green color. It’s a mess, but I’m pretty sure it’s not as bad as some of the other trees in the neighborhood.
The walnut tree owner will spend several years picking the fruit, so be careful not to pay for the nuts, otherwise you will go bankrupt. I hire children from across the street to pick the fallen walnuts, and when I don’t remove them, I keep stumbling across them.
HARVESTING AND EATING BLACK WALNUTS
The squirrels have no problem chewing through the shell, but the sweet, earthy nut and the meat in it are worth the effort. When you are ready to crack the outer shell, as any squirrel will confirm, the meat inside will be edible.
Their grandparents may have harvested walnuts that can be eaten raw or added to cookies and bars. It can also be used to sweeten sweets, but the flour is unique and tastes best with walnut flour.
Remove the shells immediately and empty the nuts in a large bucket to remove the remaining shells (wear gloves as your hands will contaminate the shell). To remove the peels, enter the peel and collect it in a small bowl with a little water to avoid mould. Once you have removed the skins, place them in the fridge for at least an hour to cool and dry.
They can be stored unshelled for up to a year, but walnuts can also be dried in the dryer or on a clothes rack in the refrigerator for a few days or overnight.
Crack the shell with a hammer to get to the nut pulp and cut into it, releasing the pulp of the nuts. Leave the nuts and meat to dry for a day before storing, or cut the shells in half to release them.
