Читать книгу The Scout's Guide to Wild Edibles. Learn How To Forage, Prepare & Eat 40 Wild Foods онлайн

18 страница из 39

Black Walnut

RANGE:

Native to 35 states and southern Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec

HABITAT:

Rich bottomland soils of stream valleys

POSITIVE ID:

• The black walnut tree has alternate, pinnately-compound leaves 1–2′ long with 15–23 leaflets.

• Yellow-green, 1-1/2–3″ round fruit consists of a nut encased by a fleshy husk.

• When broken open and exposed to air, the husk flesh color changes from a yellowish white to dark brown.

• The brown nut has a corrugated surface.

Close-up of a black walnut tree showing a cluster of its tennis ball-like fruit (walnuts) and the long compound leaves. A leaf can be up to 24″ long and may have from 15 to 23 leaflets. The terminal or end leaflet is often missing. Because walnuts may be high in the tree, foragers typically wait until they drop to the ground in October to collect them.

EDIBLE PARTS & PREPARATION:

Put on dishwashing gloves or equivalent to avoid staining your hands. Step on the green husk with a boot and twist your foot to pop the nut loose. Pull off clinging husk pieces, then rinse and brush or power wash the walnuts. Dry indoors on a tarp in front of a fan for two days. Let ripen and dry for two more weeks (no fan). Crack with a vise or hammer and use a nutpick to remove large pieces of the edible nutmeat. The strong flavor of black walnuts is perfect in brownies and ice cream (see Cinnamon Black Walnut Ice Cream recipe, page 137).