Page 203 - The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods

Walnut (Black), Juglans

nigra (JUGLANDACEAE)

BLACK WALNUT can grow up to 120 ft. (36m) tall. Its
trunk can grow to 4 ft. (1.2m) in diameter. The black
walnut’s stout twigs have three-lobed scars that resem-
ble monkey faces.
FLOWER AND FRUIT: Male flowers occur on green cat-
kins. Female flowers are borne in small upright clusters
and develop into spherical green husks, 1.5-2.5 inches
(4-6cm) in diameter, which encase the woody, deep-
ly-furrowed walnut shell. The nut inside is fleshy and
4-lobed, maturing between October and November.
LEAF: Leaves are alternate and pinnately compound ground with the pointed side up and strike with a
with 13-23 unevenly paired leaflets. Measuring 1.5- hammer. Walnut sap can be boiled into syrup.
3.5 inches (4-9cm) long, leaflets are lance-shaped with
BLACK WALNUT CREAM: Ingredients: 6 cups wal-
toothed edges and slightly hairy undersides.
nuts, 6 cups vegetable stock (or water), salt and
EDIBLE PARTS: nut, sap pepper. Simmer nuts and vegetable stock until nuts
KEY MEDICINAL USES: Black walnut is analgesic, as- become tender. Puree in a blender or mash with a
tringent, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory. utensil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with pasta
noodles or drizzle over vegetables.
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Gather nuts that have
fallen, wearing gloves to protect your hands from their WARNING: Fruit husks and leaves have been known
staining tannings. Remove husks. Lay walnuts to dry to cause dermatitis in some people.
for 2-3 weeks. To crack the shells, place them on the

Walnut (White), Juglans
cinerea (JUGLANDACEAE)

WHITE WALNUT or Butternut is a deciduous tree
growing to 80 ft. (24 m) tall, that thrives in moist, fer-
tile woodlands.
FLOWER AND FRUIT: Yellow-green male catkins and in-
conspicuous white female flowers appear in April-June.
Nuts are encased in sticky, green lemon-shaped husks,
which are 1.2-2.5 inches (3-6cm) long. In clusters of 3-5,
they ripen between mid-September and November.
LEAF: The fragrant yellow-green leaves are alternate
and pinnately compound with 7-17 toothed leaflets. Nekrasov.ig, CC-BY-SA-3.0

EDIBLE PARTS: nut, sap shells, butternuts will go rancid quickly. The sap,
tapped on a sunny day in the new year before the
KEY MEDICINAL USES: This plant is an antiseptic, as-
tringent, and cholagogue (bile stimulating). leaves emerge, can be boiled into syrup.
HOW TO HARVEST AND EAT: Savor nuts as a snack, use WHITE WALNUT PESTO: Ingredients: ½ cup but-
them for cooking, grind them into flour, or boil for their ternuts, 3-4 garlic cloves, 0.5 cup parmesan cheese,
oil. It is best to shake the ripe butternuts from branches, ½ tsp. salt, ½ black pepper, ½ cup olive oil, 1 tsp.
honey. Toast butternuts on a skillet for 8 min. Pul-
as the ones fallen spoil rapidly. If you can dent the out-
er husks with your thumbnail, they are ready. Remove verize walnuts with garlic. Add cheese, salt, pepper,
husks within a day after harvesting and separate good oil, and honey. Blend well.
nuts from bad ones by placing in water. Discard any that WARNING: Contact with this plant may cause skin
float. Next, sun-dry the nuts for 3-4 weeks until you can irritation in some individuals.
hear them rattling in their shells. Once you remove their
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