4 ms·

Here in the mountain areas of California, we actually have quite a few wild and domesticated-gone-wild nut and fruit trees around. There's the gray, one of the

Here in the mountain areas of California, we actually have quite a few wild and domesticated-gone-wild nut and fruit trees around. There's the gray, one of the few pines who's nuts are edible, there's black walnut and ordinary walnut and the Chestnut as well as wild/feral plums, apples and pears. I have found just one unopened, fallen gray-pine cone so far and extracting the nuts is labor intensive indeed (to get the nuts, put pine cones in a burlap bag and hit is against a wall many time but then you have a bunch of nuts that require considerable cracking ). Black walnut meat is very tasty (more like pine nuts than standard walnuts imo). And the tree spew out a whole lot of nuts. The only problem? The meat seems to be exactly as hard as the shells and the shells don't seem to every naturally open. Perhaps if you smash the things and used some centrifuge you could usable meat in quantity. Chestnuts are easy though, I collect enough for a modest snack each time I go through town lately. Wild food is cool but there's a reason human domesticate and breed plants.

gremloni 5y ago
This information on black walnut is harmful. The fruits contain a toxic substance called jugalone which cannot be consumed. Every notice a black walnut tree and notice how there are no other plants in a circle around the trunk? That’s because of the jugalone. Have you consumed any without any side effects because that’s interesting considering the number of black walnut trees I have on my property. EDIT: I’m finding conflicting information online so I’m not sure. Apparently jugalone is poisonous to humans but I’m also seeing lots of black walnut recipes.
- xenadu02 5y ago
  Juglone is toxic to most plant species but AFAIK it is harmless to mammals.
  - gremloni 5y ago
    Horses get sick a lot from eating black walnuts.
    - LeifCarrotson 5y ago
      The husk on the outside of the walnut contains most of the jugalone. That's the green-to-black part on the outside of the fruit. If you've bought whole walnuts (dry, brown, wrinkly), but never seen them in the wild, you've never seen this part. The horses and pigs get sick because they only eat the husk, they can't crack the shell to get at the nutritious part. The meat inside of the shell is safe. Reference: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/extensions-greatest-hits/1999-10-02-preparing-black-walnuts-eating https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/extensions-greatest-hit...
- joe_the_user 5y ago
  Do you have any references for this? Black Walnut produce more jugalone than other walnuts but "Most members of the Walnut family (Juglandaceae) produce a chemical called "juglone" (5 hydroxy-alphanapthoquinone) which occurs naturally in all parts of these plants." [1] I have no reference to juglone as being toxic humans despite many references to its toxicity to other plants. I personally haven't consumed much 'cause they're a hassle to prepare but other comment to my post was from a person who with no apparent effects. And I've eaten lots of commercial walnuts, which supposedly also contain jugalone And, there's toxicity to horses from juglone and to dog something else from but nothing related to humans mentioned here or anywhere I can find. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_walnut_toxicity.htm http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_walnut_...
- MengerSponge 5y ago
  You're saying it's best to avoid a gathering of the jugalone?
Broken_Hippo 5y ago
My grandmother had black walnut trees. She used to collect the green walnuts and put them on trays to dry out: The "trays" were wood frames with small chicken wire bottoms (sturdy plus air flow). They seemed large, but I was a child. And then, she'd wait until they dry out. When the fruit dries out, it is much easier to remove. It gets brittle and comes off. It will, however, stain everything dark. Wear gloves (they used leather), wear old clothes, and it might help to be outside. She generally got help with this. Underneath, there was just the regular walnut shell, and it can be opened with nutcracker tools. Sidenote: As a child, I hated these walnuts because I thought they were yucky. It actually made me swear off walnuts completely for some years because I didn't realize they were a different variety.

gremloni 5y ago

This information on black walnut is harmful. The fruits contain a toxic substance called jugalone which cannot be consumed. Every notice a black walnut tree and notice how there are no other plants in a circle around the trunk? That’s because of the jugalone. Have you consumed any without any side effects because that’s interesting considering the number of black walnut trees I have on my property. EDIT: I’m finding conflicting information online so I’m not sure. Apparently jugalone is poisonous to humans but I’m also seeing lots of black walnut recipes.

xenadu02 5y ago
Juglone is toxic to most plant species but AFAIK it is harmless to mammals.
- gremloni 5y ago
  Horses get sick a lot from eating black walnuts.
  - LeifCarrotson 5y ago
    The husk on the outside of the walnut contains most of the jugalone. That's the green-to-black part on the outside of the fruit. If you've bought whole walnuts (dry, brown, wrinkly), but never seen them in the wild, you've never seen this part. The horses and pigs get sick because they only eat the husk, they can't crack the shell to get at the nutritious part. The meat inside of the shell is safe. Reference: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/extensions-greatest-hits/1999-10-02-preparing-black-walnuts-eating https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/extensions-greatest-hit...
joe_the_user 5y ago
Do you have any references for this? Black Walnut produce more jugalone than other walnuts but "Most members of the Walnut family (Juglandaceae) produce a chemical called "juglone" (5 hydroxy-alphanapthoquinone) which occurs naturally in all parts of these plants." [1] I have no reference to juglone as being toxic humans despite many references to its toxicity to other plants. I personally haven't consumed much 'cause they're a hassle to prepare but other comment to my post was from a person who with no apparent effects. And I've eaten lots of commercial walnuts, which supposedly also contain jugalone And, there's toxicity to horses from juglone and to dog something else from but nothing related to humans mentioned here or anywhere I can find. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_walnut_toxicity.htm http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_walnut_...
MengerSponge 5y ago
You're saying it's best to avoid a gathering of the jugalone?

Broken_Hippo 5y ago

My grandmother had black walnut trees. She used to collect the green walnuts and put them on trays to dry out: The "trays" were wood frames with small chicken wire bottoms (sturdy plus air flow). They seemed large, but I was a child. And then, she'd wait until they dry out. When the fruit dries out, it is much easier to remove. It gets brittle and comes off. It will, however, stain everything dark. Wear gloves (they used leather), wear old clothes, and it might help to be outside. She generally got help with this. Underneath, there was just the regular walnut shell, and it can be opened with nutcracker tools. Sidenote: As a child, I hated these walnuts because I thought they were yucky. It actually made me swear off walnuts completely for some years because I didn't realize they were a different variety.