Black Walnut

Black Walnut

Juglans nigra

Have you ever tried to crack open a black walnut?  Have you ever cracked some open, made a dish with them, chomped on a bit of rock hard shell that wasn't removed, and broke a tooth?

As tempting as they are to utilize for food, I think more energy is expended in the processing than the calories available in the nut.

On the other hand, have you ever heard a squirrel gnawing away at a walnut long before you see it?  They've got it figured out and probably get a lot of energy from the nuts.  A quick googling shows about 25 calories per nut, which is probably a lot for a little squirrel.

More googling shows that walnuts cure just about anything, including parasites, candida (?), fungal infections, skin conditions, warts, cold sores, herpes, sweating (is that a problem?), digestive problems, sore throat, reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, reduce blood sugar levels, cure cancer, end violence and bring peace on earth!  Whew, what a nut!!



Black Walnuts have more leaflets than Butternut trees, and generally don't have a leaflet at the end

The pith of a walnut twig is chambered

Black walnut bark is dark and deeply furrowed. If you break off a small piece, it will be dark brown underneath. Many trees along a trail seem to have small pieces broken off, probably from naturalists identifying the tree.