What kind of nut is this?

[curly_kate]

That makes sense. I was pretty sure that I knew what the hickories were, and they look pretty different from this one. Thanks guys!

 

[Smart Red]

Check the trees near by. I know there are several types of hickory that grow around here, but the tastiest of those are the nuts from the shag-bark hickory. They are difficult to crack - we always used those long, cold wintery nights to carefully extract the nut meats - but well worth the effort.

The flavor of hickory nuts makes a real change of pace in cookies and dessert breads.

As an aside: anyone know somewhere to get butternuts for planting? Ours were effected by the same virus that decimated the butternut tree in America. I'm hoping someone knows or has access to a virus resistant variety.

Love, Smart Red

 

[journey11]

I usually get my fruit trees from Stark Brothers. They have a butternut here . I'm not sure if it's disease resistant, but it is grafted. You could call and ask. I've had very good success with the things I've bought from them.

 

[hoodat]

Hickory nuts are difficult to remove the meat from so they have little economic value but the Cherokee, Choctaw and Creek Indians depended heavily on them. The meat was used in stews and the oil for cooking. They smashed up the nuts, shell and all and then boiled them. The oil was skimmed off for cooking by boiling and the meat was seperated from the nuts by letting them settle. Because the meat and shells were different in their "floatability" they would seperate into layers. The meat that was left after the oil was skimmed was made into Pohikora which is a sort of pancake made by forming them into patties and baking them. Pohikora is where the word hickory comes from.

 

[897tgigvib]

Thank you Hoodat!