Defer and I were out walking this afternoon. Remember that tree that I described a week ago Sunday? I was sitting in the kitchen as the sun rose, and it set the top of the tree into a golden fire? Well, in just one short week the tree completely turned to flame and then dropped all it's leaves. All that is left is the skeleton.
Our lot is bordered by a walking path, and the path is edged with trees. There are a lot of black walnut trees that hang over the path. Usually in September they drop their leaves, and then you see the black walnuts ripening on the bare branches. This year the leaves and the walnuts fell about the same time, and the path is littered with husks and leaf trash.
If you have never seen a black walnut, they have a very hard, ridged, black shell, and while they are growing, they are encased in a husk that is a little larger than a ping pong ball. The husk is a light green until the nut falls, and as it ages it turns black and crumbly.
When I was about seven, my father brought home two burlap bags of black walnuts. They were stored out in the shop (most likely because of the mess they made), and periodically I would make forays to crack some of them for brownies. It's a wonder that I have an unsmashed finger left. I can't think if anything as hard to break open as those black walnuts!
But, ohhhhhhhh, the taste of black walnuts! Sooooo exotic! We use them sparingly here so that our taste buds never take them for granted. If you haven't tasted them, treat yourself to some this year. But, if you buy the unshelled black walnuts......be sure you have a good hammer!
Comments (1)
Oh, yeah. A wide headed hammer. That way you don't miss the nut. They are goood.
Posted by Wichi Dude | October 14, 2003 5:48 PM
Posted on October 14, 2003 17:48