Native North American Nut Trees
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butternut
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The butternut or white walnut looks much like a smaller
black walnut (40 to 80 feet) with lighter colored bark. It
thrives farther north than its larger relation, however,
and grows higher in the mountains.
Butternut wood is soft and weak . . . easy to work but not
especially valuable. The husks and inner bark contain a
very effective dyestuff, and Confederate soldiers were
sometimes called "butternuts" because their homespun
uniforms were colored brown with the help of this tree.
Pale-green, half-grown butternuts can be scalded, rubbed
smooth and soaked in strong brine (change the liquid every
day) for a week. Then drain the nuts, dry them and pierce
'em with a large needle. Pack the nuts with dill and
pickling spice or a sprinkling of nutmeg, ginger and cloves
and fill the containers with boiling cider vinegar. Seal
and wait a month... for what some oldtimers call "the best
pickle ever".
hickory
Hickories are relations of the walnuts. They're large,
well-shaped trees, 60-80 feet high, and thrive best in open
woods or at the edges of forests where they have plenty of
light. Most of the several species (other than the pecan)
are found all over the eastern half of the United States
from lower N ew England to the South.
Some folks say that harness racing could never have been
developed without the tough, elastic hickory wood that goes
into the sulkies. Hickory is also celebrated as the best
raw material for skis, axe handles, chair backs, barrel
hoops and other wooden items that have to do hard work.
Every outdoor cook knows its value as a fuel . . . and who
hasn't heard of hickory-smoked hams?
The shellbark hickory (its bark comes loose in long strips)
is the most popular ° for its nuts. The fruit from any
hickory, however is wholesome to eat if the flavor is good.
chestnut
The chestnut is included on this poster as a tribute to its
former importance . . . and in the hope that it may someday
be re-established in a disease-resistant form.
