NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: https://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/377644
6 NEBRASKAland • OCTOBER 2014 Black Walnut Uses By Jenny Nguyen Black walnut trees are native to North America and are widely found in the eastern United States. Black walnuts were once widely used by American Indians throughout their range for food and black dye made out of the tree's roots. The Dakota, Omaha, Osage, Ponca, Pawnee and Winnebago ate the raw nutmeats plain, with honey or made them into soup. The Omaha and Ponca also mention the black walnut in their "Ishtinike and the Four Creators" legend, indicating their reverence for the tree. Early Euro-American settlers used the decomposing hulls of black walnuts to dye their hair, clothing, traps, and even turned it into ink. Black walnut wood is also highly prized among woodworkers for its strong, yet pliant, dark-colored heartwood, which is now rare and expensive, and subject to poaching. Historically, black walnut was the wood for making gunstocks, and also furniture, flooring and other wood products. Nuts can be harvested in the fall, beginning late September, October and even into November. Traditional recipes include them in candies, baked goods and ice cream; trees can also be tapped for syrup. Some sources say that black walnut shells were once pulverized to make activated carbon, a substance used to make gas mask filters during World War II. There are a few fishermen who create a "tea" by soaking rotting hulls in water to drive earthworms to the surface for easy collection. Gardeners, however, should beware: the roots of black walnuts produce a natural herbicide called juglone that may kill or stunt other plants from growing nearby, including tomatoes, potatoes, apples, pears, berries and some landscaping plants. Black walnuts can also be toxic to horses. For black walnut recipes, look to Wild Seasons by Kay Young. ■ 2\IV[H;YHJ[VY*VYWVYH[PVU ^^^R\IV[HJVT GRZQ$35¿QDQFLQJIRUXSWRPRQWKVRQSXUFKDVHVRIQHZ.XERWDHTXLSPHQWH[FOXGLQJ7*5 *)==* 966HULHVLVDYDLODEOHWRTXDOL¿HGSXUFKDVHUVIURPSDUWLFLSDWLQJGHDOHUV¶LQVWRFN LQYHQWRU\WKURXJK([DPSOH$PRQWKPRQWKO\LQVWDOOPHQWUHSD\PHQWWHUPDW$35 UHTXLUHVSD\PHQWVRISHU¿QDQFHG$35LQWHUHVWLVDYDLODEOHWRFXVWRPHUVLIQRGHDOHU GRFXPHQWDWLRQSUHSDUDWLRQIHHLVFKDUJHG'HDOHUFKDUJHIRUGRFXPHQWSUHSDUDWLRQIHHVKDOOEHLQDFFRUGDQFH ZLWKVWDWHODZV,QFOXVLRQRILQHOLJLEOHHTXLSPHQWPD\UHVXOWLQDKLJKHUEOHQGHG$351RWDYDLODEOHIRU5HQWDO 1DWLRQDO$FFRXQWVRU*RYHUQPHQWDOFXVWRPHUV$35DQGORZUDWH¿QDQFLQJPD\QRWEHDYDLODEOH ZLWKFXVWRPHULQVWDQWUHEDWHRIIHUV)LQDQFLQJLVDYDLODEOHWKURXJK.XERWD&UHGLW&RUSRUDWLRQ86$ 'HO$PR%OYG7RUUDQFH&$VXEMHFWWRFUHGLWDSSURYDO6RPHH[FHSWLRQVDSSO\2IIHUH[SLUHV 6HHXVIRUGHWDLOVRQWKHVHDQGRWKHUORZUDWHRSWLRQVRUJRWRZZZNXERWDFRPIRUPRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ2SWLRQDOHTXLSPHQWPD\EHVKRZQ *HWPRUH Ȣ JRȣIRUOHVVGRXJK ZLWK579;6HULHVXWLOLW\YHKLFOHV 'RZQ )LQDQFLQJIRUXSWR0RQWKV $35 2PDKD7UDFWRU,QF 6WK6W 2PDKD1( As black walnuts ripen, the outer husk changes from green to yellowish green or dark brown.