EPISODE 465 BLACK WALNUTS…WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THEM?

alan skeoch

oct. 2021

Every year someone gets conked with a falling black walnut.  Like getting hit with a world series hardball.

This year it was Marjorie’s turn.  She got wopped on the bare upper arm as she diligently tried to gather

the walnuts before the cursed red squirrels got hem hidden away in the barns.  

Now we differ on black walnuts.  I like them and have planted a number of trees on our farm.  Marjorie does 

not like them at all.   A subject of some tension each year as the walnuts fall.   they are edible but getting to

the walnut meat requires a sledge hammer and careful hand picking the walnut meat from the tooth breaking

shards.   Red squirrel teeth are better at this than human teeth.  A walnut shard is capable of breaking the

best of human teeth.  So walnuts are just wasted.   We race to get as many as we can before

the red squirrels.  Then what should we do with the baskets of nuts?   There was a time when I 

pitch walnuts along the Ontario side roads like Johny Appleseed did.   Now I take credit for a lot of walnut

trees in full growth with their progeny ‘whopping’ a few cars no doubt.

what to do with this year’s crop?   “Let’s put them in Andrew Skeoch’s fire it.”  “Not far enough away, the red

squirrels will find them and bring them back.”   “What should we do with the red squirrels.?” “Call Jackson Skeoch, he

may have an answer.”

In short black walnut season is a troubled time.

Yes, black walnuts float.  Ghastly site each year on our small pond nearest the house.

Black walnuts are killers.  Their root system is toxic to other trees.  I made the mistake of planting a hickory tree

within 20 feet of a walnut tree.  For three decades the two have been sparring beneath the ground.  This year

the hickory died and the black walnut celebrated by filling the pond with nuts.   I hope the floating nuts do not

hurt our snapping turtle as he or she sleeps for the winter at the bottom of the pond.

Marjorie is smiling.  A forced smile as she made me look at her bruised arm.

Math problem for you…what speed can a falling walnut reach before it hits the ground…or before it got Marjoie?

Here is one cache of the red squirrel…we got them