I went to go listen to Brian Hammons speak about Black Walnuts, and I actually learned a lot. Before this, my only exposure to the concept of Black Walnuts was through the wood, because I had a phase where I was extremely into carpentry and wood crafts as a whole. Black Walnut wood is actually a very valuable hardwood, good for decorative flourishes, but its shock-resistance and strength also makes it perfect for gun stocks.
Despite being more or less native to this state, I had no idea that we even had a state tree nut, let alone one that so many people like to use in baked goods or ice cream. I also didn’t know that Missouri produces, on average, 65% of the Black Walnuts on the market every year, or that they’re so insanely high in protein. And they can use the whole nut for things, like even the shell can be used as an abrasive to clean metal, which is good, because only something like 6.5% of the Black Walnut, by in-shell weight, is actually edible. Some companies are even starting to use the shells as fill for Astroturf fields, replacing tiny rubber crumbs. Of course, they’re biodegradable, so they would need to be replaced every once in a while, and I don’t really know how that would work with a football player that’s allergic to tree nuts, but I’m a writer, not a scientist, so I will leave the speculation to smarter people.
Black Walnuts seem like one of those things that I really should have been aware of, and it’s really my own fault that I wasn’t. They’re all around, all over the state, in the ice cream, on the golf course in my hometown. I’ll have to look for them the next time I find myself at the grocery store.
Will Write for Food 