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Old 23-09-2005, 01:21 AM
enigma
 
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DrLith wrote in
:

wrote:
i'm not sure if it's a walnut tree or not, but in the
forest preserves there are these fruits that fall off
trees that look and kinda smell like lime.

if you crack it open, it's all dark and musty inside. if
you wash away the dark stuff, there's a seed or nut. if
you crack it open, it looks kinda like walnut flesh.

is this a walnut or related to walnuts? can it be eaten?

if it is edible, must it be cooked?


If you're in the US, it's probably a black walnut, though
possibly butternut, which is a closely related species.
Butternuts are slightly more elongated, while black walnuts
are , which is a native tree. Black walnuts are edible and
do not need to be cooked, although they're (a) harder to
shell and yield less than English walnuts; (b) have a more
bitter taste; and (c) can stain your hands.


butternut hulls are sticky, smaller & more oval than black
walnuts. both are native trees, although the butternut is
severely endangered by blight. i've lost all my butternut
trees. the black walnuts are apparently immune to the blight.
since the OP says the nuts are about the size & shape of a
lime, i'd bet they're black walnuts.
lee
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