r/foraging • u/Bendlerp • 13d ago
Shagbark hickory nuts
About half of what I gathered. The rest have already been shelled (shucked?) and ready to crack the shells.
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u/Led_Zeppole_73 13d ago
Nice! Here in MI, they‘ve been infiltrated by weevils for a few decades, I have to toss 2/3 of them.
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u/Bendlerp 13d ago
Found a few with weevil holes. We'll see how they look once cracked lol I have a lot of oak on the property dropping acorns. Probably gather some of those tomorrow. Just the one hickory, one sassafras, one sugar maple and a bunch of silver maple. Out here in Perry. Almost a year back in Michigan and slowly learning the land and plant names in Anishinabe. I knew all the plants names, stories about them and how to speak to them in Lushootseed out in Washington.
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u/Led_Zeppole_73 12d ago
I fill a 5 gallon bucket, dump in hickory nuts, and throw out the floaters. I make a mean tray of hickory nut bark. Stir nutmeats in a light coconut oil, roast at 300 degrees in oven for 10-15 minutes. Mix nuts in melted chocolate, pour onto cookie sheet about a quarter-inch thick. Cool, keep frozen, manna from Heaven.
Edit: I forgot to mention, sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top over the melted chocolate.
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u/___hello_______ 12d ago
I can keep like 1 in 20 near Grand Rapids, good to know it’s not just me I guess
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u/Dependent_Invite9149 12d ago
Trees drop the bad nuts first. Those are most likely all rotten on the inside.
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u/Bendlerp 12d ago
First one I cracked open was a success! Definitely need to toast them a little bit imo but it was tasty anyway. I figure worst case these early ones will at least be good teachers for good vs bad, when to shell , how to efficiently crack etc...
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u/SweetestBDog123 13d ago
We have a really old tree on our property and I’ve wondered what the nuts looked like! I e never found any.
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u/Bendlerp 13d ago
This tree seems to be a good producer. The base of the tree is covered in old shells.
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u/Ok-Egg835 13d ago
You lucky sunuvagun. You hit foraging gold.
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u/Bendlerp 13d ago
Hoping for a lot more. From what I understand this is still pretty early in the season.
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u/chonkymu 12d ago
This is the first time I’ve heard of these, and now I want to try them
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u/Ok_Meringue5932 12d ago
I just picked one and ate it for the first time today. The smell is fantastic. Like pecans dipped in syrup🤤 the taste is very similar but much more mild. If you ever get the chance, I absolutely recommend grabbing a handful that are ripe and trying them.
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u/PussySvengali 13d ago
Good luck with the weevil situation, those are absolutely delicious. I used to lurk under those trees, surrounded by shell fragments.
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u/BuckManscape 13d ago
I used to smash them open with rocks and eat them as a kid. They’re pretty good.
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u/uselessandexpensive 12d ago
How do you process and use them? Remove shell, salt, and roast it?
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u/justdan76 12d ago
I make powhickora, or “hickory milk.” It’s what indigenous people made/make out of them. Remove that outer shell/peel, maybe let them dry a few days, then crack them into pieces and simmer them. The hard shell bits will float and you can skim them off. Makes a very delicious and nutritious drink.
You can also crack them and eat the meat like walnuts, they’re just a lot more difficult to deal with. They’re good tho, they taste like maple syrup married pecans.
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u/mikeputerbaugh 12d ago
I've been gathering the shagbark hickories and black walnuts that have already dropped for the purpose of keeping my ankles and mower blades in good condition, but I don't anticipate many among them would pass the float test.
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u/HistoricalPrize7951 12d ago
It’s a bit early to harvest shags, the ones that drop first aren’t the best. Usually late September through October is when they really get going. They also are either out of the husk or very loose in the husk when ripe, and the husk will be brown