All About Pocket Knives

Paladin wrote: ↑Tue Oct 06, 2020 6:23 pm

TPK wrote: ↑Tue Oct 06, 2020 4:53 pm

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Tue Oct 06, 2020 4:43 pm My grandparents had a big black walnut tree. Grandpa would pick up the walnuts and put them on the gravel driveway. After a few weeks of the car driving over them most of the green husks would be broken off. He picked out the walnuts (still in the hard black shells), and cracked them with a hammer. Usually he had a burlap sack full. Then he and grandma, along with occasional help from us grandkids, picked out the walnut meat.

You’re right Tom, the cookies are great! So are the brownies, cakes, and pies. There’s no other flavor like black walnut - other walnuts just don’t have that same taste.

Ken

Yes, my my mom, aunt and grandmother also put the nuts in my grandmothers gravel driveway to remove the outer shell. I didn't think anyone would know what I was talking about if I mentioned that.

Down this far south in Texas we have a variety of Walnut that is possibly unique to this part of the state. There aren't very many of the trees and when I 1st found some of the nuts I carried them to the local nursery guy for identification.
Later on, I killed a dove and noticed a very full crop. I opened it up and found that 4 or 5 of these marble size Walnuts had been eaten by the bird. I always felt like I did the bird a favor by euthanizing it as I see no way he or she could have ever processed even one of these in his gizzard. As my Dad used to say 'they were hard as a ministers penis' or something like that.

Ray

Never heard that saying before. LOL!

The Old Wives, whoever they might have been, used to claim that the juice from the green hulls of black walnuts would treat ringworm.

There was one Summer when half the kids in the neighborhood were walking around with ugly green/yellow stains.

Charlie

Ray you left out " at a June wedding" at least that the way I always heard it. I've got several black walnut trees iff'in you want some come on up. You can have all you want to pick up. Back when I was yonker we put'em in the the ole gravel road in front of house to let the automobiles hull'em and hoped the road grader didn't come before we got home from school. My sister would put the goodies in chocolate fudge candy, now you talk about good , make you want to wrap your tongue around your eye tooth.
Several years ago I'd pick up them up in a old 5 gallon pickle bucket and dumped them in the bed of my old pickup, this went for a couple of weeks and I had the bed about half full. A neighbor gal came by to visit with the wife just as I dumped a bucket full into the bed, she ask what I was going to do with them. I said I was gonna take'em back to the woods and scoop them off in to a gully. She said you know that the recycle place in Springfield will buy them don't you , I said no I didn't know that. Well I thought what the hey , next time I carried the trash off I went by the place and ask if they wanted these walnuts, sure, we scooped them off into a hopper ,the machine hulled them and bagged them and the man paid me $12.50.

The Eastern Black Walnut (Juglan nigra) is much larger (3/4" to 1-1/4") than the Texas Black Walnut (Juglans micropcarpa) (also known as the Little Walnut, Texas Walnut, River Walnut, Nogalito, Nogalillo, Namboca) at 1/2" to 3/4".

Unlike the Eastern Black Walnut which has a widespread range, its little brother has a very spotted distribution, with little enclaves scattered along creeks and rivers of Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

In California, we also have our own species of walnut, Juglans californica, the California Black Walnut. However, that's not the commercially grown walnut. Apparently, it is sometimes used as the root stock for commercially grown English walnuts. Walnuts was a big business where I grew-up in Central California. Several of the neighboring farms had large walnut orchards (we did not, we only had two trees that made plenty of walnuts for Xmas cookies) The walnut farmers have had some really bad periods due to pests & diseases. I remember a time in the 1980s & 90s when many, many very old walnut orchards were cut down due to pests. I think they came up with some different varieties and new chemicals that helped and the industry fought back. I seem to recall that over 90% of the commercially grown walnuts in the USA come from Central California.

TwoFlowersLuggage wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:57 am In California, we also have our own species of walnut, Juglans californica, the California Black Walnut. However, that's not the commercially grown walnut. Apparently, it is sometimes used as the root stock for commercially grown English walnuts. Walnuts was a big business where I grew-up in Central California. Several of the neighboring farms had large walnut orchards (we did not, we only had two trees that made plenty of walnuts for Xmas cookies) The walnut farmers have had some really bad periods due to pests & diseases. I remember a time in the 1980s & 90s when many, many very old walnut orchards were cut down due to pests. I think they came up with some different varieties and new chemicals that helped and the industry fought back. I seem to recall that over 90% of the commercially grown walnuts in the USA come from Central California.

Aren't those commercially grown walnuts from California English walnuts?

Ken

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:18 pm

TwoFlowersLuggage wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 3:57 am In California, we also have our own species of walnut, Juglans californica, the California Black Walnut. However, that's not the commercially grown walnut. Apparently, it is sometimes used as the root stock for commercially grown English walnuts. Walnuts was a big business where I grew-up in Central California. Several of the neighboring farms had large walnut orchards (we did not, we only had two trees that made plenty of walnuts for Xmas cookies) The walnut farmers have had some really bad periods due to pests & diseases. I remember a time in the 1980s & 90s when many, many very old walnut orchards were cut down due to pests. I think they came up with some different varieties and new chemicals that helped and the industry fought back. I seem to recall that over 90% of the commercially grown walnuts in the USA come from Central California.

Aren't those commercially grown walnuts from California English walnuts?

Ken

Yes! That is what I was trying to say when I said "Apparently, it is sometimes used as the root stock for commercially grown English walnuts." The English walnut tree is grafted onto California black walnut root stock. I guess this gives the walnut better root quality in the California soil & weather.

Some color is being to show.

Is that last one a maple? It’s beautiful.

Still too early for fall color here. If it’s turning here now, it’s dying!

Ken

Beautiful pictures everyone!

Here's some cool looking clouds behind my uncle's place tonight...

Nice pictures, Bighomer and Ryan.

Here is how it is beginning to look around my area...

Beautiful picture!

I think you call it Fall, we just call it Autumn, but it is the best time of the year, in my humble opinion. The intense heat has gone, nice warm days, hardly any wind, crisper nights for sleeping, and the colors of the trees is just simply beautiful. Hope you all have a good weekend.

Amazing how the colors are changing day to day.
Taken the 6th of Oct. Taken the 8th of oct.

Nice comparative photos, BH. You are right, things are beginning to change fast.

Here are some "signs of the season" from my late afternoon walk.

Thanks for the nice photos Ike.

Agree..

Out making an Uber Eats delivery I ran across this sign....lol

And they were taking your picture while you were taking your picture.
Figure that out.
Charlie

Beautiful pictures Ike. Persimmons are still green here. Based on fruit load it’s a good year here for persimmons and pecans. If I can just get some before the critters get them!

Scott, I like that sign. I can do math, no problem. But I’m sure couldn’t teach, or understand, using today’s lingo. Even though the answers are the same they use terms today that I never heard of!

Ken

Should have got a fall colors picture of the grove we pulled her out of yesterday. 64 F100. Could be a long term project. My grandpa gave me a beat up 65 when I turned 15 and got a school permit. Inline 6, 3 on the tree. My daughter is in auto body school. We are hauling it to her after church. She's going to get the body work done then I can start on the drivetrain when I save up more funds. It's gonna be hard to be patient.
Bill

An acquaintance posted this photo the other night. It’s just a photo.

Makes me wonder what Charlie Brown and Lucy VanPelt would have seen it this.

Charlie

Sunrise over a frosty paddock. Hope you are all having a good weekend, and have a good week.

That's a great picture, Cudgee!!!

Doc B wrote: ↑Mon Oct 12, 2020 12:00 am That's a great picture, Cudgee!!!

Thanks, not mine, that is well beyond my capabilities. But you are right, it is a great picture that i thought members may like.