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Although English walnuts are more common, black walnuts are a delicious nut used in many gourmet recipes. It’s more difficult to source black walnuts because they’re a lot harder to crack and they can even cause staining if you crack them by hand. Black walnut harvesting is currently in full swing, and they have numerous health benefits, uses, and an interesting history.
Did you know, black walnuts contain the highest protein content of any tree nut? They are also packed with a variety of important nutrients, such as, copper, iron, Vitamin A, fiber, Vitamin E, folate, melatonin, potassium, antioxidants, and magnesium. As a result, consuming black walnuts may improve your cardiovascular system, reduce cholesterol, help with obesity prevention, balance blood sugar levels, improve healthy gut bacteria, and boost your body’s ability to avoid diseases.
The beautiful wood on a black walnut tree, plus the sturdy texture of it, makes it an excellent wood to work with. The hulls from black walnuts are used in plant dyes in shades of cream, light brown, and dark brown. The wood is used in many different products like furniture, cabinets, and veneers.
Black walnuts have a rich history as well. They were used to treat problems with the kidneys, gastrointestinal system, ulcers, toothaches, syphilis, and snake/spider bites. Dr. Axe has a great article on black walnuts which shares, “Native Americans used the bark, leaves, husk and nuts as a mosquito repellant, to treat skin conditions and psychological disorders, and were also the first to use hulls as a laxative and for eliminating parasites in the intestines.” The wood was very popular with gunsmiths who used it to make gunstocks for long rifles.
As you can see, black walnuts are a superfood that bring bold flavors to recipes and have a plethora of different uses. If you’d like to save time picking up black walnuts, check out our Black Walnut Harvesters.
