All plants /Tree /Hickory Nut
Hickory Nut
Carya ovata, walnut family. Common in East Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Nuts in a splitting husk
- How
- Raw, toasted, or simmered for 'kanuchi'
- When
- Fall
- Where
- East Texas woods and bottoms
- Value
- Fat, protein, minerals
Caution: Sweet hickories are excellent; a few relatives are bitter but not dangerous. The shells are hard, so mind your fingers. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Harvesting
Shagbark and its kin drop nuts in a four-part husk. Gather early before squirrels clear the ground.
In the kitchen
Pecan's richer cousin. Traditionally the whole cracked nuts were boiled and strained into a nut milk that flavored breads and hominy.
Photo: KATHERINE WAGNER-REISS, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.