Granny Bostock's walnuts...

When Granny Bostock came to stay she brought a great big bag of walnuts fresh off her friends tree in Salisbury.

We set about cracking the nuts and pulling out the brain-like nuts. 

Walnuts are amazingly high in omega 3 and 6, vitamin E and vit B6 making them super food for a healthy brain and nervous system.  They are a perfect example of the Doctrine of signatures, that everythung provides us with a sign as to what its good for.  Walnuts look just like brains, encased in the hard skull shell.

They have a slightly bitter taste sometimes especially when the skin goes a bit black.  This is from the phenols, an antioxidant compound that developes to protect the plant but will also protect human cells when we eat them.

Its latin name if Juglans nigra, black walnut...
We use walnut in herbal medicine, we harvest the green unripe fruits and tincture them to make a dark black liquid.

To make black walnut tincture: 
1. harvest green unripe walnuts in their shell. 
2. chop up and place in a jar
3. Cover with vodka or similar strong alcohol 
4. Leave for one lunar cycle, 
5. Strain and bottle

It is a great purifyer in the body, strong hepatic/liver action, laxative, and great for skin conditions.  It is used as part of a traditional combination for worms of black walnut, cloves and wormwood.

Walnuts were thrown to Roman wedding guests by the groom to bring good health, to ward off disease, and increase fertility.

We use the nuts to make delicious nut butter in our juicer which has a nut butter attachment, in delicious babana cake or just to chew on....they taste so creamy and fresh straight off the tree.

The walnuts'll keep our brains in check over the sluggish winter months.