A small haul of hickory and a whole lot of nuts

Another roadside score from the same location that I got last month’s American elm. Morathis Fantabulous Ulmus Maximus Several trees felled and pushed down the bank, left to rot. I was only interested in the hickory today. As an added bonus there were piles of ripe nuts all over the ground, which I collected with my kids. I love foraging for hickory nuts as they’re absolutely delicious to snack on during the winter IMO. Shagbark are the best but all species are edible.

 

Nice big hickory nuts, great wood. Hope the vines isn't poison oak/ivy. Not sure we have shagbark here, seems I recall seeing one a few times when I was young but not 100% on that, might've been a somewhat shaggy white oak. Need to read up on distribution.

 

Oh those were all furry poison ivy vines wrapping the entire log Fingers crossed I don’t get it too bad. The last couple times I’ve cut near the stuff I’ve lucked out.

 

all done hoarding until Winter??? Famous last words. Nice stuff there. Idve been all over that too.
I HATE embankments!

There was nuts here and there at yesterdays cut. Several hickories standing including a shagbark. I recognized its nuts. Do you roast them or eat as is or roast?

 

I thought I was done… but it’s hard to pass on hickory. There’s one more shorter log there I plan to get too. Unfortunately it’s further down the bank, but worth it in my eyes. The nuts I leave in a breathable bag in my basement for a couple weeks. After that, the green hulls split apart more easily. I get the nuts inside and leave them in a cool dry place for storage. When I’m ready to eat them I crack a bunch open and dig out the nut meat inside.

 

Its okay Eric...its Winter somewhere!

Along with banks, poison ivy is another roadside nemesis. If i do get it its on my arms in the short sleeve season. Try to be careful around it. Havent got it in a couple years.

If and when i go back after the rest of that hickory, ill grab some of the nuts to try. I remember once eating them with my dad when i was a kid. There was a huge hickory next to the driveway.

Any other good wood near this scrounge? Is it near your work?

 

There’s a few log lengths of dead ash that’s still worth messing with, although the smaller stuff is getting mealy. The larger trunks look solid except for the outer sapwood. This is about 2 miles from my house, just over the border in Terryville/Plymouth. Nice quiet backroad with no nearby houses and minimal traffic. Great place to scrounge except for the steep bank.

 

I dont mind the logistically challenging scores if the traffic is minimal. Im really liking these FBM scores in recent months.

 

Man that is nuts.

 

That hickory looks awesome. Nice score, though I'm nervous looking at the fuzzy vines. I swear I could get poison ivy from those pictures if I'm not careful.

My wife's family is from the T-ville area. Beautiful up there in that end of the state. I'm a SECT guy through and through, but I love those hills in Litchfield county.

 

If it was red maple or yellow birch covered in poison ivy I’d have left it in the ditch I found it in. From my experience with the little bit of hickory I’ve burned so far, I’ll gladly deal with the vines. Gloves and a hatchet knock them right off. I’m lucky enough to not be too sensitive to it though, and I know it’s agonizing for people that get it badly when exposed.

 

mix up a solution of 50-50 bleach water, wipe your exposed skin down after handling suspected poison ivy/oak/sumac
It really helps in knocking down any oils on you, follow up with more if you notice any blisters/rash.
I usually just use it straight and than rinse my arms off.
Been working for me for years. I'm not picky, I'll go get it unless its completely covered.
When I was a youngster I was covered in it so bad I had to get a shot for it. Dum landscaping boss had us weed whack a field of it and none of us thought anything about it.

 

Shagbark hickory is the highest btu wood I've burned. I spotted a stash of splits in my stacks that will more than likely get used this winter. If I were you, I'd not leave any of it behind.

 

What about BL? Even though its rated lower on the FHC chart, it is higher btu than shag?

 

Following the FHC chart and the one below, it's a bit lower down. Dad warned me of SBH when I started burning wood. He actually severely warped the grates in his oil/wood combo furnace with it. I remember seeing 2 of the 3 taken out and they sagged down about 3-4". I haven't burned a lot of BL... yet, but I have burned some. IME, shaggy wins.

 

I’m definitely getting the other shorter log, and while I’m there I’ll take another look to see if they left any of the limbs. Hickory of any kind is not something I get much of.

 

I had what Brad would call Hickory mania a few years ago. It is a bit stringy to split but it's more than worth the effort.
Lot clearing score.

 

We have a SBH dropping nuts and leaves in our pool. We thought it would be OK during pool season but it's not. Future firewood.

 

They make a great pie! I use a pecan pie recipe and substitute hickory nuts for the pecans. I eat the pie very slowly to enjoy ever crumb because cracking enough hickory nuts for a pie is a ton of work!

 

I was out running errands tonight and went 2-3 miles out of my way to snatch that smaller log I found another one pinched under a large ash that I’ll have to get another time. No saw with me today, otherwise I could’ve retrieved it.