Missouri Nuts

Blog Category
Discover Nature Notes
Published Display Date
Sep 16, 2018
Body

The beginning of fall is a great time to gather homegrown nuts in Missouri.  Our top three featured nuts that fruit in September and October are black walnuts, pecans and hickory.

Missouri is the world’s top producer of black walnuts which are used in many baking recipes and are our state tree nut.  A green rounded husk about the size of a tennis ball covers the dark nut.  The kernel is oily, sweet and edible.  Walnuts are a hard nut to crack and first-timers will need tips to succeed.

An easier nut to gather is the pecan.  It’s naturally splitting husk and thin shell make it fairly easy to gather and process.  Pecans are one of the most important cultivated nuts of North America and are tasty in pies.

Just as flavorful as pecans but lesser known are hickory nuts.  Missouri has over eight species of hickories and the better tasting nuts come from shellbark, shagbark and mockernut trees. Hickory nuts are an important food for many species of wildlife including squirrels, turkeys and ducks.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with hickory nut sandies.


Ingredients:

  • 1 c. butter
  • ¼ c. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla 2 c. flour
  • 1 T. water ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1½ c. hickory nuts

Instructions:

Cream butter and add powdered sugar, vanilla and water. Add flour, salt and grated nuts, mixing until dough is smooth and cleans the side of the bowl.

Learn more about Missouri's edible nuts in this Missouri Conservationist article.

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