River Hickory Nuts

November 7:

When I was growing up, my Father would often take us to the Woods at this season to go Nut Hunting. I remember the Days would be cold and the Air would be crisp as Fall would be on the Edge of Winter. We would be all bundled up. We would walk through layers of crackling Brown Leaves at our feet while Leaves continued to fall all around us.

My Dad was in his element on those Late Fall Walks through the Woods. He knew right where to go to find the Trees most laden with Nuts.

I can remember bringing back Buckets and Burlap Bags full of Nuts stuffed in the trunk of our car or the back end of our old green Pontiac Stationwagon. Over the coming weeks, my Father would crack open the hard shelled Nuts. He would carefully pick through them making sure that all those tooth cracking Hulls were taken out. That was quite a skill for an experienced eye as the Hulls and the Nutmeats looked exactly the same to my Child's Eyes.

My Dad was very good at separating them out as there were never any Shells among the Nutmeats. That was not so for our neighbor "Wag" across the street.

Then, those marvelous Nutmeats, a gift of the Season, would magically appear in some of our favorite Winter Baked Goods. We had to eat Wag's Christmas Cookies carefully to make sure we did not run into any Hulls.

Throughout his life, Dad could not resist picking up Nuts. In the latter years, he no longer made trips into the Woods. We still have a bucket full of Walnuts in Mom's Garage that Dad would have picked from a Neighbor's Yard the year before he passed.

Yesterday, Melanie and I visited Richard's Cousin Betty and her Husband Bradley. Bradley gaves us a sack full of those big River Hickory Nuts yesterday and I found memories tucked inbetween. Thanks Betty and Bradley!