Go nuts with nuts this fall

This fall, INHF predicts many happy squirrels, turkeys, deer… and KIDS! This is because many nut-bearing trees across the state are experiencing a mast crop of nuts. You may already be seeing loads of acorns, walnuts and hickory nuts. It’s a nut-a-palooza out there!

A mast crop refers to the large number of nuts produced and then dropped by the trees. Many trees, like oak trees, experience mast crops every two to five years, and it can depend on factors like pollination and weather.

With the abundance of nuts, what better time to collect and explore them! With your family or on your own, try these activities the next time you find yourself in proximity to nuts.

 

 

 

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1. Go nuts on a nut hike: Whether in your own neighborhood or a local park, you’re sure to find a variety of tree nuts. Go on a walk and see how many different kinds you can find. Bring a bucket or bag to collect them for further exploration at home. Use our seed scavenger hunt from our Acorn Crew resources for even more fun!
2. Determine if you’ve got a good nut: Squirrels collect large piles of acorns daily, testing each one with a sniff and a shake to determine if they should eat it immediately or store it away for winter. Test acorns and other nuts yourself by adding them to a container of water. The ones that float are good to be buried and saved for winter. Those that sink are no good. They may contain insects, be rotten or have no nut at all inside. Acorns often have the larvae of acorn weevils — small insects that eat acorns from the inside out and bore small exit holes in the outer shell, causing them to rot if left in the ground for too long. Sometimes you can even hear the larvae munching away on the acorn in your hand!
3. Crack open some nuts: Before you begin, make sure to do this with an adult and be sure of nut allergies. Nuts vary greatly, both on the outside — the husk and hull — and on the inside — the “meat.” Explore nuts by cracking them open using a nut cracker, hammer or rock. Some nuts will crack easier than others. Walnuts, for example, may take a little extra muscle. Do you notice different colors, textures or sizes of the nut meat? You can even taste the difference! Try a shagbark hickory nut in comparison to a black walnut, for example. You may want to skip taste testing acorns as the tannins make them extra bitter. Iowa State University has some excellent information about harvesting and preparing walnuts. 
4. Grow more nuts: If you don’t want to eat the nuts, you can always try growing them yourself!  For acorns, after determining if it’s a good nut, you can plant it directly into the ground or try speeding up the process in your own home with the following steps:
   1. After you’ve found your good acorns, soak the viable acorns in water for 24-48 hours to rehydrate them. 
   2. Then place the acorns in a damp paper towel and seal them in a plastic bag or clear container like a mason jar.
   3. Next, put the bag in the refrigerator for several weeks. This is called cold stratification and mimics winter, which the nuts need to experience to start their growth process.
   4.  Remove the acorns from the refrigerator and make sure no mold is growing. Put them in a window or other sunny, warm spot and watch for roots, stems or leaves!

Learn about growing other native Iowa seeds through ISU extension.

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Now head outdoors and go nuts!