A Happy group from ECSONG during their bus trip in 2017
A Happy group from ECSONG during their bus trip in 2017
President's Message
Ernie Grimo
Happy New Year everyone! It has been a catchup year opposite to that of 2016. 2016 winter was a warm dry one that followed up with an unusually wet spring, summer and fall. The summer dragged into late fall and now we are getting another catch up with the unusual cold winter that started at the end of December. What goes around comes around, it seems!
This will be a worrisome test winter for the Oregon hazelnut selections that have been introduced to Ontario. It will be a wait and see situation to find out if the -20°C weather will cause dieback, loss of production, possibly even survival of the young trees in the ground.
On the plus side, it was a bumper year for pecan production in 2017 that followed a year of a rare, almost no crop in 2016. The warm fall was ideal for the pecans to fill the kernels on all trees even the ones that seldom fill, hi the Grimo pecan orchard, Starks Hardy Giant produced filled nuts for the first time in 5 years. The hickory and hican trees had full crops too. The ultra-northern pecans appear to have the hardiness of our native hickories, so the cold start to winter we are having is no test for them. The areas where they are native along the Mississippi in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri have more severe winters than we do.
Now for the more serious part of this message... Our SONG leadership has not changed for a number of years now. I believe we have members who would like to make a difference in our organization but are afraid to offend the current officers by volunteering to take an office. Please do not feel this way. We have long time officers who would welcome changes and be supportive of new candidates. I am opening up the offices of President, Vice President, Membership Treasurer, Secretary and directors for volunteers. Let me know if any of these offices are of interest to you. There are many exciting projects SONG can be involved with both with local communities as well as SONG initiatives but we need your help and ideas.
Our fall meetings have been well attended meetings of late, I believe, because they have had innovation and purpose. I would like to keep the meetings well attended. I welcome suggestions for future meetings. Please contact me at ernie.grimo@yahoo.com or by calling at 905-934-6887.
ECSONG Bus Tour Returns to Rave Reviews
Shelley Adams
After more than a decade, the ECSONG bus tour has returned! On September 23, 2017 23 intrepid souls and one dedicated bus driver spent a fantastic day touring four public nut growing sites south of Ottawa. The tour started from the Kemptville site of Valley Bus Lines, where eight folks joined Cindy, our wonderful" driver, for the start of our adventure. The bus left promptly at 8:15 a.m. and arrived at our main pick-up point at South Keys Mall in Ottawa at 9:00 a.m. There a further 15 enthusiasts boarded the bus and we were on our way to our first stop at Oak Valley Pioneer Park.
ECSONG President, Gordon Wilkinson, welcomed all on board, presented a quiz on different tree leaves using actual examples he and John Adams provided and highlighted some identifying characteristics. The leaf examples included Carpathian walnut, black walnut, butternut, heartnut, pecan, Kentucky coffee tree, shagbark hickory, American chestnut, Turkish tree hazel, hybrid hazel, skinner hazel, Chinese hazel, white oak, bur oak, swamp white oak, Korean nut pine and Gingko.
Once at Oak Valley Pioneer Park, the group was warmly welcomed by Lester Mclnnis (Coordinator) and Murray Inch (former Coordinator). Murray gave the group a marvelous history of Oak Valley followed by a tour of the most interesting trees, including butternut, shagbark hickory, Korean nut pine, yellow buckeye, black walnut, gingko, Carpathian walnut, hackberry, English oak, red oak, and white oak.
After departing Oak Valley, Gordon read out a series of quiz questions and the winners were given Korean nut pine seedlings provided by John Adams. The tour continued on to Kemptville College, where we were met by Claude Smith, who had been the Coordinator of Horticulture at the College when it was open. She also owns a landscaping company. Claude pointed out many of the magnificent mature trees on the property including Katsura trees, false cypress, Kentucky coffee trees, butternuts, shellbark hickories, columnar showy mountain ashes, and a Japanese lilac.
After departing Kemptville College, the tour went for lunch at the Kemptville Mall - a chance for food and to cool down a bit from the 30+ degree heat!! At 1:45 p.m., we left for our next stop at the Filmore R. Park Nut Grove at the Baxter Conservation Area. On the way walnut and pecan squares, provided by John Adams, and healthy snacks and drinks provided by Dan Mayo, were shared around the bus.
Once we arrived at Baxter Conservation Area, John Adams, ECSONG Councilor, gave the group a very informative talk about the history of the grove and its trees which include: northern pecans, beech, buartnut, black walnut, shellbark hickory, honey locust, black locust, red, white and bur oak, Ohio buckeye, Japanese walnut and heartnut
As the group returned to the bus, a table was set up on the grass with a wide selection of nuts gathered by John Adams, which he offered to the group. Among the selection of nuts were: white oak, red oak, beech nut, Ohio buckeye, catalpa, bitternut hickory, heartnut, hazelnuts (various hybrids), Korean nut pine, Lavant shagbark, Baxter shagbark, shellbark (king nut), and butternuts, As you can imagine, most of the nuts went like hotcakes!
Once more into the bus, and we were off to our last stop, Dolman Ridge. John Sankey, past Coordinator of the Dolman Ridge plantation and long-time ECSONG councilor, gave a fascinating talk on the creation of the Dolman Ridge plantation and pointed out some of the incredible trees, including white, red and bur oak. After a very hot, but truly wonderful day, we piled back into the bus and were delivered back. The trip was a great success, and heartfelt thanks go out to Cindy, our extraordinarily adept bus driver; Gordon Wilkinson for his great MC duties; Dan Mayo and John Adams for providing drinks and snacks for all; Dan Mayo for providing a portable microphone system; Paige Cousineau for bringing a backup megaphone; and John Adams for distributing nuts and Korean Pine seedlings to the tour folks. And of course, a huge thank you to all of the great presenters: Murray Inch, Claude Smith, John Adams, and John Sankey. Finally, a big thank you to all of the ECSONG members who worked together to organize this tour. It was an amazing outing and we hope next year it will be bigger and better. See you next September!!
Ontario Black Walnuts: Uses & Opportunities
Geoff Christou
Introduction:
Black Walnut (hereafter BW) is a delicious and useful tree, which grows abundantly around
us.
BW trees dot much of Ontario's landscape, on the river and creek beds, and in many front and
backyards throughout our city.
Most people I have spoken to (not a scientific study) have never heard that the BW is edible. Some have even told me it is poisonous. When I provide them a sample, they are often extremely surprised and pleased by the flavor. Indeed the flavor is very unique among all the tastes I have experienced. It is a great treat to have some BW as a snack throughout the year foragers can easily get more than they need from a few of the trees which fill Ontario's cities and ravines. For those people not interested in foraging, the question is: where can I buy this?
There are examples of successful large-scale BW commercial operations, including Hammons in Missouri who harvested 30 million pounds of BW this year (2017) ~ but Ontario does not seem to have much if any sizable commercial market. Ontario BW are available for purchase at a few places, but the market is very small currently. It is quite a wonder that this delicious and nutritious crop is currently only harvested by squirrels, foragers, and SONG members in Ontario.
In my research so far, it seems clear that there are many opportunities for people interested in foraging BW for themselves, but also for profit. There are any number of possible business structures, which I hope, as Black Walnut Research Director for SONG, to help document and discuss with people. Some range for small-scale foraging operations, to region-wide B co-operatives with central hulling and cracking facilities. There are so many unharvested BW that there is room for a lot of people to "get creative". I look forward to working with those people interested in developing a knowledge and taste for BW in Ontario.
Uses:
Based on the current state of my knowledge and conversations into people growing and
harvesting Black Walnuts, I can report they are being used in the following ways.
1.) BW fed pork (hog hybrid), known as "Ironage". The fanner supplements the Ironage Hogs feed with BW. I conducted a taste test - it didn't yield notable differences. One advantage of this use is that hulling and shelling is not necessary. A disadvantage is that because of trophic pyramid, the majority of the potential calories go into the hog, and not into people. Through media campaigns, radio, local tradition, and advertisements, the farmers invite people to bring them BW. This seems to work well. An example of this is Perth Pork (www.perthporkproducts.com/).
2.) BW for human consumption. BW production for human consumption in Ontario might amount to around lOOOlbs. The price per pound varies from $15-$30/lb, retail. Demand comes from chefs, and gourmets. Some operations are more advanced, while others are more "garage" style. Most store the nut meat in the freezer. One advantage of this use of BW is the ability to feed people a highly nutritious food from a "foraged" crop. A disadvantage of this use, is that the BW hulls must be removed, and then cracked. There are many ways of hulling and cracking, depending on volume and desired usage. An example of this is Hammons (https://black-walnuts.com/) or Grimo ( www.grimonut.com).
3.) As "Nocino" liquor. A traditional Italian liquor that involves steeping the baby BW in Vodka or other liquor, with sugar. A taste test based on a sample I made, resulted in something very distinctive, with a taste similar to Fernet-Brance.
4.) BW pickled or as condiment. This usage comes from a traditional British recipe. My test of this was not well conducted, so it is hard to report any results, other than a "gritty taste".
5.) BW for furniture and crafts. This method involves using slices of the BW shell and gluing them into bowls, clocks, and any number of things. The shell can also be carved into different shapes, or used as a jewelry such as earrings.
6.) BW shells used in Industry. The BW shell can be used as an abrasive in sand-blasting, and in tires as traction. The BW shells are also crushed and used as the filling of pin cushions for pins and needles.
7.) As timber. The wood has been prized for hundreds of years. Within the last century most giant trees have been voraciously hunted and cut for their timber. There is a good opportunity to plant BW for a multi-purpose crop of Timber (after 30 years) and nuts (after 10 years). See "Black Walnut for Profit by Bruce Thompson".
8.) BW as an insecticide. BW contain juglone which has allelopathic properties. This has been reported to be useful as an insecticide. Some reports say the crushed shells, leaves, or hulls spread at the base of plants can help keep insects and fleas at bay, but the juglone might affect the plants as well.
9.) BW sap. Tests have been made by Cornell University, which show that BW sap is very tasty, though less sugary than Maple sap. Although at SONG we focus on the "Nut", the use of a BW grove for syrup production is very worth considering.
10.) BW as a dye. Anyone who has harvested BW knows that the hull turns into a dark green and black mass that stains whatever it touches. This can be used as a dye for fabric.
Conclusion:
In Ontario BW nuts are a niche product with extremely limited quantities available and very
little (but perhaps growing) public awareness. Because existing mature nut bearing trees are
super-abundant BW is theoretically accessible to all people in Ontario as a daily food-stuff, and
also to those who would harvest them and process them for sale. There is great potential in
developing an Ontario BW nut industry based on foraging from already existing trees. There is
also great potential in establishing BW groves, with multiple uses including for the nuts, nut
meats, timber, sap, and more!
As the BW Research Co-ordinator, my goal is to gather knowledge about how other people in the province are using BW, and share this research with SONG and the public. I will keep providing updates in the newsletter, or on the website, as new information or research becomes available. If you are interested in sharing your research, I can be reached at geoff.christou@gmail.com You can also visit my Food Forest project at http://balsamsavanna.ca/ or contact me if you would like to visit in person. (20 minutes North of Parry Sound)
The Essex Region Nut Grove after 37 Years
Gerry Waldron
Background
Inspired by Ray Metcalfe's article on the Orangeville Reservoir planting of 1979 (Song
news, January 2016), I decided to examine a similar planting in Essex County. This was
established at the Essex Region Conservation Authority's (ERCA) Cedar Creek Conservation
Area by ERCA and SONG on May 5, 1979. John Gordon and Douglas Campbell were present
and the Honourable Eugene Whelan, Federal Minister of Agriculture at the time, unveiled the
site's sign.
The planting took place on a nearly level former agricultural field of stiff, poorly drained Caistor Clay bordered on the west by a mature oak-hickory Carolinian woodland. Nineteen blocks and rows of seedling trees, 213 in all, were planted. These consisted of 42 Filberts, 32 Chinese Chestnuts, 22 Pecans, 20 Black Walnuts, 20 Carpathian Walnuts, 20 Shellbark Hickories, 10 Heartnuts, 10 Hicans, 10 Persian Walnuts, 10 Shagbark Hickories, 9 Hazelberts, 2 Chinquapin Oaks, 2 Persimmons, 2 Rock Oaks (Quercus acutissima), and 2 Scarlet Oaks.
In following years, maintenance consisted of mowing between the rows and likely Roundup (glyphosate) herbicide applications within the rows. With fiscal restraints, the grove's maintenance was reduced and eventually abandoned in the 1990's.
Present State
Today natural vegetative succession is well underway and the sign is long gone but the site
is easily found because of its location in the southwest corner of the intersection of County Road
20 and Co. Rd. 23 (Arner Townline). Where nut tree seedling survival was high, planting rows
are still visible and provide orientation in spite of the dense growth of native and introduced trees
and shrubs. Survivorship results are thought provoking.
It is surprising that no Persian or Carpathian Walnut seedlings survived, because generally they grow well in the Essex region and live for many decades. Most surprising though is the complete loss of Black Walnuts, given that healthy wild trees are establishing on the site. Conversely the failure of the Chinese Chestnuts could be expected on a seasonally waterlogged heavy clay soil. No doubt the same holds true for the loss of Heartnut and Scarlet Oak, Quercus coccinea. Two exotic oaks were planted and both species are still present. One of two Rock Oaks survives in perfect health with a diameter at breast height (dbh) of 33 centimetres and height of 11 metres and a solitary Japanese Emperor Oak, Q. dentata, (not included in the planting plan) persists in a dwarfed shrub-like form.
Of the 42 Filberts not one remains, yet curiously a single Hazelbert of nine planted is in a thriving state. All 22 Pecans survive in good vigour and produce crops quickly taken by wildlife. The largest of these has a dbh = 30.5 cm and ht. = 11.5 m. Both Persimmons are likewise doing well (dbh = 24.5 cm, ht. = 10 m) and producing large crops of seedless fruits - both are female. Lacking seeds they are spreading by root suckering. Shellbark Hickory prefers sites like this, so it is not surprising to find all 20 trees doing well. Ten each of Shagbark Hickory and Hican were planted; today all the Hicans are thrifty (dbh=21 cm, ht. = 7 m) but oddly only 3 Shagbarks survive. Although it is a shame that the grove was neglected for the past twenty-some years, it remains instructive. It illustrates yet again the need to choose appropriate soil conditions for specific tree crops. Shellbark Hickory is obviously the native nut tree best adapted to Caistor Clay type soils. Given the Essex Region Nut Grove results, wildlife habitat enthusiasts should consider the non-native Pecan, Persimmon and possibly Rock Oak as productive wildlife food plants on such clay soils. Although all three 'species' are well adapted to the site, the Shellbarks and Pecans have proven more productive than their hybrid, the Hicans. And the lone Hazelbert should find its way into a breeding program - there must be some superior genes harboured in that germplasm.
In an effort to reforest the vacant spaces in the nut grove, the Conservation Authority has wisely decided to plant seedlings of Shellbark Hickory and Swamp White Oak, both of which are exhibiting good adaptation to the site. Given the historic and current importance of the grove, it is recommended that the Conservation Authority remove any volunteer trees threatening the health and survival of the original plantings.
| Species | # Planted | # Surviving |
|---|---|---|
| Filbert | 42 | 0 |
| Chinese Chestnut | 32 | 0 |
| Pecan | 22 | 22 |
| Black Walnut | 20 | 0 |
| Carpathian Walnut | 20 | 0 |
| Shellbark Hickory | 20 | 20 |
| Heartnut | 10 | 0 |
| Hican | 10 | 10 |
| Persian Walnut | 10 | 0 |
| Shagbark Hickory | 10 | 3 |
| Hazelbert | 9 | 1 |
| Chinquapin Oak | 2 | 0 |
| Persimmon | 2 | 2 |
| Scarlet Oak | 2 | 0 |
| Rock Oak | 2 | 1 |
| Japanese Emperor Oak | ? | 1 |
More on The Nut Man of Islington
Brian Yawney
Following Hurricane Hazel, the City of Toronto and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority created Echo Valley Park. It straddles Mimico Creek just northwest of the intersection of Kipling Ave. and Burnhamthorpe Rd in Etobicoke Ontario. The Park preserved a large portion of George Corsan's nut farm which dates back to 1911. Unfortunately, some of the exotic and hybrid nut trees that Corsan planted have been removed or did not survive. Nevertheless, many significant trees thrived on this protected site. Brian Yawney, a local resident, and Phillip van Wassenaer of Urban Forest Innovations Inc. recently surveyed the property to select five of the best remnant specimens for heritage tree nomination. Additionally, to supplement the nomination, Denise Harris of the Etobicoke Historical Society researched and compiled a history of the diverse life of George Corsan and his nut farm located in what has become known as Echo Valley. Mr. Corsan was an interesting and eccentric man well beyond his passion for nut trees. The combined arboreal and cultural submissions lead to the recent designation by Forests Ontario of five wonderful specimens as heritage trees. (http://www.forestsontario.ca/communitv/in-the-spotlight/heritage-trees/)
Both Phillip van Wassenaer and Denise Harris eagerly volunteered their expertise as a labour
of love because of their long awareness of, and association with Corsan's Nut Farm. We owe
them both a debt of gratitude. The challenge now is to spread the welcome news, promote
memorials to Corsan and awareness of his collection of unique trees within the Park and to
establish a maintenance program to ensure that the various unique specimens in the Park are
properly recognized, preserved and continue to thrive. Perhaps, for example, changing the park
name to Corsan's Grove could be considered. The five, geo-located specimens that are now
designated as heritage trees are:
1 ) Black walnut( Juglans nigra ) - dbh; 104 cm, height: 23 m,
2 ) Black walnut x Persian walnut hybrid( J. nigra x J. regia ) - dbh: 105 cm, height: 25 m,
3 ) Turkish hazel( Corylus colurna ) - dbh: 84 cm, height: 19 m,
4 ) Hican( Carya illinoinensis x Carya sp. ) dbh: 80 cm, height: 18m and
5 ) Persian walnut( Juglans regia ) - dbh: 60 cm, height: 22 m.
Black Walnut Plantation of the Late Neil Thomas
Gordon Wilkinson
The late Neil Thomas was a long time member of ECSONG who owned a large black walnut plantation west of Mallorytown and published Biomass Nut Production in Black Walnut in 2010. His plantation was visited many times by ECSONG members and was the highlight of the NNGA's bus tour when they held their annual meeting in Ottawa in 2007.
Unfortunately, Neil died several years ago and his property and plantation were sold to new owners. John Adams and Gordon Wilkinson drove to this property in November to see whether Neil's black walnut trees were still standing. It was a relief to see that they were. It is not uncommon for new owners to clear cut nut orchards they've acquired. The new owners were not at home, but John and Gordon met the neighbours, who gave them permission to view the black walnut trees from their fence line. They also provided the phone number of the new owners, who will be contacted to arrange a visit to explore the plantation in detail and perhaps find out what plans the new owners may have for it.
We will keep SONG members informed about what we discover.
Provided by SONG. Feel free to copy with a credit.