Most of us can find at least one specimen of the finest walnut in our area, as this species is commonly grown in gardens for eating and shopping, parks and squares, and is also often wild.
We love it for its delicious fruit and appreciate it when it is extracted from its tough, grayish-brown skin when ripe. Walnut is a treasure of health, but apart from that, walnut leaves also deserve attention.
Although walnuts are commonly grown in Poland, they come from a much warmer region, Asia Minor. It also grows naturally in the Balkans and Central Asia. It is not so bad in our climate, but it freezes in severe winters. Nuts love sun and heat. It is a fast-growing tree, but after 10-12 years it starts bearing fruit.
In autumn, we are satisfied with harvesting ripe walnuts, which are not lacking for amateurs. Bakeries and confectioners then buy them for sweets and confections. They taste good in cakes and pastries with the addition of caramel, although their properties lose their importance in this form.
However, nuts are worth eating, first of all, on their own. They contain beneficial fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin B, potassium, zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
Walnut helps the functioning of the nervous system, prevents arteriosclerosis and diabetes, protects the heart, opens coronary arteries and lowers blood pressure, supports the skin, has anticoagulant and immune properties. And it is an excellent source of protein. They also contain substances with anti-cancer properties.
A few nuts a day are enough to meet your total omega-3 needs. Nuts are also one of the most caloric – 100 grams of them have about 650 kcal, so eating them without additives is even more valuable. A valuable oil is also pressed from the nuts, which is used both in cooking and in cosmetics.
Raw leaves and nuts
The soft, ripe nuts we love to decorate our cakes and desserts aren’t all nuts have to offer. In June, it is worth collecting and drying the green, growing and healthy leaves of this tree. They can then be used to make infusions and decoctions for use on the skin and internally.
walnut
Drinking this drink helps with diarrhea, food poisoning, gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammation of the stomach and duodenum. We can also use it to wash skin damaged by inflammation, acne, mold, fungus or excessive sweating.
It will also be used for gargling. Walnut leaves have astringent, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. They also stop minor bleeding and close blood vessels.
Decoctions and infusions relieve inflammation of the vulva and anus, making them suitable for traditional baths and sitz baths. All this is thanks to the high content of tannins, flavonoids, tannins, triterpenes, phenolic acids, essential oils and carotenoids.
In addition, the attractive nature of raw nuts is green nuts, which can be harvested in June and early July. They are used to prepare delicious and healthy foods. First of all, it is worth making your own crushed walnut tincture using a 70% alcohol solution.
This tincture is used as a stomach drop when problems occur in the digestive system, especially in cases of diarrhea and poisoning. Nuts also help fight parasites.
Prepare homemade jam from raw green walnuts with a very attractive taste and black color, which is especially recommended for stomach and duodenal diseases.
Nuts in cosmetics
Walnut oil and extract are also used in cosmetics. They often appear in hair and scalp care products because they inhibit inflammation and have anti-dandruff properties.
They also help fight acne, moisturize the skin, and regulate sebum production. We can even make exfoliants from crushed walnut skins, and the juglone dye found in walnuts and green leaves is used in cosmetics to treat black hair.
In Sayk, you can visit the Walnut Museum for the full history. Martel is also home to walnut factories (Moulin à huile de noix and Ferme Auberge) where you can see walnuts being turned into oil in ancient stone machines.
You can also visit another factory in Corrèze, Le Moulin de Manerol (Pazayac). Here we also see the production of this delicious food. Bring home walnut oil for your kitchen. It is delicious when added to a salad. Have you ever wondered how they get so many nuts from so many trees?
Harvest time is October. Place a tractor-mounted clamp around the walnut trunk, run the tractor engine at full power, and shake the tree vigorously for about one minute to dislodge all the nuts.
So a careful machine like a wheeled conveyor belt picks up the fallen nuts. If you’re lucky enough to visit in the fall when pecans are harvested, chances are you’ll see them in October.
As you approach service, don’t forget to try the local liqueur (Vin de noix), which is apparently made from walnuts. This delicious flavor is obtained by soaking unripe summer-harvested walnuts and their outer green skins in alcohol for over a year.
If you’re traveling in autumn, visit the villages of Tegra and Sayk, where the annual walnut festival is held in October. In general, these two villages celebrate Tas in any way: music, entertainment for children, alcohol…
If you still have room in your purse, buy a bag of walnuts from your local grower. It’s much cheaper than what you’ll find at the grocery store, and definitely tastier.
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