Four Season Foraging

Did you know that Minnesota has tree species that are classified as endangered by the state? Here is one of them - the butternut (Juglans cinerea), also known as the white walnut. Once a common tree in eastern woodlands, it's now imperiled due to the butternut canker, a fungus introduced to North America in the 1960s. This fungus manifests as a black, charcoal-like crust on the bark of the tree, which you can see in the fifth pic.

Butternut is a close relative of the black walnut (Juglans nigra), but a few distinguishing features can help you tell them apart:

🌿Butternut has oval-shaped nuts with sticky hairs on the husk, whereas black walnuts are spherical and not sticky.
🌿The leaves of butternut have a terminal leaflet that's similar in size to the other leaflets; in black walnut, the terminal leaflet is absent or reduced.
🌿Leaf scars of both species resemble a monkey face, but on butternut the top edge is mostly straight and often has dense hairs. Black walnut leaf scars are notched at the tip and lack the band of hairs.

As an endangered species, it is illegal to "take, import, transport, or sell any portion," including the nuts! That means no foraging! (Note that you can legally harvest butternut in many other states, however.) The MN DNR has issued a general permit to "take, collect, transport, dispose, or possess state endangered butternut for the purpose of enhancing survival." You do not need to apply for this permit - it is a blanket permit that covers anyone who reads it and follows the conditions! Definitely look it up though, as it is very stringent (you can find it through the link in my bio.) The permit does NOT allow for:

🚫Consumption or decorative use of seeds
🚫Sale of seeds or live trees
🚫Harvesting or propagation of butternut hybrids (primarily with the Japanese walnut, Juglans ailantifolia)

Maybe with the concerted effort of foragers, naturalists, and other folks who love the outdoors, we can help this species flourish again and get it removed from the state's endangered species list!

I was lucky to attend the Midwest Wild Harvest Festival in Wisconsin this past weekend! It was a whirlwind of fun classes, tasty food, knowledgeable instructors, and great conversations. Some highlights for me included:

1. The walnut mycena mushroom - so cute!! 🥺
2. Learning from at her mushroom walk
3. 's mushroom intensive (here we are looking at a butternut with fungal blight)
4. Chicken of the woods
5. A native red mulberry!!
6. Bat s**t - my first time identifying it! 🤓

Also the food by and crew is always amazing, but I somehow managed to not take a single picture (probably because I was too busy eating it!!) The black walnut milk, fennel salad, and fermented ramp sauce were some of my favorites 😋

If you've never been to this event, I highly recommend checking it out next year (though tickets go super fast so you have to be really timely and a little lucky to get in!)

For those of you who attended - what were some of your favorite moments?