Buckeye Nuts
What Are Buckeye Nuts?
Good question. Buckeye nuts are the seed of the buckeye tree, which of course has been made famous in Ohio. Buckeye nuts are considered to be a lucky charm of sorts, and it is not at all unusual to see these hard shelled nuts hanging from many native Ohio residents’ key chains and rear view mirrors. The tree itself is rather charming, and is planted all over the country, but is most readily appreciated in Ohio. Most colleges and universities have ferocious, fiery, wild-like mascots who are menacing and cunning and the sign of shear strength and stamina. Not Ohio State University. They have decided to stick with buckeye nuts as their success symbol. To each his own, right?
Buckeye nuts are the seed of the flowering buckeye tree, as mentioned. The pod of the nut is shiny and light green in color, and will remain tightly sealed until the seeds within have reached full maturity. It is not uncommon for one pod to hold as many as four buckeye nuts, and these seeds will be sprung from their protective fruit layer when the sprouting season is near. Buckeye nuts are a favorite pass time for young kids, who spend hours and days hunting them for bragging rights. They resemble hazelnuts pretty closely, but are a bit bigger and darker, and are very shiny. There is a catch, however. Buckeye nuts can not be eaten raw, as they are slightly poisonous. The Indians used to roast these nuts and then mash them into a paste for a very nutritious meal supplement.
Buckeye nuts are rarely eaten today, but are not one of the more popular and more readily available nuts on the market because of this potentially poisonous attribute. Many dessert recipes, cooking, and candy are named for buckeye nuts, and they are usually meant to resemble the pretty little seed. There are buckeye cookies, which are flavored and colored with peanut butter. There a re buckeye candies, which are also flavored and colored with peanut butter. Real buckeye nuts must undergo heating and leaching treatments before they can be considered as an edible food source, and there are few recipes available which deal directly and specifically with buckeye nuts.
There are beliefs that properly treated buckeye nuts can quell the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. For the most part, however, these nuts are considered toxic. The only animal unaffected by eating these seeds raw is the squirrel, and even he will use them only as a last resort. So, the moral of the story is that buckeye nuts are better kept as a lucky charm, the names of cookies and candies, and as the somewhat confusing mascot for a brave and long respected college university.