hickory nut "tea"

There weren't many local hickory nuts in our area this year.

At least not in our yard,

and probably whatever crop there was, 

the squirrels managed to get to first. 

I was happy to find some folks on ebay who forage for nuts 

in other areas of the country

and sell them in bulk boxes.

I just had to buy some hickory nuts because I didn't want to go through winter 

without hickory nut tea!

I had never heard of hickory nut tea until last winter,

and wow!

It is so delicious!!!

Look at this beauty!

Like a brain...!

I don't know if hickory nuts have any specific benefits for your brain,

but drinking the tea feels really deeply nourishing

and the fact that it's delicious makes it even better.

A quick google search told me that hickory nuts have:

a bunch of healthy fat

a little protein
vitamin A

vitamin B-1 (good for your muscles, heart, & central nervous system)

vitamin  B-6
vitamin E

magnesium (so important, and most of our soils are magnesium deficient!)

phosphorus
and a little calcium

and probably a bunch of other good stuff.

Hickory trees are native to North America.  

Hickory nuts have been a valuable food source, 

appreciated by Native Americans,

who made hickory "butter" and

"milk" (this tea) and used it in much of their cooking.

Hickory nuts are really tough nuts to crack.

You can put them in a plastic bag and pulverize them with a hammer.

Some folks recommend soaking them in warm water for 30 minutes or so

before attempting to do anything with them because otherwise

 they shatter or explode or
just keep bouncing out of the cracker or from underneath the hammer.

Before I knew about the plastic bag method

I tried just hammering them and 

that was a total disaster - they just flew everywhere

and I didn't manage to crack a single one.

Then we tried a cracker.

The GET CRACKIN nutcracker.

Made right here in the USA and I got ours at Lehman's.

It works really well.
But now having tried the plastic bag and mallet method, that's much faster.
It destroys the plastic bag, though,
so be prepared for potential mess.

 I'd recommend putting a kitchen towel or something underneath to catch what falls out of the bag
where it ends up splitting.



I smashed a bag of our hickory nuts smithereens in the driveway tonight
because we were both craving some good hickory brew.

The goal for making hickory nut tea is actually 

to shatter them as much as possible, 

to expose as much of the shell surface and nut meats.
There's no fussing and mussing about separating shells and nut meats,
you want all of that good stuff because it infuses the brew
with deliciousness and nutrition.

Look at how moist and full of healthy oil these are!

 Pour your smashed hickory nuts into a big pot.

 Add water.  (a 3:1 ratio, or just eyeball it...

I've done even a 6:1 ratio and it's still been amazing!).

The finest bits of nuts will float automatically.  

Cover and heat until it reaches a low boil and then turn it down to simmer.

 You'll get some nice frothing action.

Mmmmmmmmn!

 As it simmers and steeeps,

the brew will turn darker from the shells,

and all the delicious nut meats will be floating like a

gorgeous mosaic on the surface.

Scoop yourself out a hearty portion

and sweeten to taste with maple syrup.

There's no need to worry about shells getting into your cup -- 

they all stay down at the bottom of the pot.

The nuts give such a fun texture, you get to drink and chew!

This is absolutely my favorite steaming beverage to have anytime in the fall or winter.

I hope you can find some hickory nuts so you can try

this nutty nourishing brew!

------------

mojitos... so easy!

I know, I know, I hardly did any blogs this August.

I was too busy living in "August time."

Which, as you know, is a very special time zone.

One of the things I was doing in August time 

was experimenting with making

the perfect mojito,
and getting familiar enough with it
so I could just whip one up any 'ole time.

---------

I've discovered that I have some issues now, though.
New issues, I should say.

I used to just be able to love mint for being mint. 

A nice herbal addition to foods, or a refreshing / soothing tea.

Right?

Well, maybe.

Now, whenever I smell a really delicious mint, 

I can almost taste rum.

I can hear the selzer bubbling.

And I think mojito.

Mint = mojito.

Ut oh.

And after spending time at the beach
with my sister this summer,
now I have another problematic association.

Strawberries = daiquiri.
Actually any fruit = cocktail opportunity.

But I digress.
------------

Let me tell you how to make mojito magic.

It's the easiest thing.

Do it once or twice, and you'll never forget.

 You can add fruit and/or herbs if you really want.

Strawberry  + basil...

Blueberry...

Grapefruit...

Watermelon...

Coconut...

Mango...

Peach...

 Basically any kind of fruit combo you want to create

if you're feeling funky or creative

or want to use some fruit up.

And the rum, well, it's up to you.
You can leave it out if you want,
which I do plenty of times,
and it's still the most delicious lime-mint drink ever!
Sometimes it tastes even better without the rum.

Anyway, I'm not going to tell you
how to make every kind of fruit mojito,

just the basic.
The original.

The purist, minimalist mojito.

Once you've got this down, you can experiment til the cows come home.
Or the chickens get in the coop!

----------

So get ready to muddle things up.

You need:
 rum, seltzer, a lime, simple syrup (1:1 ratio), 10-15 mint leaves.
and 
your favorite glass, a muddler, and some ice.


optional:  lemon-lime soda

--------

As for the mint, any mint will do.

Particularly a spearmint.

But the original is supposedly a Cuban mint
called mentha villosa

which I will be planting for sure next year.

Do this:

Cut half a lime length-wise into 4 wedges.

Put one in the bottom of your glass 

with 2 T of simple syrup, 

and some mint leaves

and muddle it all up.

 I must say I really love my muddler.

It feels good in the hand and has some nice pokey things on the bottom

which help release the flavorful and fragrant oils

of the mint and lime....

Mmmmmmnnnnnnn!

Then add 2 more lime wedges and the rest of the mint and muddle those up.

Add a generous splash of rum.

(I like just enough to make my belly hum...

and in general, I think it's always better to start with less 

and make it stronger to your taste than have to dilute it later.)

Fill your glass with ice.

Then add seltzer, or lemon-lime soda or a little of both.

Stir it well.

(If you're only using seltzer, check the sweetness level

and add a little more simple syrup if you want.)

Rub and then garnish the rim of your glass with the last lime wedge.

That's it and that's all.
The mojito magic is all yours now.
 

Enjoy!