Do you know what these are? These are ginko tree nuts! We have a lovely ginko tree at the entance to our neighborhood and it has been turning lovely colors of pale green to yellow to brown and now it is bare of all leaves. Did you know that ginko trees come in male and female? The female tree smells!
On the bare branches of the female ginko tree are little pods and the pods have been falling into the street where I am a crosswalk guard. Someone told me that inside the fleshy pods were the nuts that are so delicious when used in stir fry dishes and Chinese custards, so.... I wanted to go natrual and decided to gather up some pods and see if I could really use the nuts."Don't!" someone warned me. "Those pods are smelly. Just go to the supermarket and buy some already de-podded nuts."
But no, I wanted to do it the organic way so I picked up about a dozen pods and peeled off the fleshy part. PEEWHEW!!! Smelly is right!!! Throw away that pair of workman gloves! I peeled the rest of the ginko pods by stepping on them with my shoes. When I took my shoes off in the entryway the cats found my smelly shoes intruiging.Next I washed the nuts that were inside the pods and ended up with a kitchen that smelled like a stink bomb had gone off. These things are deadly!
Finally I put the nuts into a paper envelope and popped them in the microwave. The smell is only in the pods so no more smell and the hard shells burst in the microwave so that I could get the green meat on the inside. With my 12 nuts I made Chinese custard with chicken, vegetables and eggs. Delicious!
But maybe next time I'll buy my nuts at the supermarket. This was a lot of work for 12 nuts...
12 comments:
Tanya--what is a Japanese Custard like? Can you share a recipe?
I was also going to ask about Japanese Custard, it sounds intriguing. I bet you felt good after all that effort though. It reminds me of a conversation I had with Christopher this morning. The car was iced up and he wanted to throw hot water on the windscreen, but I prefer to scrape. I actually like the feeling of a job well done, plus it saves on water and heating, I get warmed up and get some right-arm exercise. I guess the pioneer spirit lives on!
There's a female ginkgo near my office. It's huge and old. The pods smell like dog poo, I think. Did you know that the trees can change sexes over a lifetime? It a very ancient species. How very interesting!
I love ginkgo nuts.
Please use the skillet instead of the microwave for better taste, and just roast the hard shells with no oil. Yummy,Yummy
You're right - that is a lot of work - and smell - for 12 nuts, but it was well worth the story!
Now you can say you've done it I would definately buy the next Ginko nuts needed at the supermarket!!
That is good story! I learned in my botany class years ago that female gingko trees are illegal in some cities because of the smell. You certainly were determined to go natural!
I actually thought this story was funny. What we go through to seek out something new. I wish I knew more about Japanese foods. My mother was from Japan, Chotise, however she passed a few months after my birth. I think I missed out on a lot of my heritage. I do have Aunts still in Japan, however, they do not speak English. Once again, I'm at a lost. I did meet my eldest Aunt for the first time about 10 years ago Meiko, it was a wonderful reuntion after almost 43 years. Rae
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(You know, that had too many typos - sorry for the deletion, I'm trying it again!)
I had no idea ginko were edible. You don't see them for sale here. Your exertions to peel them are kind of like what we ran into with black walnuts - great nuts but waaaaaay too much work at to get the paltry yield! At least they don't stink, but they do stain, and you practically need a hatchet to get through the outer shell. My father-in-law used to spread them on the driveway and run the car over them to crack the outer husk.
I always learn something when I come to visit you!! Glad the meal was delicious after all your effort!!
Heh. We have a little ginko tree that the previous owner planted so I have no idea if it's male or female!
Right now I'm feeling the same way about pecans. I harvested three very large bowls full, but the shelling of them isn't so much fun...sigh.
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