Butternut

Juglans cinerea · also: white walnut, noyer cendré

How to ID it

Close cousin of black walnut, but husks are oblong/egg-shaped, not round
Husk surface is sticky and covered in fine sticky hairs (glandular)
Lighter grey, smoother bark than black walnut; pinnately compound leaves
Nut shell is ridged and pointed at one end

Safety

Safe to eat, and sweeter and oilier than black walnut. Same catch: the sticky husk carries juglone and tannins that stain skin and clothes — wear gloves.
Butternut is a declining species (butternut canker), so harvest lightly and leave plenty; don't strip a healthy tree.

Harvest

Gather the oblong, sticky-hairy husks from the ground in fall. The stickiness rubs off dark onto your hands, so glove up. Take a modest share only — butternut is being wiped out across its range by a canker fungus, and every surviving tree matters.

Prep

Husk and wash as you would black walnut, then cure the shells 2–4 weeks in a dry, airy spot. The shell is hard and ridged; crack with a hammer. The meat is oilier and sweeter than black walnut — closer to a mild, buttery pecan, which is where the name comes from.

Notes

If you find a healthy, productive butternut, note it and protect it — they’re increasingly rare. Leave seed nuts behind to regenerate. Because of the oil content the meat goes rancid faster than other nuts; use or freeze it promptly.