Runge Nature Center
Whenever I walk this area I can get a 3 mile workout in. I double back on one section to accomplish this. While visiting this area you might run into the resident flock of Wild- Turkeys, lots of birds, squirrels, and even a Black Snake. There are numerous trees some really large and old, and even a fire tower which you can climb.
Black Walnuts
Seeing these brought back some fond memories. When I was a child my mother went out and bought a bushel of Black Walnuts. Now either she did not know or maybe didn't care but she hulled these nuts from their skin only to end up with stained hands dyed a deep shade of walnut. She used gloves the next time. I helped her break the nuts, with a hammer, and then picked the meat from them. She then baked Chocolate Chip Cookies with Black Walnuts. My all time favorite and I would set there and eat them as fast as she could bring them from the oven. I bake with Missouri Black Walnuts but I buy the big bags from Sams, hulled and ready to use.
The American Black Walnut is native to 32 states and finds its home here in the Ozarks as the official tree nut of Missouri. It is one of the most valuable natural forest trees in the United States with a variety of uses. The flavorful nuts are harvested as a popular food while the wood is used in crafting furniture and gun stocks. The husks can be used to make dyes, and the shells—the hardest of any tree nut in the world—are used for a broad range of industrial applications. As a result, the Black Walnut is one of the most fully utilized trees in America.
