Can I eat this spiky nut?

#buckeye #horsechestnut #foraging

[FeralForaging]

You may have seen these strange fruits before on a small shrub or even a large tree like the one shown.

In the video, I call them “buckeye, ” but another name is “horse chestnut” (cannot be eaten like REAL chestnut). They are in the genus Aesculus. The one in the video, Yellow Buckeye, is Aesculus flava.

Have you seen these plants before?

[clvrcookie]

Correction: this is probably Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra) since the husk of its fruits are spiky unlike yellow buckeye (A. flava) whose husks are completely smooth

[drualasdove]

I’d love to see how these would be used to make soap

[LemonWitch]

Looks just like the horse chestnuts we get here on the West Coast, but the spiky pod is green, and even immature I don’t think the nuts inside are that pale. Thanks for the info, this is really interesting!

[MermaidMakes]

Here’s the process of making edible buckeyes. It’s actually pretty simple:

Mix peanut butter with confectioners sugar until you get the consistency of play dough. Roll them in balls, about the size of an average meatball. Stick a toothpick in each ball, leaving them in, and freeze for around 20 minutes.

Melt some chocolate in a double boiler or microwave (whatever method you use, just make sure it’s tempered)


Dip each ball in the chocolate, covering most of it except the very top. Let chocolate harden then remove toothpicks. Enjoy!

[Aku_Karya]

As a Malaysian with our own variety of unique fruits watching your videos I am very intrigues with the fruits and nuts you guys have in the states

[ibra]

Oh so that's what they're called in English. I grew up in Italy by a park and there were these 4 massive trees arranged in a square shape. We call them "Ippocastani" or "Horse chestnuts", yeah they aren't edible but they make good ammo for slingshots or to throw instead of rocks. Sometimes we had full on pelting matches when they were plentiful.

[Smok_Supreme]

The soapy stuff is saponin, and is very useful in breaking water tension aiding in even soil saturation

[GetOfflineGetGood]

I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF I knew what it was when you showed the leaf arrangement!!

[ryantheprofessional]

Would love a video on wild muscadine grapes.

[cas]

to me, I saw this and immediately thought conkers

[Alexa-Raine]

Any other Marines/ military mishear "There are many buckeyes, but this one is mine".

[lizajane]

You Rock Dude! In 3rd year of foraging Wild Lettuce..but 1st time actually attempting to proc ess it..im a lil scared, but how awesome is this Adventure!

[dinisuryanugroho]

I don't know if it similar plant, but in Indonesia, we have soapnut plant too, called Lerak.
My grandma used it to wash clothes esp Batik and Silk fabric. Because batik is very delicate fabric, and lerak helps to maintain the color of batik. Since there was detergent powder, lerak has been replaced. But, lerak/soapnut is much better, natural and allergy free.

[trashrat]

it did not survive our recent move but we had a painted buckeye sapling and as soon as you showed the leaves i was shouting BUCKEYE!! at the screen :)

[randysmith]

Historically, Europeans used the nuts crushed in boiling water to make a soap for cleaning laundry.
English ivy boiled as well for laundry.
Be careful, some people have allergic reactions, so test first on wrists to check for reactions.

[mrunique]

It's similar to a conker, or horse chestnut we have in the UK, as kids, we would wait until they ripen, dry them out, and drill a hole through the middle, stick them on strings, and have conker fights . You hold the top of the string so the conker hangs about 12 inches, and the other person tries to smash your conker with his with a downward smashing motion .
Was great fun as a kid, and people used to cheat and varnish them or soak them in vinegar to toughen the skins . Every time you won, your score would go up, for instance 7 wins you'd have a sevener or 8 wins an eighter, we had championships at school and took great delight at smashing someones twentyer to smithereens 😂

[pamelacourtney]

Are they also called soap nuts or is this totally different. Thanks. Blessings ❤

[lindawolffkashmir]

They are a type of horse chestnut. Watch out for that liquid, it contains cyanide compounds. Once completely dry, you can try to process them, but it’s usually more work than what it’s worth. Regular chestnut is spikier, and a lot rarer to come across.

[derainman]

I miss my buckeye tree, the mature seeds are very beautiful and while I don't really believe in good luck items, they still feel good to have.