Nuts to you

I've been talking about the walnut windfall we've been experiencing this year. There is a lone walnut tree out in the vineyard behind our house. We walk by it nearly every day with Callie. This year, it seems to me, the tree has the biggest crop of walnuts that I've seen in the seven years we've been here.

A big basket full of found (free) walnuts from the tree in the vineyard.

For a few days in a row Ken and I filled our pockets during our daily walks. I've made two walnut pies and I've toasted walnuts for zucchini bread and for salad. We still have a lot of them left. They are small, but they're very good and we're enjoying them.

Callie loves walnuts. She'll stop under the tree and break one or two open to eat during her walk. Whenever I crack walnuts in the house, she sidles up and begs for some. She knows how to crack the shells and get at the good stuff inside. Amazing little dog.

The town across the river from Saint-Aignan is called Noyers-sur-Cher. That means "Walnut trees on the Cher." I wonder if there used to be some walnut orchards over there. I don't really know of any now, but maybe they're there.

I'm thinking of making some walnut biscotti this week. Stay tuned.