CFN- One of our Earth Matters’ followers sent a note asking if we could supply information about light bulbs as he wasn’t convinced that switching from Incandescent Light Bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL’s) was the best choice for his pocket book or the environment.  In writing this article we at Earth Matters hope to provide information which will help you in formulating a clear course of action based on your needs and wants.Firstly, the life span of a CFL is on average ten times that of an incandescent bulb.  Now the CFL’s average about four times the cost of an incandescent bulb however considering the proposed length of service the higher cost of the bulb is definitely offset assuming all other things such energy consumption are equal.

CFL’s consume considerable less power which produces huge savings for your wallet and translates into a lighter carbon footprint in producing the product.

According to www.ajdesigner.com using a compact fluorescent bulb can save about $42.00 in total costs over the lifetime of the bulb and reduce greenhouse gas produced by power plants by about 690 pounds of carbon dioxide.  According to the U.S. Energy Star program the CFL will pay for itself in about six months time.

Each CFL contains a small amount of toxic mercury.  Absorbing or inhaling mercury has been attributed to causing brain damage in adults and children.  Breaking a CFL in your home or disposing of your used CFL’s in the garbage unleashes poison into your environment.  The following link gives clean-up instructions should a CFL be broken in your home.  http://www.epa.gov/cfl/cflcleanup-detailed.html

.

All burnt out bulbs can be disposed of in your hazardous waste recycling days in your community or may be returned to your local Hardware store who will (if they offer the service, check before taking) look after disposing of this products safely.  I phoned two of our local Hardware Stores, Canadian Tire and Rona; both offered safe, FREE disposal of CFL’s.  Inquire in your community.  Many vendors of CFL’s offer disposal of CFL’s for the benefit of their clients and community.  Please do take advantage of this service for the benefit of our living planet.

Now one might think that an incandescent bulb offers a better alternative because it does not contain this toxic mercury however further investigation proves otherwise.  While the incandescent bulb does not contain mercury it does have a higher overall mercury footprint when compared to the CFL.  This is due to the additional energy required to use the bulb over the same time frame.

.

This energy is often supplied by coal-fired power plants which are our number one source of mercury pollution according to www.mnn.com  Consider that the exposure to mercury from a CFL will take place only if the glass that contains the mercury breaks.  So your potential for risk is determined by the amount of times that you have every broken a light bulb.Some words for thought.  According to www.earthfriends.com only 5% of consumers use CFL bulbs.  Surprising given the bulb is widely available.  According to Energy Star, as noted on the Earth Friends site, “The United States could eliminate greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars if each household in the country replace just one incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb.”

According to www.mnn.com using CFL’s are one of the easiest ways to shrink your electricity bill and help the environment.

Earth Matters encourages and always welcomes your commentary below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

.

One of my neighbours who puts out bird seed for our over wintering feathered friends sited Red Winged Black Birds at his feeder during the month of December.  Unseasonably warm temperatures mixed with rain were the ideal conditions to force worms to the surface just before Christmas, a site we wouldn’t normally witness until early spring or late fall.

.

 Mother Nature seems to coincide the surfacing of the worms at a time when our migrating wildlife needs energy for the travel to or from their over wintering grounds.   Last week I heard songs from birds that would indicate mating season had arrived.  I could barely believe my ears.  Red squirrels have been sited scurrying about and just this past week a pair of Robins were sited flying into a residential area on the outskirts of Cornwall, Ontario.

.

The most unsettling sightings have been trees which are beginning to bud, as seen in the title image and the image below.  The image below is of buds on a bush outside of my dentist’s office, photographed this past Wednesday.  As one can see this bush has clearly gone past the budding stage and is actually beginning to bloom.

For the many in denial with regards to Global Warming, take a look at what is going on around you.  Really LOOK and see.  Your own eyes may be calling you to reconsider your thinking and stand concerning this matter.

I caught a portion of The National this past week, a Canadian News program and was taken aback at how all the concerned Environmental groups and people who are expressing their unease about the Environmental impact of the XL Pipeline and Gateway were labeled as “Radicals” by our Canadian policy makers.  I don’t think being labeled as a “Radical” is necessarily a bad thing considering an on-line dictionary description indicates a radical to be someone who “advocates fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions.”

.

My concern is in how this label seems to paint all these groups and their supporters as “terrorists” against the current government in power and against the population in general.  Wow!  Personally I am a supporter and concerned citizen of my community, my country, my world and my living planet.  I am concerned about our continual pursuit of finite energy sources and its mode of mining and delivery if it puts the health of our clean air, water, soil and habitats at risk.  Our current practices haven’t always and do not always serve us well.  I think it is time for a RADICAL shift, a time to put the health and welfare of our people and living planet before PROFIT.  Now is the perfect time to consider and move forward with alternate clean, renewable energy sources.  Mr. Harper, how can I help to make this happen?

Your commentary is encouraged and welcome below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

CFN - Looking to Green your way through the New Year?  Here are some simple doables that will help you do just that.Coordinate your shopping trips and errands with neighbours and friends.  If the two or three of you can alternate driving the children to classes or carpool for the weekly grocery trip, each of you can save money and time, cut down on fuel emissions and find a little extra “you” time.

Become regular customers with your local food producers.  Shopping local for food on the table supports your local economy, encourages new agri-businesses, provides you with nutritious options and certainly is beneficial to our world environment in that we are transporting these goods over a very short route.

Skip the long drive-through line for that take-out coffee or sandwich.  Consider parking and walking.  This reduces emissions, saves you money and time, and gives you a little physical exercise; a boost for your overall well being.  Oh yes, and remember your reusable cup for your beverage.

Plant yourself a little vegetable garden.  This is an awesome way to incorporate some exercise for your health and wellbeing and insure you have a fresh supply of your own organic vegetables or fruit throughout the growing season.

Skip the take-out lunches with all the plastic and Styrofoam that goes with it by packing your own nutritious lunch in reusable containers, with reusable cutlery and the reusable napkin.  You will save yourself money, alleviate the load on your local landfill and you will have control over the quantity, quality and nutritional value of the “fuel” consumed to keep you charged up for the afternoon.

Contemplate planting a tree or fruit bush around your house or business.  This will provide oxygen to our environment, and much needed shelter, shade and/or food for you and our local wildlife.

Make the most of the resources that go into each and every thing that is in your household or workplace.  Compost, Recycle, Repurpose or Donate.  Once an item has outlived its usefulness in your home or office what effort can be made to insure it does not end up in a landfill site?

Incorporate task lighting into your space.  If you regularly work at a desk where the whole room is lit by some overhead lighting it is quite likely that a desk lamp in your immediate work space will provide the needed lighting with less wattage which will save you considerable energy and money over time.

Collectively we can make a huge difference in our community by incorporating one to a few of these doable changes.

Of interest to all of our Ontario readers, we have been advised that the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (reports on compliance with the Environmental Bill of Rights, the government’s progress in reducing green house gas emissions and its actions towards achieving greater energy conservation in Ontario) will be releasing a special report at a media conference on January 10, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.  The conference will be available via web cast.  To watch the live broadcast of the conference, visit http://www.eco.on.ca  No questions will be taken during the web cast.  The full report will also be available in print, PDF and e-book (.pub) formats on the same date and time through the site noted for the web cast.

Your commentary is encouraged and always welcome below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

CFN - Reflecting on some of the images and words shared on line concerning peoples’ Christmas celebrations and the amount of “stuff” involved in such a holiday I cannot help but ask myself, “What the heck are we doing”.  Human consumption whether for survival or for having the “latest model” of something is affecting the health and survival of our planet.  If we wish to sustain our world population now and for future generations great thought and action must be given to consuming less and by making the full cycle of production, use and disposal sustainable.“What would a sustainable society look like?  It would meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  It would be a system that respects the limits, the carrying capacity of natural systems.  It would be powered by renewable energy sources and, so far as possible, would emulate nature, WHERE ONE ORGANISM’S WASTE IS ANOTHER’S SUSTENANCE.  We have the technologies needed to make a sustainable society happen.  The question is whether we have the political will?”  ~Quantum Theology, Diarmuid O’Murchu~

Our own well-being is intimately tied to the diversity and health of eco-systems on our own planet.  Maintaining diverse eco-systems such as wetlands and forests is vital for our health and that of our living planet.  Paraphrasing Chief Seattle, “whatever befalls the earth, befalls man”.
According to Mike Nickerson “humankind is faced with an historic challenge.  Collectively, we have grown to where we are stretching the limits of our planet, yet society’s goal is more growth.  Now that continued expansion is causing our biggest problems, we need a goal that aims to stabilize our impacts”.  Evidenced by information in the “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment” Wikipedia confirms that “global scale scientific data now indicates that humans are living beyond the carrying capacity of planet Earth and that this cannot continue indefinitely”.

What can we do?  Each individual action that each of us makes can collectively make a huge difference and pave the road for sustainability.  Personally I make the most of the “things” that I have.  I do not need, nor want the latest model of “whatever” currently on the market.  Where possible items are repaired, recycled or repurposed to insure that the most use is made of all the resources that have went into making a product.  I recently had three blankets repaired so that we could continue using them.  There were some holes, and the trim was beginning to or had already freed itself from the blankets.  We could have simply purchased new blankets; however these items had served us well over the years and with these repairs will serve us for many years to come.  Engaging the services of a local person for the repairs also helped sustain a local business and the community.
We can begin by making thoughtful choices; choices that support sustainability.

My number one sustainable action for 2012 is saying no to Polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam.  This is an item that can be challenging to eliminate from ones life.  I do know that it is doable.  So this means I must be prepared to shop somewhere that offers an alternative, be prepared to pay more for an alternative, (if needing items for a picnic, function, etc.) and be prepared to walk away without a desired product if it can only be purchased with the Polystyrene (Styrofoam).  I know I can purchase take-out without this material and even manage to make my meat purchases (means going to a butcher or meat counter and asking for butcher paper) without Styrofoam.  The challenge this year will be to get by business suppliers to accommodate my wishes.  I know customer service is top priority for business, and they will do what they can do support my wishes and to support a healthy planet.

Why not Polystyrene?  This is a product that in the majority of cases goes from table to garbage to landfill.  For more information about this substance visit http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html

Your commentary is encouraged and always welcome below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

Enter “transglutaminase”, more commonly known as meat glue.  This is a powdered enzyme derived from beef and pork blood plasma.  This mixed with various meat scraps is then kneaded together then rolled in a material such as waxed paper to allow the enzyme to react with the meat so that the scraps adhere together once being allowed to rest in the refrigerator for about six hours.  Once the curing time is finished remove the paper and slice the now solid piece of meat into fillets for the grill or frying pan.The enzyme acts like a coagulant; binding the meat surfaces when mixed together.

So is this something that should concern us?  According to The French Culinary Institute’s blog,( LINK)  …meat glue is safe.

.

They say that transglutaminase, TG, is neutralized by most cooking processes.  As TG is a powder it is recommended that masks be worn when working with the product so as not to inhale the powder.

.

.

TG is “generally recognized as safe” by the US Food and Drug Administration.  Further more the above site mentions studies which have come to opposite conclusions as to how the human body breaks down the protein bonded with TG.  One study indicating difficulty breaking down the bonded protein and another showing the bonded proteins absorbed and broken down as if they had not been bonded.

The following   video    takes a look at how this glue is used in the marketplace.  In this video concern is voiced about the higher likelihood of food poisoning from glued meat products, particularly when an item is cooked rare or medium rare.  The bacteria count on a glued together steak is one hundred times higher as this cut now includes many more surfaces which have been exposed to the elements and are now glued together.  For someone who relishes a rare or medium rare steak this now increases one’s risk to food borne bacteria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo2S3Oqom5o

.
So we know that consuming food which has been treated with growth hormones, anti-bacterial agents or anti-biotics can affect our bodily functioning.  Should we be concerned about what affect consumption of transglutaminase, a blood clotting substance will have on our bodies particularly if we consume the derivative product raw or rare?

.

I would certainly be talking to my health care professional if my current health situation was keeping an eye out for blood clots or if I was on a daily regime of blood thinners.

.

Your commentary is encouraged and always welcome below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

.

In remembrance of a child that was born to live as a shining soul of great love and understanding we at Earth Matters would like to take this opportunity to wish our readers a Very Merry Christmas and all the very best in the New Year.

CFN - I was out doing a little local Christmas shopping today and ran into a former colleague I hadn’t seen in some time.  In our conversation she mentioned how a certain district in Eastern Ontario had a tree coverage amounting to about 5%.  This is well below the healthy target of 30% which is necessary to maintain bio-diversity.  Think about it.  Many animals and plants depend on trees for food and cover to survive and move about in safety.So what can we do about it?  Plenty.  We could gift more “stuff” this Christmas Season however these are seldom things that enhance our life or well being on a long term basis.  How about a paper gift certificate (please stay away from plastic) for a tree or bush which can provide much needed habitat and food for birds and small animals.   This will effectively also provide you and your friend with some priceless well being.  Think about how great you feel watching a bird fly and sing about or watching a squirrel or chipmunk run around with their mouth full of nuts or fruit.  Isn’t the heart uplifted watching the bumblebees and butterflies dart from flower to flower?  All this life requires a diverse array of habitat; meaning a diversity of trees, grasses and uninhibited space to stay healthy.

Of course there are many other larger animals such as the lynx, bear and certain owl species which at one time lived more abundantly here in Eastern Ontario which require space and a diversity of trees, grasses and other smaller animals to thrive.  Without these they are forced to relocate or die.  They too are feeling the ever increasing stresses of mans encroachment on their habitats.  This is due to our growing populations and increasing demands on their habitats.

There are organizations that work specifically to maintain habitat for species so that we can continue to co-exist with species of plants and animals and the benefits they give.  Enter The Nature Conservancy of Canada.  http://www.natureconservancy.ca  85% of funds donated to this non-profit organization goes to acquiring “ecologically significant land through purchase, donation or conservation easement” and ensuring “high standards of land stewardship over the long term”.

Earth Matters appreciates your consideration in giving a Gift of Canadian Nature this Christmas Season.  There are various gift giving options available through the Conservancy which can accommodate anyone’s budget.

.

 Wouldn’t your friends, family or colleague be thrilled to know that your gift helped to sustain habitat for caribou, the northern saw-whet owl, the Newfoundland marten or the grizzly bear?  Each gift of Canadian Nature includes a beautiful colour calendar featuring our beautiful Canadian Landscapes, a personalized gift certificate, and a letter from the President and CEO informing the recipient of your gift of protecting a Canadian wildlife habitat on their behalf.  Please visit https://donations.helpforcharities.com/ncc/holidays/index.php for further details or call 1-800-465-8005.  Our own well-being is ultimately tied to maintaining a healthy environment for all living things.We would like to know what you are doing to eliminate plastic and Styrofoam from your daily routines.  Your share could provide inspiration for other.

Your commentary is encouraged and always welcome below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

CFN -Somewhere over the Rainbow, the waters run clean, the air is crisp and bright.  There is room to run, laugh and be an individual.  Plenty of food and shelter for all.  Room for every man and creature to sustain themselves and their offspring.  There is love and respect for one another.Isn’t there a code that guides our journey in life with our community, family and friends?  Doesn’t it specify that whatever service or product we provide or activity we engage in, it is to be done with respect for our community and safety to all habitats and life forms?  We live in the circle of life.  Our respect to each life in the circle ultimately benefits us and all future generations.I had the privilege of listening to a presentation by Mr. Mike Nickerson this past week courtesy of Transition Cornwall +.  Mr. Nickerson’s message was basically that it is time as a mature populace that we look at things in a realistic different manner should we wish to continue to live and prosper.  According to Nickerson we are at the peek population that this world can sustain.  We cannot continue to grow and strip resources from the Earth like there is a limitless supply.  Supplies are limited folks.  Resources need time to regenerate.  We need to think of Earth as a spaceship.  A spaceship supports a limited population.  A ship demands that we live with the byproducts of our daily lives.  A spaceship requires mutual respect, sharing and consideration to maintain a healthy environment for our lives and the lives of all future generations.

We have governments local and national which keep working and promoting economic development.  What about economic sustainability.  The spaceship is full; people, habitats and species are feeling the walls moving in on them.  Populations and habitats are dying because there is no more room at the Inn.  The cupboard is bare.

What is a person to do?  I’m not sure however I am reading Mr. Nickerson’s latest offering; Life, Money and Illusion, Living on Earth as if we want to stay. and look forward to sharing some of that information with you as I read through the material.  I do know that one of the simplest challenging (because it is both) things we can do is, refuse to use or purchase items that cannot be recycled or reused.  Things like Styrofoam and plastic film.  I know this was discussed last week folks however it does bear repeating with the upcoming busy buying season upon us, that according to research Styrofoam takes about 500 years to breakdown, plastic film is not recycled here and we have a major clog of plastic in the middle of the pacific ocean adversely affecting our ocean (google Pacific Ocean garbage patch for information) and respective wildlife.  Is this acceptable to you?

What can one do?  Provide businesses with incentive to provide earth and community respectful products and services.  How?  Let them know that it is totally irresponsible to release products into the environment that are detrimental to life forms and their habitats. Let them know that continuing to use plastic film, Styrofoam, and containers that might include several different types of material (such as a coffee container that my husband recently purchased which included paper, plastic and metal in one container) is totally unacceptable and irresponsible.  How is one to recycle such a container?  Let them know, that earth responsible packaging is what is absolutely necessary for you to continue to use or purchase their product again.  Also encourage your local, provincial and national governments to introduce legislation which insists that businesses use earth responsible packaging…period.  I would like to use Canada’s Prime Minister’s words in response to this by saying, Mr. Harper this is “a no brainer”.

Your commentary is encouraged and always welcome below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

CFN - Are you and your organization being responsible?  I attended a fundraiser for a local non-profit organization which included a luncheon.  The lunch was served on Styrofoam plates, with plastic cutlery which was wrapped in a plastic bag, a plastic cup of water and condiment items were served in plastic bowls.  The meal was topped off with pie served on a Styrofoam plate.  Tea and coffee was available in Styrofoam cups.Using disposable plates and cutlery is the norm for many such social and fundraising events.  There are also busy households who take advantage of the cheap easily accessible supply of these products to eliminate the clean up time of the daily dinner routine.  It is understandable why organizations and individuals take advantage of these cheap, time saving tools however these short term solutions can and are presenting us with environmental challenges. According to information on Livestrong.com, Washington University states that “Styrofoam takes 500 years to decompose; it cannot be recycled, so the Styrofoam materials dumped in landfills are there to stay.  With enough Styrofoam cups produced each day to circle the earth if lined up end to end, the potential for major ecological impact is great.”

Further information on Livestrong.com indicates the manufacture of Styrofoam releases large amounts of ozone into our atmosphere to the detriment of our air quality.  In addition Styrofoam products are having a tremendous impact on our land fill sites as it has been reported by Recycling Revolution “that packaging materials such as Styrofoam fill up 30 percent of our landfill space.  Another note of interest is that Five percent of the world’s population (U.S. being the largest trash producer according to this site, guessing Canadians are in line if not on par with Americans) generate 40 percent of the world’s trash.  Other information noted the United Kingdom and Hong Kong as largest garbage producers.  I don’t think that any one country is in a race to claim this title.  It is estimated that each North American puts out about 5 pounds of trash a day.  This adds up to about a ton of trash per person per year.  WOW!  Something has got to give!  It is very evident that we, each individual person needs to do their own part to reverse these disturbing trends.

It has been suggested that the Styrofoam be incinerated however this releases over ninety different toxins including dioxin which raises cancer risk.  While it might seem obvious that using a paper product would be a better alternative, this site indicates when considering the inputs and outputs for either end product the associated environmental impacts of either are not sound.  So what does one do?

REFUSE to use.  This is can be easier said then done.  If you are prepared, I was not on this day, one can use their own reusable cup, cutlery and plate and enjoy their meal on the go, guilt-free.

Choose eggs in a cardboard container rather than Styrofoam.  Ok, maybe the paper container uses as many resources as the Styrofoam container.  The cardboard container will disintegrate during my life time as opposed to the alternative.

Take your reusable beverage container in for your liquids on the run.  Over a year this makes a big difference.

Consider eating in rather than ordering out to avoid waste.  If this is not possible, order something that offers the least amount of waste.  If you are prepared for a take-out scenario you can have your reusable containers with you for filling.

Think about carrying a “responsible kit” with you on all occasions.  Include a reusable cup, cloth napkin, cutlery, chop sticks, plate, bowl, clean bulk containers and some bags.  Add items as your lifestyle dictates.

Consider buying some items in bulk, filling your own containers.  This can divert a tremendous load from your trash over the year.

Consider skipping purchases because of excessive or non earth-friendly packaging.  Fresh produce packaged in Styrofoam and plastic gets a big thumb down in my book.

Do give yourself a big pat on the back each time you make a choice to be a better friend to our living earth and in turn, our community.  Thank you!

If you or someone you know makes conscience choices in their business to serve in an earth responsible manner please write and let us know about it.  We would like the opportunity to talk about their efforts here and hopefully have their story blaze a trail for others to follow.  Your commentary is encouraged and always appreciated below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

CFN - I was in the downtown area this past week and happened across a double A battery at the curb (see below) where I was parked.   It had obviously been run over and squished by a passing vehicle.  This find was somewhat alarming as this is considered hazardous waste and out of consideration for our soil and water health consideration needs to be given in how this used item is disposed.  Used batteries are considered hazardous waste and need to be taken to a designated hazardous waste disposal site in your community.

.

Many communities offer designated hazardous waste collection days or one may make use of the caring businesses in your community who will take your electronic waste and insure it is disposed of or recycled in an earth friendly manner.
All it takes is a phone call to a business that deals in the product you are now trying to dispose of.  For example, do you have a car battery that has come to the end of its life?  I do, so I called a local car service business, Beverly Tires.  They will take my battery and insure it is recycled/disposed of, with our community health in mind.  How great is that?  A further call to my local Staples store found that they collect and dispose of used batteries from the general public, 365 days a year in a safe manner which insures that the less than earth friendly byproducts from such products are kept from our soil, air and water.Computers and small electronic devices abound now a days.  Your old devices do not belong curbside.   PLEASE help your community and future generations by insuring responsible steps are taken to properly dispose of these devices and the power devices to run them once you have finished with them.

We at Earth Matters have always encouraged people to repurpose their used items by donating them to a local charity.  We continue to see far too many items put out for garbage that still have a useful life.  It has come to our attention that Local Non-Profit organizations are spending a substantial amount of their resources to rid themselves of donations which have obviously outlived their usefulness or healthfulness and must be allocated to a landfill site.

In an effort to help these organizations make the best use of their resources we offer the following suggestions.  Call before giving.  Call the organization you plan to give to.  Insure they can use what you have to offer.  If they don’t need it, perhaps another organization has the need.  If you are giving a donation of clothing, kindly insure it is laundered and wearable.  If you have items torn and stained, please call to see if these items are useful to them.  If there are drop boxes in your community, insure items are placed in the drop boxes and not outside the box.  Leaving items outside the box invites people to rifle through the items and leaves the items at the mercy of the weather of the day.  Items soiled by environmental conditions are no longer useful to the organization which then costs them valuable resources to dispose of these left items.  I think we all would like to be of help to our community, so a brief phone call or e-mail to your designated non-profit will insure your loving gesture is making a real difference.

Your commentary is welcome and always appreciated below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com

CFN - A number of hours have been spent over the last week hulling, culling, cleaning and drying our harvest of black walnuts.  All of this has been done manually; definitely a time intensive labour of curiosity.  My partner and I chose two different methods of dehulling the nuts.

.

I chose simply to break off the hull manually with my gloved hands and my partner chose to use a knife (see image below) to carve away the hull.  We quickly noted the difference of texture of the over ripe hulls which we found had a very creamy almost buttery texture to the hull.  We removed these creamy hulls and kept these aside for the squirrels.

.

The nuts that we kept for further processing had hulls which had a grainer texture.   Because the hulls did not have the softened texture of the over ripened specimens we surmised by our research that these nuts would not have been subjected to the bitterness from an over ripe hull.

.

The hulls were spread in a wooded area to decompose naturally.  The nuts from the over ripened hulls were spread around the trees for the squirrels and the rest were delegated to the cleaning process.
Reading up on the black walnut indicated that nuts with immature or malformed fruit would float to the surface in water while nuts with a healthy fruit growth would sink.  Water was added to the hulled nuts in a bucket.  Enough water was added to cover and allow for malformed fruit to float to the surface.

.

The nuts that floated to the surface were also placed around the trees.  I found each bucket of nuts required two water baths.  After filling the bucket with water, I rubbed the nuts together under the water with my gloved hands (see image below) encouraging the dislodgement of any hull remaining on the nut by the friction of nuts on one another.  The water after both washings was an inky black.  This water was disposed of in the grass along the driveway.  Remember there are “juglones” a plant inhibitor in these hulls; they will not affect the grass.
These washed nuts were then spread on framed nets (see below) which allowed for air circulation and were left in the sun to dry.  The nuts were turned and mixed up part way through the day to encourage even drying.  Luckily we have had a few nice sunny days since the last column.  They were taken in after sundown, and returned outside when the sun came up.

.

We will store the dried nuts in paper bags in small batches indicating the date packaged and store in a dry dark environment.
I have read quite a bit of information over the past week concerning this food source.  Of interest is the following.  Dried cured nuts in their shell are good for about three years.  The shells of these nuts are very hard.  It is recommended that the nuts be soaked in water for 8 hours before cracking open. The soaking will softened the shell for cracking. Black walnuts or parts of the tree are use in many natural remedies such as those for parasite and fungal infections.

.

Black walnut is also used as a disinfectant, for treatment of eczema and as a natural insecticide to name a few.  According to ehow.com you can easily keep flees and ants at bay by cutting small leafy branches from your walnut tree at a slight angle.  Then place these cuttings under furniture or carpeting where the problem is occurring.  The toxicity of the active ingredient juglone decreases with time so it is recommended that the cuttings be replaced every 3 weeks.It seems that this is a plant and food source that can serve a variety of purposes.  There are a variety of on-line sources to acquaint you with this tree and its by-products.  We encourage you to check with your homeopathic, medical and veterinarian professionals before incorporating any new methods into your daily routines.  Anyone with sensitivity to iodine may wish to keep away from this nut as it is high in this element.Lastly…we have noticed frequent visits to our walnut trees by a red squirrel.  The nuts which were dispersed at the base of the trees that we thought were unsuitable for the curing process disappeared in short order.  Our red squirrel has a big appetite or he/she’s storing food for the upcoming winter.

We encourage and always welcome your commentary below or to earthmatters@cornwallfreenews.com