No, don’t think squash, think trees. Many gardeners are not butternut squash soup with the wild nut tree and have never tasted a butternut.

When you are learning butternut tree information, the nuts themselves are of top interest. The fruit of the butternut tree is a nut. It is not round like the nut of the black walnut tree, but elongated, longer than it is wide. The nut is deeply ridged and grows inside a green, hairy husk until they mature in mid-autumn.

Squirrels and other wildlife love butternuts. They most certainly are, and have been eaten by Native Americans for centuries. The butternut is an oily nut that can be eaten as is when mature or prepared in a variety of ways. The Iroquis crushed and boiled butternuts and served the mixture as baby food or drinks, or processed it into breads, puddings, and sauces. Growing Butternuts It is entirely possible to start growing butternuts in your backyard, if you have a site with rich, loamy soil. The trees are vigorous and live for some 75 years.