By Kristy McCaffrey
Walnuts are the fruits of the walnut tree. They ripen from
September to November in the northern hemisphere.
Pecans are the only indigenous nut in the America’s, but walnuts were first planted by Franciscan monks in the 1700’s. Walnuts rose to importance in America in the 1840’s, first in San Diego and then Los Angeles. Russel Heath was the first to plant a commercial walnut orchard in Santa Barbara County in the early 1860’s. By the 1880’s, he had one of the largest walnut orchards in the country. Walnut production thrived in Southern California due to its similar climate to the Mediterranean.
Back then, ranchers sold their crops to brokers, who then
sold to wholesalers, but in 1896, the ranchers formed a cooperative to sell
directly to wholesalers. The ranchers would send their crops to a packing house
where the walnuts were graded according to size bleached to improve appearance,
dried, and packed in 100-pound sacks for shipment.
While many of the health claims of walnuts have been deemed inconclusive by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, may lower blood pressure, and may improve cognitive health—they are filled with good polyunsaturated fats, B vitamins and magnesium, as well as many other vitamins and minerals.
In my upcoming book, The Canary, walnuts play a role in the
story.
Arizona Territory 1899
Sarah Ryan grew up in Texas digging up animal bones and potsherds, but she always dreamed of searching for the extraordinary dinosaur fossils in the American West. When a wealthy benefactress gives her the opportunity to join the team of esteemed paleontologist Dr. Allan Brenner, she eagerly accepts. But when she arrives in the wild and wooly town of Holbrook, Arizona Territory, ready to start digging, she’s faced with the very real obstacle of being a female in a world dominated by men.
Dr. Jack Brenner is looking for his father who disappeared into the Painted Desert two months ago. Assuming leadership of his father’s expedition has Jack suddenly saddled with Sarah Ryan, a young female paleontology student. When his guide refuses to let Sarah accompany them into the wilderness without a chaperone—and a colleague threatens her—Jack finds himself in a pretend marriage to protect the determined woman whose passion for paleontology was something he once possessed. But he has bigger problems than his beautiful new wife—someone has been stealing fossils and selling them illegally to collectors, and Jack fears it might be his father.
Sarah is the daughter of Logan and Claire from THE DOVE.
Pre-order THE CANARY at Amazon, Apple Books, and Nook.
Walnuts have always been a favorite of mine. Thank you for sharing, Kristy.
ReplyDeleteLoved learning more about walnuts, Kristy! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI too love walnuts. Thanks for stopping by Julie and Shanna!
ReplyDelete