As shown in the photo, the leaves are teardrop in shape with a jagged edge. The nut is enshrouded in a leafy collar that must be removed to expose the full nut in it’s beauty. When completely ripe, the exterior shell of the hazel nut must be cracked open and removed to obtain the meaty food within. Hazel nuts are high in nutrition and is one of the main ingredients in the popular “Nutella” spread. The nut producing season will vary in each region but usually peaks sometime in September. I have included a photo of the early-season plant showing the catkins (blossoms) so that it can be recognized next year if you miss it this season.

I was grateful on many counts that my nephew came to visit, but learning more about my environment from a West Coast resident was a real surprise.

Now, when I see this, my eyes light up because I think “astragalus bones” that I use as sockets for my bow & spindle fire kits. When my wife sees this, she cringes because she knows what’s coming next. In this case, we agreed to postpone my harvesting task until after our breakfast. Good thing… when I arrived at the scene on our return trip, I could see that the deer was not exactly fresh, and definitely had an “air” about it. In fact, I decided to harvest only one of the bones. In the end, this adventure influenced our outing to proceed directly home. My wife recovered while I boiled the bone to preserve it and help remove excess remaining tissue. Men, I recommend this as a “guys-only” activity whenever possible.

In any case, if you decide to harvest astragalus bones in this way, cut along the front side of the rear leg joint. This opens the hide and severs all of the front ligaments. Then hyper-extend the joint forward by stepping behind the leg and placing your foot on the joint while using both hands to pull the upper and lower leg bones against your foot pressure. This is similar to breaking kindling wood. The astragalus bone should pop up where you can cut the side ligaments to release it.

You can learn more in my article “Astragalus Bones“

When this season is over, the cattail still provides edible parts. New shoots can be pulled up to reveal a tender stalk similar to celery in taste. The roots are quite starchy and can be boiled or roasted. They are quite fibrous so some folks pound out the starch first before preparing.

Although we’re at the end of the cattail pollen season, you might still spot some stalks to harvest, so take a field trip and give it a try while they may still be found.