Last week I was out walking Lucy when I noticed a giant wasp nest. The nest totally looked liked like something out of a Dr. Who episode and it just sort of had this ultra creepy vibe to it. Cool from an artistic standpoint, but not so much when you are allergic to them.
The nest also reminded me of one of those crazy expensive ostrich pillows that seem to be popping everywhere online. Have you seen anyone wearing one of those on an airplane? They’re sooooo weird!
Check out this man made beehive! I spotted it at a local hardware store. Someone must have been super bored at work one day and grabbed a can of spray foam insulation off the shelf to amuse themselves. Pretty clever if you ask me. 😉
In gardening news, the HH found another zucchini bat in the garden {the chickens LOVE them so we just slice them in half whenever we find one}.
And the Cinderella pumpkins are finally making some progress.
So far my 1 packet of bird house gourd seeds has produced 4 good sized specimens.
And the eggplants! Wahooo. Eggplant lasagna, here we come. This is only the second time I’ve ever been successful at growing eggplants so I’m pretty excited.
Thai hot peppers. Have you ever grown them before? I picked up a little 4 pack of the starts this summer at a local nursery but I had no idea all the peppers shoot out of the top of the plant like a sparkler.
We are also patiently waiting for the Jimmy Nardello sweet peppers to turn red too. I LOVE these peppers! If you ever come across a packet {Johnny’s has them I think} you should give them a try. I like the length and they are great to eat fresh right out of the garden {and they look good on a party platter too}.
Anyone know what kind of nut this is? The HH and I took Lucy for a walk at a local park yesterday and I picked this up off the ground and brought it home. The HH said he thought it was a chestnut {it’s not} and I was hoping for a black walnut {so I could use it to dye some wool}. Anyone know for sure what this is? Because if it is a black walnut, I’m going back with a bucket to get a bunch.
Have a wonderful Thursday everyone, enjoy the sunshine.
~Mavis & Lucy
Sue R. says
That looks like a hickory nut to me!
Dara says
I thought it looked like a hickory nut too!
Wendy says
Looks like Butternut (also called white walnut). They have a very hard shell under that green fuzz, but they are absolutely delicious in fudge. We had trees in the yard when I was growing up, my Dad would collect them, let them dry out and then crack the shell with a vice.
Robin says
Looks like a walnut. Squirrels chew off the green shell to get to the nut underneath, making a mess in our yard in the process. 🙂
Mel says
Is it possible the spray foam faux wasp nest actually works as a deterrent? If wasps are territorial, they may avoid areas that already seem to have a nest.
Vicki in Birmingham says
I am sure it does work as a deterrent…I read you can fluff up a paper bag and hang it and it will keep wasps from coming.
About that wasp nest (the real one), are you sure it is a wasp nest? It looks like a hornets nest to me and if it is…be VERY careful. Those stings are awful!
Sharon says
It is definitely not a black walnut. The black walnut has an outer shell that that can be taken off and used to make stain but it is all one piece. This nut looks to have a sectioned outer shell. The walnut is very textured and dark on the inner nut. If you remove the outer shell and the nut is fairly smooth and light in color then it is probably a hickory nut.
Sharon D. says
The nest looks like it belongs to Bald-Faced Hornets which are very aggressive. We have had our share of hornets. My husband made traps like these and they work amazing! https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-make-a-wasp-trap-1389067
Janet says
Looks like a Baldfaced Hornets nest to me. The hornets are dark colored with whitish faces. We’ve had a nest each year that looks exactly like your photo, Mavis. Be very careful around the nest. They go after you and sting sting sting!
Lillian says
It’s a black walnut. Be sure ro wear gloves when you hull them your hands will be black.
Black walnut cake. Yum.
Trudy says
Black walnuts here in Oklahoma don’t have ridges on the hulls. Looks more like hickory nut to me.
Nadia Fadell says
Yup, it’s a black walnut.
Carolina Cooper says
Do you have a good recipe for eggplant lasagna that you could share with your readers? Please and thank you!
Katy says
HIckory nut, they taste ok good for pies.
(Black walnut is a solid textured ball)
Emily E. says
Hi Mavis! Your garden looks wonderful! I’m jealous! We’ve had a very difficult gardening season here in Ohio and I’m starting garden clean up already! Boo hoo. I think the nut is Black Walnut? Have a terrific weekend!
Joyce says
It’s a hickory nut, wonderful in cookies. The nest is a hornets nest and they abandon them in winter. Around here, people take them into their houses and use for décor. I have one and love it.
They are also sold in shops, yes, people do buy them.
Joyce in Indiana
Knico says
A “green” black walnut is much larger almost the size of a tennis ball. That looks like a hickory nut.
Carrie says
Yes! I was going to say a black walnut with it’s green husk is almost the size of a baseball.
Christy says
Hickory nut. Hickory nuts have the “seams” in the the hull. If it is ripe, you step on it and it will open easily at the seams to reveal the nut shell.
Black walnut, as said above, look more like a smaller tennis ball with no “seams”. It will NOT open when you step on it and will turn your hands black if you try opening (hickory do not). Be sure to use gloves if working with black walnut to avoid staining your skin.
Mandy Mascaro says
What kind of eggplant is that in the photo?
Carol says
They look like hickory nuts to me, but you can still dye with them.
Ann says
Thanks for sharing your garden, Mavis. Sunflowers look spectacular!
Susan H. says
It is a hickory nut. The outer hull should come off in 4 sections to uncover the nut itself. The nut meats can be a pain to get out but worth it!
Susan H. says
Oops! The hickory nut outer hull will come off in sections not just 4! You can see on the outer hull the indentions where it separates.
Michelle says
Looks like a walnut. There are some ravens near my house that will drop the nuts onto the roadway and wait for a car to drive over the nut to smash it open, then they fly down and gobble the contents off the road. Very smart birds!!
Marianne L says
It looks exactly like the black walnuts that are raining down on our driveway right now. Good for dye, terrible for your vegetables.
Kendra says
Hickory Nut, great in cake.
Mary Custer says
The big gray nest is a hornet nest!
Be very careful, they get angry quickly!
Cathy says
That is a black walnut.
Christa H. says
It’s a hickory nut. I have them in my yard. Look at the tree they are under and its leaves to know.
Linda T says
I’m in the hickory nut camp. Take the green hull off and you’ll be able to tell for sure. I’ve shelled a lot of them- they have a “sweet spot” that makes them easier to shell out, but they are MUCH harder to shell out than black walnuts
Annette's says
Those are walnuts. I use them in my classroom to make stain with my students and we stain picture frames for parents for Christmas presents
Alice says
It’s a hickory nut from the Shagbark Hickory tree. I have them in my yard and as I walk around at this time of year I’m constantly getting beaned by them. Google them and it will tell you how to shell and cook them.
Cass says
Garden looks great.
The nut is inside the green “pod”. Take off the “pod” and show us the nut. Then we can tell for sure. However any of those green “pods” will dye your yarn brown for you.
Black walnuts. I have a few, but then, too few to mention. Oh wait, I have BILLIONS of them. To get the green pod off I crush it with my foot, wearing a pair of sneakers I don’t care about because the sole will get permanently dyed brown. Then I soak the inside shell in water for a while. (depends on my energy level….sometimes a couple of hours, sometimes over night) This is the water that I would use to dye stuff with. Again, it is almost permanent, so wear clothing you don’t care about….even bleach didn’t take it out of white clothing. Then I put them on a screen to dry. A screen, so air circulates around the entire shell. After they are really and sincerely dry I put them in mesh bags to “season”. After 2 – 3 MONTHS they are ready to crack. Ok, not crack as much as smash with a hammer. I had a special bench built to accommodate the hammer smashing Technic. Not sure they are worth the work, but if I have to eat them for protein, I know how to do it. ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING FRESH NUTS!! I can’t find a big enough font to stress that. If you forget to use gloves and/or think they are dry and pick one up that isn’t be prepared to have brown spots on your hands for a week or so.
Debby says
Looks like Hickory. To be sure, check the tree it came from. Like above, Shag bark Hickory, the bark will be shaggy. Take that walk again and check for a tree with shaggy bark.
Pat says
The nest is a hornets nest. The nuts are NOT black walnuts. Black walnuts are much bigger and don’t have ridges. They are hickory nuts.
Kara says
Do I see a turtle emerging?!?
Steven Unversaw says
English walnut! Black walnuts are smaller!
Jennifer says
Looks like the nut topic is covered!
As for your Cinderella pumpkins, I have similar ones and I like to prop up the stem adjacent to the small fruits so that the flower end of the fruit sits on the ground. I figure maybe then it’ll form more perfectly round, with the stem on top (as some pumpkins are deformed by laying sideways and others aren’t).
Beautiful garden btw!