Ca. Bay Laurel (Umbellularia Californica)
Bay nuts are one of my favorite local wild forage foods. Contrary to popular mythology, which some may find disappointing, and tea totalers may appreciate, complete chemical analysis shows, ca bay nuts Do Not contain any caffeine like stimulant chemical constituents. They do smell kind of like coffee beans when roasted.
Delicious, they need to be roasted to make them edible, I prefer them dark roasted like cacao or espresso beans. Once roasted you can eat them plain or grind them up and mix with a little honey for a chocolate like sweet. Remove fleshy outer husk, dry them, and roasted them in their shells. Like other nuts they keep for a long time. These are from last year. Last year was a bumper crop for bay nuts in my area. This year is kind of sparse so I leave them for critters.
#CaliforniaBayLaurel
#UmbellulariaCalifornica
#WildFoods #foraging