Do you love black walnuts? And, here’s another question: Have you ever heard of being “foundered”?
Almost all my life I have heard about delicious black walnut cakes, and I am beginning to see posts asking if anyone has some walnuts for sale. Well, you can have any part of a black walnut harvest that might have my name on it.
My Mammaw and Granddaddy had three big black walnut trees between their house and the barn, along about where the outhouse sat. About this time of year, my cousin, a neighbor, and I would get a hammer, find a piece of brick or a flat rock, and collect a pile of walnuts to crack and eat.
The walnuts were plentiful, and it was quite enjoyable to hammer them open and eat the innards. When I was about 10 years old, the camaraderie and the conversation and a general lack of quitting sense, unfortunately, led to me eating way too many at one setting. As a result, I got foundered. At least that is what I was told was wrong with me.
I remember being so absolutely sick that my stomach rebelled and told my brain I had eaten more than I should have. Then, it was discussed and declared by all present adults that I was, indeed, foundered.
I’m not questioning the diagnosis one little bit. Since that momentous day, the very smell of black walnuts makes my stomach turn.
So, enjoy your black walnuts. Bake your cakes. Buy all you can. Just don’t offer me any because I accept my foundered fate.