Hickory nuts

The outer hull pretty much falls off in 4 segments by itself as the nuts begin to dry. Once hulled, I store in a cool, dry place. I suppose you could spread them out on a flat to dry if you're worried about fungus or rot, but I have not observed it to be a problem.

In all probability, not all the nuts will be usable. In my area, there is an insect that lays eggs in the nuts while they are still green and soft. The developing larva feeds on the nut meat until the nuts fall, then chews its way out and pupeates in the ground. So don't be surprised to crack one open and find a fat little white worm about

3/8" long.

The worms make good bait for small game fish or minnows. If you hang the nuts in a burlap or nylon mesh bag over a bucket or washtub, you can catch the worms as they chew their way out. The bad nuts then have a visible, tiny hole.

A sorting technique you can try is to "float" the nuts in a bucket of water. Nuts that rise to the surface are more likely to have internal voids, and by inference, worms, rot, or other problems, while nuts that sink to the bottom are more likely to be robust and fully filled.

The nut meats are good for eating and cooking, somewhat sililar to Pecans or English Walnuts, but difficulty of picking them out of their shells varies all over the map, depending on the genetics of the tree they came from. There probably has not been much selective breeding for this trait, compared to more commercially popular nuts. Some are so convoluted that they are hardly worth the effort, while others pop out with little work. You'll just have to crack a couple open and see what you've got. Some of the ones that crack out easily may be worth propagating if you have someplace to plant them.

By the way, there are at least two major varieties of Hickory. The shellbark typically has 7 leaves per branch and large nuts, probably the best food potential. The shagbark typically has 5 leaves per branch and smaller nuts. There may be crossbreeding between the varieties. I have also heard of "pignut" and "bitter hickory", which may be sub-varieties, or just colloquial terms - I am not entirely clear on this point.