Hackberry

I called these trees cucumber trees as a child because they had smooth gray bark on their upper limbs with funny bumps that made them look like giant cucumbers. Farther down the bumps got closer and closer together, forming deep, stratified canyons.

They had cherry pit sized fruits that were mostly seed, so I wrote them off.

Only later did I discover that the seeds are easily cracked, even by tooth, and filled with a small sweet nut. The very thin fruit in the outside varies from tree to tree, but some are as sweet as dates.

My kids call them "half-berries" because they are half berry and half nut. They eat them whole, crunching them with their strong young teeth. If your teeth are not so young and strong, you might want to pulverize them, shells and all, into a paste with a mortar and pestle and form sticky balls that can be eaten while hiking like the Native Americans did.

Or just leave them for the birds and squirrels and deer. They will hang on the tree providing much needed food for hungry wildlife through the winter months and snacks for hungry people too.

1 year-old seedling bare root plants approx. 2-3' tall

*Ship in spring and fall

Hardiness zone: 2-9

Mature height: 50-80 ft. tall, 40-60 ft. wide