Passing through the Texas woods your eye may well be captured by the smooth, strong looking trunk of a hop hornbeam tree. Due to its appearance it has two other common names, musclewood and ironwood. It prefers full shade and stays small so …
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The long, wispy branches of willow trees give them an appearance unlike any other tree. They require a lot of water so look for them along wet areas. Their high demand for water can cause problems when used in landscaping as their roots will …
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Allow leaves to dry or force-dry the leaves in an oven, then crumble into food. These are one of the key seasoning for Cajun seafood boils. I like to use it as a replacement for Italian season to make a “Cajun” lasagna.
Bayberry candles are …
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These thorny trees look out of place in Texas and rightly so since they aren’t native. However, their root stock is resistant to many common citrus diseases and so most citrus fruit sold in Texas is actually grafted on to this rootstock. Sometimes …
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The sycamore is a relative of maples and so can be tapped in late winter for sap. Sycamore syrup is much lower quality than maple syrup and takes approximately 50 gallons of sap to produce 1 quart of syrup. Generally this not considered to …
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The green pods contain small, aromatic seeds which, when chewed after a meal, help with digestion. The somewhat sweet sap was allowed to dry some and then used as a chewing gum. In its fresh, liquid form it was used to flavor chewing gum up …
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I wish I had a dime for every person who thought sumac (assorted members of the Rhus genus) and poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) were the same plant. Or better yet, I’d like to go back in time have a long talk with the guy who decided to …
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The trunks of Slippery Elms (Ulmus ruba) rarely fork until they are twenty feet tall, unlike it’s similar cousin the American Elm (Ulmus americana) which forks at as little as five feet tall. The Slippery Elm can also easily be identified by …
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Related to pecans and walnuts, Shagbark Hickory trees aren’t nearly as common but when found the nuts are quite tasty. Only the Shagbark species of hickories are edible whereas the Water Hickory (Carya aquatica), though more common, are too …
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Easily identifiable small tree, just look for the three types of leaves all on one tree. One leaf has three lobes, one has two lobes that look like a mitten, and the third leaf will be unlobed.
Root beer was originally flavored by the roots …
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