Buckeye nuts are abundant, toxic and maybe bring luck to humans
It’s time for the buckeyes!
Not the football team. Real buckeyes. That shiny, dark brown, nut-like seed that is said to resemble the eye of a whitetail deer. Even though it’s like a nut, it’s not edible. In fact, buckeyes are toxic to humans, but they sure are cool looking.
This is the time of year that buckeyes, which have been maturing unseen inside heavy spiny husks, drop to the ground from the buckeye trees. They split when they hit the ground and scatter the seeds, which can litter the ground beneath the tree.
Though they’re not edible, folklore maintains that they bring luck. It’s not unusual to see a crowded string of buckeyes fashioned into a necklace. It’s not uncommon for people to carry them in pockets and purses in hopes of bringing luck, or maybe just because they like the way they look.
Buckeyes jumped into the national spotlight when William Henry Harrison, a native Virginian who had relocated to Ohio, used the buckeye tree and seed as a symbol during his successful campaign for the presidency in 1840.
Buckeyes are widespread in western Ohio, often in areas along the Maumee River.
Though the real thing isn’t edible, there’s always that very popular alternative. Candy buckeyes — peanut butter fudge dipped in milk chocolate — taste great and look like the real thing.
Go buckeyes!
