Whether enjoyed as a healthy snack or deployed as the playground weapon of choice, nuts are versatile, abundant and plentiful now, says John Lewis-Stempel.
What is a nut? As definitions go, this is a surprisingly hard nut to crack. Botanically, a nut is a dry fruit that consists of a hard shell covering a seed. True nuts tantalisingly available in a British wood or hedge near you include beech, sweet chestnuts and hazelnuts. This leaves the walnut, brought here by the…