Tuesday, March 23, 2010

As I walk the walnuts – 9

As I walk the walnuts I think about the graying of the population and the fact that the mean age of the attendees at past nut society meetings has been greater than my own, and I am on the cusp of retiring! The fundamental challenge is how to interest young people. The answer, I believe, is only through income potential. Remember that question? Can I make more money from that than from what I’m currently doing?


But perhaps there is another way. And that is to build associations in the mind between nuts and play. To that end, behold the Walnut Express, a model railroad layout that snakes around a peripheral shelf in the cracking shed, ferrying nuts from the Walnut Mountain (or Forest!) to the cracking machine. It’s still under construction so I am not sure whether it’s a Mountain or a Forest, and only time will tell. But one thing of which I am certain – the cracking shed will be a boring place for young people without it. Just ask my grandchildren.

1 comment:

Rod in Forfar said...

Perhaps another way is to interest bright young people in walnuts as yet another available food group. For the last month we've had a stream of grad students from Queen's coming to make maple syrup. Academically inclined young people seem to take an inordinate delight in creating food.

In this week's Review-Mirror Margaret Brand has an article on the woman who runs the mobile produce market. The paper's working the locavore trend for all it's worth. Mea culpa...

For updates on the syrup project, check http://rodcroskery.wordpress.com