Alexis Nikole Nelson Instagram – TREE CANDY 🍭 And just in time for Halloween! Hackberries are one of those trees you likely pass all the time without knowing! Without the tell-tale galls their leaves are quite unassuming. Unless you get REEEAL close, you’ll never see the beautiful bark canyons dancing and weaving down the trunk! And unless someone tells you, you probably wouldn’t think to look close enough to see the small fruits that persist through the winter. Hackberries and their Celtis genus cousins have been an important food staple for many a millennia. Some of the oldest humans found had recently been snacking on the sugary, oily, protein-y bites before they were yeeted from the mortal plane. A myriad of indigenous tribes across North America have made great use of the berries (which are honestly more nutty than berry…y 🤣) often pounding them into cakes, and mixing them with animal fats and other dry fruits. But, like many surprisingly great foods they fell out of the zeitgeist, relegated to cool, niche books and blogs (I see u @gastroobscura and @foragerchef 🤠), which is a weird place for a fruit so common to solely reside! So here you go! A reason to look up on your fall and winter walks! As the winter SADs proceed to kick my booty early this year, I’m thankful that there’s still so much bounty on these mean Ohio streets to go see and experience!