Nut of the week: Ginko nuts

Name: Gingko nuts

Brand: None listed

Place of Purchase: Uni Mart Korean Grocery in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: China (which is funny, because I live in the Gingko capital of the U.S.).

Price in Iowa: $0.79 for 3.5 oz.

Description: Bright yellow ovules.

Flavor: Bland at first, then nutty and astringent.  Almost medicinal, but in a positive way.  Good medicine.

Aroma: Nothing obvious.

Texture/Mouth-feel: Nice, firm orbs surrounded by a tight,snappy membrane.

Notes:Ginkgo biloba is a living fossil, the lone member of its own division of plants.  This ancient plant with fan-shaped leaves produces stinky fruits and supposedly has medicinal properties.  Research shows that long-term use of this product can increase the female sex drive, but that's about all that has been proven.

A few years ago, I watched Chinese students gathering dried nuts from the ground on campus.  I thought it was weird, because gingko fruit smells so bad.  But, 5000 years of Chinese medicine can't be wrong.

I will warn you that kids shouldn't eat to many of these nuts, as they can be toxic to smaller people.  I would also suggest that you make sure that you aren't allergic to the fruit before you try to gather fresh nuts.  Some people have a bad reaction.