Posts by vividbear5

I was thinking about this today while staring at a menu, and it's kind of wild how much we’ve been conditioned to accept certain textures as "the standard." We’ve all accepted that if you want that specific, salty, crispy satisfaction, you basically have to submerge something in a vat of oil. It’s become such a fundamental part of the experience that even when you try to eat "better," you usually end up with something soggy or just plain depressing.

It feels like we're constantly stuck in this tug-of-war between what tastes good and what actually makes us feel decent an hour after eating it. I remember trying to make my own version of a classic snack at home a few months back, and it was a total disaster—either too greasy or it had the texture of wet cardboard. It's frustrating because it feels like the "golden standard" for food is built on stuff that's objectively bad for us in the long run.

Do you guys think we'll ever reach a point where "healthy" food actually matches the texture of the greasy stuff, or is that crunch just biologically tied to the oil for us?

Dennis Patel4 said:What’s the average diameter for a Black Walnut tree once it hits about 13 feet in height? Also, under pretty standard growing conditions, how many years does it typically take to reach that stage?
And how many of them can you realistically fit on a single acre?
I'm asking because I'm looking into planting some Black Walnut, and I've read that you should plant them close together to encourage vertical growth. My concern is, if they're packed in like that, how much will the trunks actually thicken up if the canopy stays so restricted?

Forgive me, friend, but are you blind or just lazy?

Maybe try actually reading what’s already been written here.

Or, heaven forbid, do a little digging through some literature, Google, or even Wikipedia.

If you're too lazy to put in the work and still want to plant walnuts—under the assumption they're "low maintenance"—at least have the decency to read. You can do that while sitting down.

And if you think Black Walnut costs the same as premium English walnut, you're mistaken. Furniture manufacturers didn't just fall from space.

Check out Post 127 (on this thread, second one down, so you don't have to hunt too long):

vividbear5 said:I started looking into planting walnuts about two years ago. Unfortunately, it never moved past the idea stage. Since walnuts have become such a trendy commodity in the meantime, it likely won't happen anytime soon. 😢

It would be helpful if one of our resident "economic experts" 🙏 could put together a proper "investment plan" here—something with actual substance to think about, rather than just a plan "calculated on fingers."

Here is the data I've managed to collect on walnuts so far.

English Walnut - Juglans regia

Potential uses/outputs:
- Yield ("eating five walnuts a day keeps your arteries clear"). Contains 15% protein (comparable to meat), high levels of Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E, plus 42%-60% fats (depending on whether they are fresh or dried)—with an above-average amount of omega-3 fatty acids (heart health). It also packs 11%-16% protein, 15%-23% carbohydrates, plenty of zinc (good for liver, hair, sperm), potassium (heart), along with magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, calcium... Harvest runs from mid-September through late November (variable). Dried walnuts are up to 50% lighter than fresh ones and contain about 8% moisture.
One analysis breaks it down like this:
Per 100g of walnuts:
. kcal/kJ 700/2900
. water % 5
. carbohydrates % 14
. raw protein % 15
. fat % 61
. fiber % 3
. minerals % 2
. Vitamin C mg 3 (fresh can be 20!!!)
. Vitamin E mg 10
. Vitamin B1 mg 0.35
. Vitamin B2 mg 0.12
. vitamin B5 mg 1.0
. Vitamin B6 mg 0.8
. Potassium mg 570
. Phosphor mg 420
. Magnesium mg 180
. Calcium mg 80
. Sodium mg 3
. Iron mg 2
. Iodine mg 0.003

- Walnut oil (which is incredibly expensive): contains 18% fatty acids (similar to olive oil) and 50% linoleic acid.
- Timber: walnut is highly valued wood.
- Harvesting semi-green crops in June (high Vitamin C content). These are used to make jams rich in Vitamin C, liqueurs, etc. Candied versions are known as "black walnuts."
Early summer is the sweet spot for harvesting leaves. This is when you get that peak concentration—around 1% Vitamin C—which is actually the highest amount found in any single plant in the States.
The extract is pulled directly from the green outer shell—specifically, you get Juglone. It’s used for everything from brown hair dye to wood stains, and even as a way to dye goat hides.
Wood bark—essential for aging spirits, coloring, and nailing down that specific Cognac profile.
Crushed shells can serve as an effective abrasive granulate for various industrial surface treatments—think things like compressor maintenance, working with non-ferrous metals, rubber, or electronics. It’s also quite handy for stripping old varnish off furniture during restoration if you need to open up the wood's pores and structure.
Rootstock—it’s used to produce high-end walnut veneers. When you find those absolutely perfect, massive, old-growth roots—which are incredibly rare—you’re looking at upwards of $10,000 per piece. They end up in luxury automotive interiors, too—think walnut trim in a Mercedes. ;-)
-

There are roughly 60 different varieties of walnuts out there.
Home base: The North America and the Near East.
Depending on the variety you choose, spacing ranges from roughly 30x30 feet up to 40x45 feet—it’s a space hog. And if you're actually looking for a decent harvest, don't bother planting them in dense woodland; walnuts barely produce anything in the shade, so they really need open ground to thrive.
If you're looking at light requirements or growth rates—it’s pretty much identical to what you’d see with a cherry tree.
It reaches about 80 feet in height—and those roots go incredibly deep.
Young trees handle competition for sunlight much better than the old ones do. An old tree’s canopy basically tries to hog every single ray of light for itself—it doesn't exactly play well with neighbors. If you're looking for fruit, you'll only find it on the branches getting direct sun.
If the goal is timber production rather than harvesting nuts, you plant them densely—roughly 2x2m to 2x4m spacing. The idea is to force vertical growth through light competition; you end up with trees hitting that 30-foot mark much faster, which yields longer, straighter trunks and branches. For this specific purpose, you’d typically go with Black Walnut (*Juglans nigra*) or a hybrid like *Juglans x intermedia*—essentially a cross between the Black Walnut and the English Walnut.
It rarely thrives above 2,600 feet—though you’ll occasionally spot it hanging out up in the Rockies at 4,000 feet or even scaling the Himalayas toward 11,000.
It looks like the entire region—if you can even call it that—is practically tailor-made for walnut orchards.
It grows in almost any type of soil—provided you meet its demands. You need deep, well-draining, loose earth that stays warm and gets plenty of water. Aim for a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Watch out for high lime content, though; too much calcium can trigger chlorosis. Avoid light sand or heavy, waterlogged clay—those are definitely not going to work.
For an ideal soil composition, you're looking at 20 mg P2O5, 20 mg K2O, 10 mg MgO, and 0.8 ppm Boron. Honestly—if you want to actually enrich the soil rather than just watching it deplete—you might as well look into using synthetic fertilizers. It’s a straightforward way to fix the balance.
It’s sensitive to late frosts—which tends to kill off the male flowers—and harsh winters. Because of that, climate is easily one of the most critical factors you have to weigh before deciding where to plant.
For ideal results, you want south and west-facing slopes within valleys—think Napa Valley vibes—where the average annual temperature stays north of 45°F. You’ll need a growing season of at least 180 days. Ideally, temperatures shouldn't dip below -22°F. Also, once spring rolls around, the soil needs to hit at least 50°F to ensure the roots actually take hold and the trees decide to leaf out.
Water requirements for this species are pretty mediocre—it needs about 25–30 inches of annual rainfall to stay happy. The soil moisture retention isn't ideal either; you’ll notice the wood doesn't take stain very well from the inside out. Plus, those cold, damp winters around here tend to make them much more susceptible to fungal issues.
Absolutely cannot stand being outshone—it’s just not in their nature.
Digging holes—80x60 cm. You’ll want to trim the roots during planting—it’s standard practice for just about any tree, really. Fill it in lightly with soil and give it a deep soak. One thing, though: don't bury your compost deeper than 20 cm. If you go too deep, you end up with a massive pocket of organic matter that won't decompose properly—which, predictably, ends up doing more harm than good to the root system.
Don't expect much action early on—you won't see any significant growth from the tree until its third year.
It takes until the third year for the roots to really establish themselves—so, basically, any green "competitor" nearby, like a patch of grass, is just stealing its water and nutrients. That’s why you don't see full coverage until much later.
In the first year, you don't "milk" it. You only start shortening the duration during the second year.
Grafted walnut trees tend to be more resilient when it comes to disease. However, during those acidic years, you might run into issues with Marssonina—which shows up as spotting on the leaves—or certain types of bacterial blight. Usually, treating them with copper-based sprays does the trick.
Flowering occurs between April and June. The male blossoms typically emerge about four weeks ahead of the female ones—a bit of a head start, I suppose. It’s wind-pollinated (anemophilous), which keeps things simple.
You won't see much of anything after five years—maybe a small harvest if you're lucky and in the right spot. It takes about forty years to reach a full yield. Realistically, you’re looking at maybe 90 pounds once they peak—though that depends entirely on the weather. People always say "good years for wine are good years for walnuts," and there's some truth to that. Usually, after one standout year, you can expect two mediocre ones followed by one total bust.
- Fruit only develops on branches getting direct sunlight. By that logic, even the nectarines—though they rarely produce as heavily as a plum or apple might—need enough light to prevent the interior from becoming hollow once the canopy gets too thick in old age. It’s also a decent way to keep those nasty leaf spots and bacterial infections at bay.

vividbear5 said:It depends on the variety, but from what I’ve gathered, walnuts are "jealous" trees—they don't play well with others, even their own kind. You're looking at spacing something like 10x12 or 12x14 feet, roughly.

Yield:

. yield kg yield kg
age good location bad location
1 - 15 0 0
16 - 25 10 7
26 - 35 25 15
36 - 60 45 22
61 - 80 55 13
81 - 100 32 13

Apparently, Kyrgyzstan has the highest concentration of walnut trees in the world.

The major producers of walnuts (for eating) are: the USA, the former USSR, China, Turkey, and Italy.

Back in 2005, global production hit about 1.5 million tons.

In the Western US, roughly 82,000 hectares are planted with walnuts, yielding about 295,000 tons from those 80,000 hectares.
So, you're looking at an average industrial yield of about 3.5 tons per hectare.

For comparison, you can pull up to 30 or 35 tons per hectare with apples—pears are similar.

That’s exactly why the market price for apples is significantly lower than for walnuts.🙂

I started looking into planting walnuts about two years ago. Unfortunately, it never moved past the idea stage. Since walnuts have become such a trendy commodity in the meantime, it likely won't happen anytime soon. 😢

It would be helpful if one of our resident "economic experts" 🙏 could put together a proper "investment plan" here—something with actual substance to think about, rather than just a plan "calculated on fingers."

Here is the data I've managed to collect on walnuts so far.

English Walnut - Juglans regia

Potential uses/outputs:
- Yield ("eating five walnuts a day keeps your arteries clear"). Contains 15% protein (comparable to meat), high levels of Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E, plus 42%-60% fats (depending on whether they are fresh or dried)—with an above-average amount of omega-3 fatty acids (heart health). It also packs 11%-16% protein, 15%-23% carbohydrates, plenty of zinc (good for liver, hair, sperm), potassium (heart), along with magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, calcium... Harvest runs from mid-September through late November (variable). Dried walnuts are up to 50% lighter than fresh ones and contain about 8% moisture.
One analysis breaks it down like this:
Per 100g of walnuts:
. kcal/kJ 700/2900
. water % 5
. carbohydrates % 14
. raw protein % 15
. fat % 61
. fiber % 3
. minerals % 2
. Vitamin C mg 3 (fresh can be 20!!!)
. Vitamin E mg 10
. Vitamin B1 mg 0.35
. Vitamin B2 mg 0.12
. vitamin B5 mg 1.0
. Vitamin B6 mg 0.8
. Potassium mg 570
. Phosphor mg 420
. Magnesium mg 180
. Calcium mg 80
. Sodium mg 3
. Iron mg 2
. Iodine mg 0.003

- Walnut oil (which is incredibly expensive): contains 18% fatty acids (similar to olive oil) and 50% linoleic acid.
- Timber: walnut is highly valued wood.
- Harvesting semi-green crops in June (high Vitamin C content). These are used to make jams rich in Vitamin C, liqueurs, etc. Candied versions are known as "black walnuts."
Early summer is the sweet spot for harvesting leaves. This is when you get that peak concentration—around 1% Vitamin C—which is actually the highest amount found in any single plant in the States.
The extract is pulled directly from the green outer shell—specifically, you get Juglone. It’s used for everything from brown hair dye to wood stains, and even as a way to dye goat hides.
Wood bark—essential for aging spirits, coloring, and nailing down that specific Cognac profile.
Crushed shells can serve as an effective abrasive granulate for various industrial surface treatments—think things like compressor maintenance, working with non-ferrous metals, rubber, or electronics. It’s also quite handy for stripping old varnish off furniture during restoration if you need to open up the wood's pores and structure.
Rootstock—it’s used to produce high-end walnut veneers. When you find those absolutely perfect, massive, old-growth roots—which are incredibly rare—you’re looking at upwards of $10,000 per piece. They end up in luxury automotive interiors, too—think walnut trim in a Mercedes. ;-)
-

There are roughly 60 different varieties of walnuts out there.
Home base: The North America and the Near East.
Depending on the variety you choose, spacing ranges from roughly 30x30 feet up to 40x45 feet—it’s a space hog. And if you're actually looking for a decent harvest, don't bother planting them in dense woodland; walnuts barely produce anything in the shade, so they really need open ground to thrive.
If you're looking at light requirements or growth rates—it’s pretty much identical to what you’d see with a cherry tree.
It reaches about 80 feet in height—and those roots go incredibly deep.
Young trees handle competition for sunlight much better than the old ones do. An old tree’s canopy basically tries to hog every single ray of light for itself—it doesn't exactly play well with neighbors. If you're looking for fruit, you'll only find it on the branches getting direct sun.
If the goal is timber production rather than harvesting nuts, you plant them densely—roughly 2x2m to 2x4m spacing. The idea is to force vertical growth through light competition; you end up with trees hitting that 30-foot mark much faster, which yields longer, straighter trunks and branches. For this specific purpose, you’d typically go with Black Walnut (*Juglans nigra*) or a hybrid like *Juglans x intermedia*—essentially a cross between the Black Walnut and the English Walnut.
It rarely thrives above 2,600 feet—though you’ll occasionally spot it hanging out up in the Rockies at 4,000 feet or even scaling the Himalayas toward 11,000.
It looks like the entire region—if you can even call it that—is practically tailor-made for walnut orchards.
It grows in almost any type of soil—provided you meet its demands. You need deep, well-draining, loose earth that stays warm and gets plenty of water. Aim for a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Watch out for high lime content, though; too much calcium can trigger chlorosis. Avoid light sand or heavy, waterlogged clay—those are definitely not going to work.
For an ideal soil composition, you're looking at 20 mg P2O5, 20 mg K2O, 10 mg MgO, and 0.8 ppm Boron. Honestly—if you want to actually enrich the soil rather than just watching it deplete—you might as well look into using synthetic fertilizers. It’s a straightforward way to fix the balance.
It’s sensitive to late frosts—which tends to kill off the male flowers—and harsh winters. Because of that, climate is easily one of the most critical factors you have to weigh before deciding where to plant.
For ideal results, you want south and west-facing slopes within valleys—think Napa Valley vibes—where the average annual temperature stays north of 45°F. You’ll need a growing season of at least 180 days. Ideally, temperatures shouldn't dip below -22°F. Also, once spring rolls around, the soil needs to hit at least 50°F to ensure the roots actually take hold and the trees decide to leaf out.
Water requirements for this species are pretty mediocre—it needs about 25–30 inches of annual rainfall to stay happy. The soil moisture retention isn't ideal either; you’ll notice the wood doesn't take stain very well from the inside out. Plus, those cold, damp winters around here tend to make them much more susceptible to fungal issues.
Absolutely cannot stand being outshone—it’s just not in their nature.
Digging holes—80x60 cm. You’ll want to trim the roots during planting—it’s standard practice for just about any tree, really. Fill it in lightly with soil and give it a deep soak. One thing, though: don't bury your compost deeper than 20 cm. If you go too deep, you end up with a massive pocket of organic matter that won't decompose properly—which, predictably, ends up doing more harm than good to the root system.
Don't expect much action early on—you won't see any significant growth from the tree until its third year.
It takes until the third year for the roots to really establish themselves—so, basically, any green "competitor" nearby, like a patch of grass, is just stealing its water and nutrients. That’s why you don't see full coverage until much later.
In the first year, you don't "milk" it. You only start shortening the duration during the second year.
Grafted walnut trees tend to be more resilient when it comes to disease. However, during those acidic years, you might run into issues with Marssonina—which shows up as spotting on the leaves—or certain types of bacterial blight. Usually, treating them with copper-based sprays does the trick.
Flowering occurs between April and June. The male blossoms typically emerge about four weeks ahead of the female ones—a bit of a head start, I suppose. It’s wind-pollinated (anemophilous), which keeps things simple.
You won't see much of anything after five years—maybe a small harvest if you're lucky and in the right spot. It takes about forty years to reach a full yield. Realistically, you’re looking at maybe 90 pounds once they peak—though that depends entirely on the weather. People always say "good years for wine are good years for walnuts," and there's some truth to that. Usually, after one standout year, you can expect two mediocre ones followed by one total bust.
- Fruit only develops on branches getting direct sunlight. By that logic, even the nectarines—though they rarely produce as heavily as a plum or apple might—need enough light to prevent the interior from becoming hollow once the canopy gets too thick in old age. It’s also a decent way to keep those nasty leaf spots and bacterial infections at bay.

Daniel Lopez said:I might be asking a bit of a silly question here, but I'm feeling a little lost regarding 😁

How much space should I actually leave between two walnut trees? 😁

It depends on the variety, but from what I’ve gathered, walnuts are "jealous" trees—they don't play well with others, even their own kind. You're looking at spacing something like 10x12 or 12x14 feet, roughly.

Yield:

Apparently, Kyrgyzstan has the highest concentration of walnut trees in the world.

The major producers of walnuts (for eating) are: the USA, the former USSR, China, Turkey, and Italy.

Back in 2005, global production hit about 1.5 million tons.

In the Western US, roughly 82,000 hectares are planted with walnuts, yielding about 295,000 tons from those 80,000 hectares.
So, you're looking at an average industrial yield of about 3.5 tons per hectare.

For comparison, you can pull up to 30 or 35 tons per hectare with apples—pears are similar.

That’s exactly why the market price for apples is significantly lower than for walnuts.🙂

Kenneth Hayes10 said:It seems like a simple question, but isn't philosophy's whole job just to provide complicated answers to easy ones? 🙂

When I ask myself, "Who am I?", I'm not really looking for a list of my traits... For instance, if you assume every single thing we do is just a result of our DNA and our life experiences, then things get weird. If someone had a perfect map of those factors, they could basically predict everything we'll ever do. That thought actually creeps me out a little... because it implies I don't have any real free will, just a series of cause-and-effect reactions. And if that's true, then who is "me"? Can we even say, "He's not at fault for being a criminal; his upbringing made him that way," or, "He's not to blame for being stingy; it’s just in his genes"? If there's no choice involved, who is that person, and where does the blame actually lie? 😕

We actually need a straight answer to this question.
Only then can Captain Kirk finally say, "Beam me up, Scotty!"

Physicists have already managed to beam photons of light!
If they keep making steady progress, maybe one day they'll be able to beam us, too.

But what exactly are we beaming?
What is the end result of a teleportation?
Is it "me"?
Or is it just "who am I?"

Am I still "me" once all my material information is transferred from point A to point B?
When I arrive at point B, can different atoms or molecules make up my body—or do we have to beam the "original" matter through space (and time)?
How do you beam someone without creating duplicates?
What’s the actual difference between the "original" me and just a high-end hologram?

Am I nothing more than a collection of data that can be reshaped using different matter somewhere else to make me "me" again?

Anyway, let's not get sidetracked—even when I'm driving my car, I'm moving from point A to point B. Teleportation is an entirely different beast.😁

Kenneth Hayes10 said:It seems like a simple question, but isn't philosophy's whole job just to provide complicated answers to easy ones? 🙂

When I ask myself, "Who am I?", I'm not really looking for a list of my traits... For instance, if you assume every single thing we do is just a result of our DNA and our life experiences, then things get weird. If someone had a perfect map of those factors, they could basically predict everything we'll ever do. That thought actually creeps me out a little... because it implies I don't have any real free will, just a series of cause-and-effect reactions. And if that's true, then who is "me"? Can we even say, "He's not at fault for being a criminal; his upbringing made him that way," or, "He's not to blame for being stingy; it’s just in his genes"? If there's no choice involved, who is that person, and where does the blame actually lie? 😕

reply from lara35zg:
"No man ever steps in the same river twice... because it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

You are essentially a collection of your current physical (tangible—perceived via the five senses) and mental (intangible—thoughts, knowledge, neural synapses) attributes and experiences within time and space.

Incorrect premises:
Premise 1: You are a copy of DNA material.
Premise 2: You are the sum of your experiences.
Premise 3: You are the sum of your thoughts.

If we look at physical things, you include genetics inherited from parents at birth.
However, DNA changes under the influence of the environment and aging, meaning the set of current attributes is always shifting.
Therefore, creating a 1:1 DNA clone of your organism at noon today wouldn't actually result in *you*.
Premise 1 debunked.

Regarding mental matters (if there's a better term)—this includes everything you've learned throughout your life.
If you learn French or karate and then someone clones your DNA 1:1, that new organism won't know a word of French or how to throw a punch. Thus, it isn't you.
You've simply created "a human shell" with an empty brain.

Even copying synapses doesn't guarantee you've copied the person.
For example, if you know karate (or how to ski, etc.) and those skills are hardwired into your brain via synapses, but your DNA clone lacks the necessary muscle development (try building a physique like Jean-Claude van Damme if you don't believe me) to perform that skill, it still isn't you.
Premise 2 debunked.

Most skills are developed through thought and training—neither Bruce Lee, nor Jean-Claude van Damme, nor Aristotle, nor Cicero, nor Napoleon, nor Janica ... were born knowing them.
Thinking relies on previously acquired experiences and knowledge.
If your mind and body aren't capable of new experiences, it's difficult to generate new thoughts.
Premise 3 debunked.

It’s a temporal perspective; the organism evolves over time, which inevitably alters mental capabilities.
Take losing an arm, for instance—suddenly, everything is done with the other hand.
Consequently, your original DNA-based organism is no longer "you."
Your experiences become new (writing, eating, drawing, or just scrolling through your phone...) using that other hand.

You are also a footprint in the memories of other "yous" (or "selves") within your immediate circle (direct interaction) and your broader social sphere (celebrities, public figures, hearsay).

If you were to make a 1:1 copy of yourself right now (not just DNA), and you went to a movie theater and then to a bar where you ended up getting into a fight, while your copy stayed home watching TV, opened a beer, and stubbed their toe on the fridge because they fell in love with Sopekic, you are no longer the same.

And when you meet the next day, that "copy" is no longer you.

Your copy has become a distinct human being with its own rights and obligations, its own body, its own knowledge, its own thoughts, its own experiences, its own ego, its own pride, and its own emotions—just without the biological parents.

I won't get into the concept of the soul.
That's the domain of religion.