Black Walnut - Foraging & Botanical Dyeing
Schedule
Sat Oct 25 2025 at 10:00 am to 03:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
4945 Horn Rd, Hallam, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 17406 | Yorklyn, DE
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Visit this link to learn more and register: hornfarmcenter.org/civimessages/event/info/?reset=1&id=1251🟢🟢🟢
To find a black walnut tree in the mid-Atlantic region, you don’t need to go very far.
Juglans nigra–a wild American relative of the cultivated English walnut (Juglans regia)–tends to grow in peopled landscapes: river valleys, forest edges, and the fringes of suburban development.
Black walnuts earn most of their attention each fall, when prolific trees litter the ground with bulbous green fruits that decay to black. Between rolled ankles, stained sidewalks, and overstated claims of black walnut's toxicity to other plants, many people relegate the tree to the margin. But for foragers, locavores, and wildcrafters, black walnuts are an untapped, versatile resource inviting us to connect with seasonal rhythms, tastes, and colors.
This class will reclaim a well-rounded appreciation for the black walnut tree as a source of food and natural dye. While honoring the tree’s ecology and history, we’ll spend the day learning how to process its fruits for winter calories, durable crafts, and more.
🧺Foraging & Ecology🧺
We’ll hike to the Horn Farm’s woodlands for the first portion of this class, where we’ll identify black walnut, demystify its ecological and cultural stories, and collect freshly-fallen fruits to process into nuts. Students will engage hands-on with the process of collecting, hulling, and preparing walnuts for curing: a multi-week drying process before cracking and enjoying.
We’ll also discuss and demonstrate cracking nuts, using nuts culinarily, and other creative adaptations of the black walnut tree’s offerings.
Harvest allowing, students may leave with a small quantity of washed nuts primed for curing at home.
đź‘•Botanical Dyeingđź‘•
For the second portion of this class, we’ll learn how to transform the hulls of black walnut fruits into wearable colors. Botanical dye artist Chelsea Thompson of earthencolor will walk us through the process of extracting rich, durable pigments, using two methods--shibori and bundle dyeing--to color clothing or fabric items that you bring to class!
By the end of the day, you may just be a little more “nuts” for the generous, charismatic black walnut tree!
🟢🟢🟢
SEE CLASS WEBPAGE for full program details, including dye items to bring and the schedule for the day: hornfarmcenter.org/civimessages/event/info/?reset=1&id=1251
Led by the Horn Farm's Education and Outreach Specialist, Andrew Leahy, in collaboration with botanical dye artist Chelsea Thompson of earthencolor (earthencolor.com/)
Standard cost is $63/person. Sliding scale options are available to support accessibility.
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Where is it happening?
4945 Horn Rd, Hallam, PA, United States, Pennsylvania 17406, 4945 Horn Rd, Hellam Twp, PA 17406-9018, United States, YorklynEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
