I spent some time hiking this weekend at a state park in northeastern Minnesota and was surprised to find hickory nuts on the ground all through the park. They weren't quite ready (soft and a little bitter), but I would guess that in another week or two they will be ready for harvest. They look like   (You need to Login or Register with some dark brown splotches now, but will be dried out, completely brown, and splitting when the nuts are ready.

So... If you are getting out in the next few weeks (as I surely will), taking a look at the ground every now and then can reap some tasty treats.

After stumbling upon the hickory nuts, I started looking for other kinds of nuts that I can identify (beechnuts, black walnuts), but couldn't find any. If you have a taste for acorns, though, there seems to be a bumper crop this year...

-aj