In Japan, I was introduced to a variety of new and wonderful flavors. All of which, I'm pretty excited to share with you.
For starters, Ginkgo Nuts. Ginkgo is a funny word, one which actually means 'bank' in Japanese. The Japanese call this tree 'ichou'. Given the chance to design a tile for the soon to be opened Kyushu Shinkansen station, I chose to draw the ginkgo leaf, something I feel truly signifies the beauty of Japan. 
But beyond the leaves of this hearty and gorgeous living fossil, the nut is often an unharvested treat here in the West. With a texture similar to that of a chestnut and a taste resembling a pine nut, the ginkgo nut (in Japanese - ginnan) is a very versatile addition to any dish, or, a great snack on it's own. Not to mention the loads of health benefits! From the well documented effect on memory improvement, to the not so well known anti asthmatic effects. The ginkgo nut is low in fat and are overall, one healthy snack. A little precaution should be taken however to eat them in moderation, say, no more than 10 a day. As well as care that children and animals do not eat large quantities, as there is some toxicity found in them at very high levels. Aside of the dangers of gluttonous eating, the ginkgo nut is also fairly expensive when bought in the store.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited when on one summer walk, I found tree branches of ginkgo nuts in the gutter! I promptly scooped up the branches and carried them (to my friends') home. Knowing nothing about how to prepare them, I scoured the internets for tips and used the usual dose of 'what's the worst that can happen?' attitude.
It turns out that the nuts are a bit under ripe at the moment, but the finished project wasn't half bad, and, entirely edible! I swear, they even helped relieve my summer cold and cough. Come later summer into early fall, I'll be scouring the city for slightly riper and fruit laden female trees (only the female trees produce the nut!), which are thankfully easy to find with their indistinguishable smell. A smell that's been likened to the durian fruit, vomit and rotting mush. Yum!
How to prepare Gutter Nuts (in picture format):
First
First step is to peel the fruit from the ginkgo nut. I didn't heed any warnings to wear gloves and now, my hands are peeling like a snake shedding it's skin. That's ok, they're soft and pretty underneath. Once the fruit is a bit riper (and smellier), the fruit will nearly rub off, or I've read, boil off!
Second
Next, bake the seeds in the oven. I went with the standard 350 and baked them until they looked dry and had started to brown just a tad. Seemed to work!
Third
Crack open the little shells. I tried a hammer in leiu of a nut cracker, but images of smashed fingers ran through my head as the nuts went scurrying around the chopping block. Then, I tried these handy pruning shears. Not long after, I found some kitchen scissors, which actually finished the job just fine, but didn't make for the best photo.
At this step (an hour into the process), I found the nut wasn't quite ripe. They were a bit green and small yet, but nothing I'd read online said that unripe nuts were poisonous, so I went for it anyways. The nut should ultimately look about the size of the shell and a nice creamy yellow color. There may be a tad bit of skin left on the nut which you can choose to boil or rub off, but I found they did no harm.
Finally
Cook up and enjoy! I've read once cooked, the toxicity level drops quite a bit. I don't know enough about it, but if you keep your intake of ginkgo nuts below 20 a day, there is no problem for adults. They're great salted and tossed in a little oil (shown) for snacking, cooked untouched with some shiitake mushrooms, or even for dessert!
Sun, 07/27/2008 - 2:51pm
Thanks Scott! (I almost typed Scoot, which is a pretty good nickname....)I didn't know that about the female vs. male tress. So, the male trees are more dense*?*Pun, not intended.
There are rows of male and female Ginkgo trees on the CSUS campus. When I went to school there I would routinely see asian folk harvesting the fruit/nut. I took a botany class and learned a bunch about them. They are very cool trees. Also if I remember correctly the female trees tend to have larger and fewer branches. When you see them next to male trees they are easy to pick out.