English Walnut (Juglans regia), fam. Juglandaceae.
   A lot of trees grow in the city (it is a pity that nobody has planted such a beneficial plant in the forest). Most plant give rather low-grade fruit, small or hard-shelled. But even this is not bad, since Kyiv is close to the north end of the abundance of walnuts, as in the climate a bit colder they often are frost-beaten or do not have enough time to ripen during summer.
   Walnuts flower in the end of April; the male inflorescences-catkins and female mini-nuts are shown in the photos.
   Ripe nuts are quite concetrated food, though it is too heavy for many people. So, it is usually recommended to consume about 30 g of nuts per day, and never more than 50 g. It is not a good practice to shell the nuts in advance, excluding ony the case when you managed to leave the kernels undamaged, or to heat them. The oxidised polyunsaturated fats, which form in both instances, are quite harmful. Ripe, dried nuts should better be soaked half day before being eaten. In this process, they swell and acquire delicate taste; and the water used for soaking them becomes brown with rainbow patterns, taking away the excess bitterness and inhibitors. Unripe nuts (in June) are known as a concentrated source of phytoncides and vitamins, used as a medical staple.

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