Whimsies by Grundy

Walnut

The autumn was glorious, the trees a riot of color. Equally exciting, many of the edibles were bearing their first bounty. There had been few fruit or nut trees when they first stumbled onto the valley. Elrond had approached the matter with caution – while he wanted his stronghold to be self-sufficient, he did not wish to spoil the natural beauty with too much cultivation or importation of trees that did not belong. But after careful planning and judicious experimentation, not to mention several years of growth, they could look forward not only to apple pies, but walnut cakes this winter.