These saponins can be easily removed by soaking the seed overnight and then rinsing thoroughly. The young leaves make a tasty spinach. Sow April in situ - be careful not to weed the seedlings out since they look very much like Fat Hen, which can also be eaten like spinach. If you have enough land and can afford to wait 30-40 years or would like to leave something of value for future generations, do seriously consider planting a grove of these trees. Female specimens produce a delicious almond-sized fatty seed which is a staple food in the tree's natural habitat.
Trees do much better in the western part of Britain and can withstand severe exposure.
The nuts are produced in cones about the size of a person's head, each cone contains up to 200 seeds and the mature cone falls to the ground before releasing the seeds, so harvesting is quite simple. A deciduous tree from China. When male and female trees are grown together, the female produces yellow plum-like fruits in autumn. When these fall to the ground and are squashed they give off a truly disgusting odour but contained within the fruit is a seed which is considered a delicacy in China where it is usually roasted before being eaten. Another very easily grown tree.