Yeah, I better not plan on a cottage industry just yet. haha But I am thinking, if the economy collapsed, we would at least have tons of awful, bitter-tasting (but protein/fat-filled) black walnuts to fall back on.
We have some hickory nuts too. Just cracked a couple open once, and found worms. It's really hard to believe that a little insect/worm can drill through those shells, but they can.
If black walnuts weren't so native, I'd have to call them invasive. They grow everywhere and start producing nuts very early.