The Eastern black walnut is native to Kentucky and grows in Walnut Grove south of Catfish Bend and High Bridge in the Strand. Walnut trees are long-term crops cultivated for their lumber and the edible nuts they produce. Chefs and bakers prize those nuts for their strong flavor, more bitter than the English walnut, while the lumber is valued for its dark brown grain, which is so durable that it often dulls the blades that shape it into furniture.