Kelly

Conkers! Where to find them in the North East and things to do with them.

Updated: Sep 16, 2022

We all have memories of collecting Conkers, but we are always being asked what to do with them and can you eat them.

Conkers are a type of seed that you find all over the floor either still in there spikey casing or you will see the glossy brown round seed on the floor. Usually you find them through September and October.

For more great ideas, check us out on Facebook, Instagram or twitter

Can you eat them?

So the most important one here is NO you can not eat conkers. If you ate them they would make you ill and they are very poisonous to most animals (Deer and wild boar eat them) I actually had an argument with someone who was adamant they are the same as sweet chestnuts and although they look similar they are not the same! Please do not eat them.

What can you do with them?

*Decorate them - You could crack out the paint and do some magnificent Christmas designs and hang them from the tree or you could paint some spooky faces for Halloween decorations (we do both)

*Spider deterrent - If I am honest the odd spider living in the house isn't a big deal, they kill and eat flies and little bugs that make their way into the house. I was even chomped on by a spider in Dalby forest a few years ago but I still see the benefit of them as they are very good for the ecosystem. However you can place conkers around the house (in corners etc) they hate them.

*Jewellery - You could make a necklace or a bracelet, we don't do this one as the boys think it's too girly!

*Play games - the boys have previously painted them and used them instead of marbles.

*Conker Worm - Check out this awesome idea plus more from The Woodland Trust

*Make laundry detergent - I know it sounds weird, we have not tried this yet but we will be giving it a go and I will update once we have done it. Wish me luck!

Where to find conkers in North East England

So many fab places you can find conkers across the North East, but here are some of our favourite places that we have found them.

*Doxford Park