Black walnuts store well and are delicious
Black walnuts are expensive and if you’re lucky enough to have a tree on your property, you can enjoy the taste and the nutrition these nuts provide for little more than your hard work.
Black walnuts don’t look anything like a walnut when you see them growing on the tree, or in my case, all over the driveway. They are slightly smaller than a tennis ball and as they ripen, the husk changes from solid green to a yellowish green. Typically, they do not fall from the tree until the temperature has dropped low enough to produce a frost or two.
Black walnuts are ripe when pressing a finger firmly against the nut shows an indentation. Weekly monitoring is important, as nuts will mature over a four to six week period. Try to harvest the ripe nuts directly from the tree if you can. Squirrels will be doing the same thing and their tree-climbing abilities put you at a disadvantage. If the nuts are too difficult to reach, they can be collected after they fall from the tree.
As the nuts mature, the husk will dry and crack. In order to store black walnuts successfully, the husks must be removed. Husking walnuts is extremely messy and to some of us, that might be appealing. It is best to wear old clothes and gloves because the walnut juice stains everything… everything! Cover your work surface with newspaper or an old tarp before you begin.
Using a hammer or even your feet, smash the husks open to reveal the shell-covered nut inside. Someone must have been pretty hungry to figure out there was something so delicious in there. You’re not finished yet.
Once the husks have been removed from the walnuts, you’ll want to wash them before you dry and cure them for a few weeks in a well ventilated area where rodents or other pesky vermin can’t get them. After a few weeks, crack one of the nuts open and see if the meat inside snaps easily. If it does, you can store the walnuts for months in their shells. Properly cured black walnuts store better and their flavor has time to develop.
After shelling, nutmeats can still be stored in several ways: at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen. If you plan to store the nutmeats in a container at room temperature and use them within a few weeks, first bake them at 215 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Nutmeats can be refrigerated in a jar or plastic bag for up to nine months without baking. Nutmeats can also be frozen for longer term storage, but use them within two years.
A garden should never be planted near a black walnut tree and the husks and shells should not be placed in the compost pile. All parts of the black walnut tree contain a naturally occurring substance called juglone that can inhibit the growth of nearby plants.
Husking black walnuts can be a lot of work. Taking the time to properly dry and cure them requires patience. If you like black walnuts, it might be worth it.
Black walnuts don’t look anything like a walnut when you see them growing on the tree, or in my case, all over the driveway. They are slightly smaller than a tennis ball and as they ripen, the husk changes from solid green to a yellowish green. Typically, they do not fall from the tree until the temperature has dropped low enough to produce a frost or two.
Black walnuts are ripe when pressing a finger firmly against the nut shows an indentation. Weekly monitoring is important, as nuts will mature over a four to six week period. Try to harvest the ripe nuts directly from the tree if you can. Squirrels will be doing the same thing and their tree-climbing abilities put you at a disadvantage. If the nuts are too difficult to reach, they can be collected after they fall from the tree.
As the nuts mature, the husk will dry and crack. In order to store black walnuts successfully, the husks must be removed. Husking walnuts is extremely messy and to some of us, that might be appealing. It is best to wear old clothes and gloves because the walnut juice stains everything… everything! Cover your work surface with newspaper or an old tarp before you begin.
Using a hammer or even your feet, smash the husks open to reveal the shell-covered nut inside. Someone must have been pretty hungry to figure out there was something so delicious in there. You’re not finished yet.
Once the husks have been removed from the walnuts, you’ll want to wash them before you dry and cure them for a few weeks in a well ventilated area where rodents or other pesky vermin can’t get them. After a few weeks, crack one of the nuts open and see if the meat inside snaps easily. If it does, you can store the walnuts for months in their shells. Properly cured black walnuts store better and their flavor has time to develop.
After shelling, nutmeats can still be stored in several ways: at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen. If you plan to store the nutmeats in a container at room temperature and use them within a few weeks, first bake them at 215 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. Nutmeats can be refrigerated in a jar or plastic bag for up to nine months without baking. Nutmeats can also be frozen for longer term storage, but use them within two years.
A garden should never be planted near a black walnut tree and the husks and shells should not be placed in the compost pile. All parts of the black walnut tree contain a naturally occurring substance called juglone that can inhibit the growth of nearby plants.
Husking black walnuts can be a lot of work. Taking the time to properly dry and cure them requires patience. If you like black walnuts, it might be worth it.
Published: October 17, 2011
