There are many reasons to make the effort to gather, process, dry and crack local black walnuts. They are delicious, nutritious, and often, free.
Nuts are ready to harvest when they’ve fallen from the tree, though you want to avoid the first nuts dropped early in the season – those are likely ones that the tree just gave up on. If nuts are steadily falling, or if there are about 50% or fewer remaining on the tree, then start gathering those nuts!
Gathering: We recommend gathering nuts that have turned from a bright green to a more muted yellow, as these will be easier to process. Using gloves and wearing rubber boots, stomp or peel the outside husk off as you go and gather the inner nuts into a bucket or bag. It can help to stomp on them on a hard surface, like a rock or a paved path.
Processing: This involves scrubbing the outside of the nut to remove the soft hull material, so that as little of the hull as reasonably possible is remaining. Your goal is to prepare them for drying, so that they dry before going moldy – which is more likely to happen if they are cleaned well. You’ll need a hard bristle scrub brush and a bucket of water, and keep those rubber gloves on! Black walnut husks make an excellent warm brown die for cloth, paper, and skin. Finish them up with a final rinse with the hose, or dunk in the river, before laying them out to dry.
Drying: The cleaned nuts should be placed somewhere warm that air can circulate around them for two weeks. Some people have made screens for this purpose using wire mesh and wooden frames, but a colander would do. If you put them on a surface without holes, such as a produce box, just make sure you move them around every day or so and ensure the surface of the nuts is drying. If they don’t look dry in a few days, move them to a warmer location with more air circulation. If you find mold on the nuts, toss them, it’s not worth it.
Once your nuts are dry, they’ll keep for a very long time – at least a year or two. We have heard from a fellow named Hank that he cracked some nuts 20 years later and found edible nut meat! Here is more information about Black Walnuts, including tasty recipes. Enjoy!
Photo by Katrina Siks
