Got walnuts?

[KTurner]

With young boys, "what doesn't get stained" is kinda a question with an already known answer, yes?

Good point. Our first child is under a year old, so that's a lesson I've yet to learn first-hand.

Keith

[MossRoad]

Good point. Our first child is under a year old, so that's a lesson I've yet to learn first-hand.

Keith

I envy you. Our "little ones" are now pushing 15 and 20!

I heard somewhere last week a great quote. Wish I could take credit for it, but cannot. It goes something like this....

As parents, raising children, the days seem to take so long but the years go by so fast.

Enjoy them while they're young.

[lockhaven]

does anyone know the best way to get the meat out of a black walnut? Years back a man in our town could crack black walnuts and get the meat out in large pieces, most were full half's very few crumbs. He was fast enough that he sold the walnut meat. He took his method to the grave never telling anyone including his daughter. will any one share their technique?

[riptides]

How about harvesting? I see quite a few "black ones on the ground", last week they were green. Are they still OK to shuck?

[lockhaven]

black or green no problem, My aunt used to put them in the driveway so everyone would run over them and shuck off the hulls

[mjarrels]

Nothing like banana bread with chopped walnuts using old ripe banana and walnuts from the yard. Good cheap eats on a cold winter day.

mark

[KTurner]

does anyone know the best way to get the meat out of a black walnut?

In a word, PRACTICE. My great grandmother had a large flat rock that she had cracked so many walnuts on that it had worn a deep depression in the center. She used it for years and years. We'd still like to find that rock. I've used a hammer and anvil followed by dykes which works pretty good. I really took my time with one and was able to extract the entire meat, in one complete unbroken piece, out of a walnut. It was more of "I wonder if" as it took way too long to be practical. but a smack with the hammer and then a few well placed snips with the dykes will get good chunks of meat in relatively quick time. I've switched from that to a cracker along the lines of this one

How about harvesting? I see quite a few "black ones on the ground", last week they were green. Are they still OK to shuck?

My approach - I've always heard that if they lay around too long, the heat from the decomposing husk will affect the taste. Husk them any way you can - knife, hammer, car, etc. I normally drive over them to break up the husk and this seems like a popular method. Probably want to wash them a bit to get the loose stuff off. Then let them dry/cure for a couple weeks. Dunk them in water and throw out the ones that float. Then use one of the cracking methods above. It takes time and practice. And good gloves as the stain will not wash off.

I've heard some 'professionals' say that the juglone in the walnut leaves/husks will mess with other plant life (and worms), but I've heard other 'professionals' say that people always say that but there's no proof.

Keith

[forgeblast]

Kitchen*|*Helpers and Accessories*|*Utensils and Tools*|*Our Best Nutcracker - Lehmans.com
My nut trees are not producing yet. I am hoping my butternut come in with in the next two years and the hazelnut come in next year.

[bigtiller]

How about harvesting? I see quite a few "black ones on the ground", last week they were green. Are they still OK to shuck?

I have found that the longer the husk stays on the darker the meat gets. And the dark meat has a slight bitter taste so I like to remove the husk while it is still yellow and stuck on the nut good. If the husk is black, dried out and I can rub it off with my thumb in one or two pieces then I let the squirrels have that one.

[JDgreen227]

In a word, PRACTICE. My great grandmother had a large flat rock that she had cracked so many walnuts on that it had worn a deep depression in the center. She used it for years and years. We'd still like to find that rock. I've used a hammer and anvil followed by dykes which works pretty good. I really took my time with one and was able to extract the entire meat, in one complete unbroken piece, out of a walnut. It was more of "I wonder if" as it took way too long to be practical. but a smack with the hammer and then a few well placed snips with the dykes will get good chunks of meat in relatively quick time. I've switched from that to a cracker along the lines of this one



My approach - I've always heard that if they lay around too long, the heat from the decomposing husk will affect the taste. Husk them any way you can - knife, hammer, car, etc. I normally drive over them to break up the husk and this seems like a popular method. Probably want to wash them a bit to get the loose stuff off. Then let them dry/cure for a couple weeks. Dunk them in water and throw out the ones that float. Then use one of the cracking methods above. It takes time and practice. And good gloves as the stain will not wash off.

I've heard some 'professionals' say that the juglone in the walnut leaves/husks will mess with other plant life (and worms), but I've heard other 'professionals' say that people always say that but there's no proof.

Keith

My step mother is a master gardener and she confirms what gardening and landscaping guides say...juglone IS TOXIC to many other types of vegetation and plants. When I moved into my place 23 years ago the lawn under the black walnut tree out front was pure scrub because for a long time the leaves and walnuts had been left to decompose on the grass. When I began bagging the leaves to remove them and started picking up the walnuts the grass began to thrive and is now the best part of my lawn.