Bag-A-Nut for walnuts - follow up

[lhfarm]

It has been almost exactly a year since I reported buying a Bag-A-Nut to use to clean up around our 20 walnut trees - http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/130052-got-bag-nut-my-walnut.html . I just did this year's crop today and thought I give an update and tell you about much improved results.

I wasn't really happy with the nut sweeper last year. It worked, but jammed a lot and seem to not be sized for our big walnuts. The green fingers catch the nuts and sets of "ramps" push the nuts off the fingers and into the basket. A top bar keeps the larger nuts from escaping. The largest nuts are pushed through by the next nut. I was having jams because the nuts were too big to slip under the top bar.

The design is pretty simple and I changed out the top 1" plastic rod for a 3/4" piece of PVC. That worked better, but I thought a 1/2" would work better and it did. It still jams, but from twigs and not nuts. Works very well now.

The next problem was emptying the basket. It is design so you can just pull a rope, which is fine is you just want to dump them at the end of the yard. I wanted to haul them away. Last year, I picked the loaded basket up and dumped it in a plastic bin. Those nuts are heavy and I had to dump the bin all the time or dump it in a trailer and have another unloading task.

The bucket on the tractor is just the right height and it makes a great combo with the sweeper. No more lifting and I just use the tractor to dump the nuts at the edge of the field. Figure it is a good stockpile for the squirrels.

We had a bumper corp of walnuts, but I think I cut my clean up time in half from last year. Really glad I made the modifications and found another use for the FEL.

 

[dave1949]

That looks like a good work saver.

Are they black walnuts? Do you eat any of the nuts? I know black walnuts are tough to shell and stain your hands. Never been my favorite flavor, but some people are 'nuts' about them. As I remember, my Dad used to drive the car over the hulls to get them open.

Now that you have it all working, maybe you could develop a larger model. I have the Congressional Bag-A-Nut in mind

Dave.

 

[turnkey4099]

That looks like a good work saver.

Are they black walnuts? Do you eat any of the nuts? I know black walnuts are tough to shell and stain your hands. Never been my favorite flavor, but some people are 'nuts' about them. As I remember, my Dad used to drive the car over the hulls to get them open.

Now that you have it all working, maybe you could develop a larger model. I have the Congressional Bag-A-Nut in mind

Dave.

I don't think you can find a tractor big enough for a 'congressional bag-a-nut'.

Harry K

 

[lhfarm]

That looks like a good work saver.

Are they black walnuts? Do you eat any of the nuts? I know black walnuts are tough to shell and stain your hands. Never been my favorite flavor, but some people are 'nuts' about them. As I remember, my Dad used to drive the car over the hulls to get them open.

Now that you have it all working, maybe you could develop a larger model. I have the Congressional Bag-A-Nut in mind

Dave.

They are black walnuts. I left plenty in the drive and I'll crack a few. Lots left on the trees too, so I'll need to do a second round.

Sent a picture to a friend who thought I had attach the bagger to my FEL. He didn't think that was going to be too successful. I'll forward your idea of a congressional version. I think he will like that one.

 

[jinman]

Barry, that picker seems to really do the trick. I especially like the first picture with the tractor and your trees in the background. It looks like a nice early fall scene and much the same as our pecan groves would be this time of year. I get a monthly magazine from my electric coop company and last month they had an article about a pecan farmer in TX with 1200 acres of pecans at 48 trees per acre. His equipment was a lot bigger than yours and included a shaker for the trees. He also had a sweeper/windrower that he drove in reverse on the tractor so the pecans were swept to the side before the wheels could crush them. I have a feeling that your walnuts are a tougher nut to crack.

For anyone interested, here's a link to the issue that talks about pecans.

 

[lhfarm]

Barry, that picker seems to really do the trick. I especially like the first picture with the tractor and your trees in the background. It looks like a nice early fall scene and much the same as our pecan groves would be this time of year. I get a monthly magazine from my electric coop company and last month they had an article about a pecan farmer in TX with 1200 acres of pecans at 48 trees per acre. His equipment was a lot bigger than yours and included a shaker for the trees. He also had a sweeper/windrower that he drove in reverse on the tractor so the pecans were swept to the side before the wheels could crush them. I have a feeling that your walnuts are a tougher nut to crack.

For anyone interested, here's a link to the issue that talks about pecans.

My father-in-law, whose father purchased the farm we now live on in 1912 would gasp at what I paid for that nut picker upper. He grew up during the depression and always had used equipment that even he would often term "junk". But he could keep it running and that was all he asked. I know he left the place (it hasn't been a working farm for 30 years) and "moved to town" long before he wanted to, because the upkeep just got too hard. I'm planning to extend the years I have here by using every tool I can find to save my back. I'll still get plenty of exercise.

I will admit to feeling a little guilty using all that expensive equipment to do a job that can be done by hand. The truth is that is was really more fun than work.

 

[Chuck52]

Funny the different perspective on things. I spent an hour or so yesterday picking up, husking, and washing 2-3 gallons of black walnuts. I only have the one tree, and I probably didn't get all of them, but that's about all the nuts I want to try to crack and pick. I just crack them in a vise and pick the nutmeats out while watching TV in the evening. I'll get a few cups of clean nutmeats that the wife will use for fudge or a cake maybe. I've got English walnuts, too, but they only made about two dozen nuts this year...maybe a bushel next year I hope. Anyway, you can't beat black walnuts in fudge, or in black walnut ice cream. Too bad the wild ones are so much trouble to crack and pick. I'd probably try to process more if I had as many as Barry, but then I'd have to come up with a sheller as well as a picker-upper!

Chuck

 

[lhfarm]

Funny the different perspective on things. I spent an hour or so yesterday picking up, husking, and washing 2-3 gallons of black walnuts. I only have the one tree, and I probably didn't get all of them, but that's about all the nuts I want to try to crack and pick. I just crack them in a vise and pick the nutmeats out while watching TV in the evening. I'll get a few cups of clean nutmeats that the wife will use for fudge or a cake maybe. I've got English walnuts, too, but they only made about two dozen nuts this year...maybe a bushel next year I hope. Anyway, you can't beat black walnuts in fudge, or in black walnut ice cream. Too bad the wild ones are so much trouble to crack and pick. I'd probably try to process more if I had as many as Barry, but then I'd have to come up with a sheller as well as a picker-upper!

Chuck

My late FIL said they used a hand crank corn sheller in the most open setting to remove the outer husk. I've looked for a sheller in antique stores, but haven't located one yet.

I did 3 full FEL buckets of nuts and there are still more on the ground and the trees. I would like to process some and I have left some in the drive. Actually, it is on my things to do when I retire.

 

[dave1949]

My late FIL said they used a hand crank corn sheller in the most open setting to remove the outer husk. I've looked for a sheller in antique stores, but haven't located one yet.

I did 3 full FEL buckets of nuts and there are still more on the ground and the trees. I would like to process some and I have left some in the drive. Actually, it is on my things to do when I retire.

Don't know what you would pay for a sheller in an antique shop, but you can buy a new one at Lehman's Hardware. Lehmans.com

They have a hand crank corn sheller and it mentions walnuts too, $229.

They have the most interesting stuff there, usually not the cheapest price, but always fun to look at.

Dave.

Dave.

 

[lhfarm]

Don't know what you would pay for a sheller in an antique shop, but you can buy a new one at Lehman's Hardware. Lehmans.com

They have a hand crank corn sheller and it mentions walnuts too, $229.

They have the most interesting stuff there, usually not the cheapest price, but always fun to look at.

Dave.

Dave.

Great link and yes interesting items. Apparently the idea of using the sheller for walnuts wasn't limited to my FIL. Not sure I'm ready to spend a couple of implement dollars on a new one. But I will keep looking for a used one.

 

[ToadHill]

Best sheller I've found is to lay the nuts out on the gravel driveway and let the grandkids drive the garden tractor over them. It takes off the hulls off likity split.

 

[Chuck52]

Around here, most of the hulls are already squishy black, or getting there. I hulled mine by just twisting them in my hands wearing some leather gloves....of course I now have stained fingernails, but heck, I'm a guy, so who cares! I was then left with a mess of slimy black nuts which I cleaned by stirring them in a bucket of water a few times. I think people who get serious about black walnuts prefer to husk them before the husk starts slimming, so the nut comes out cleaner. I've read instructions saying to roll the green nuts across a knife and then twist them apart like you would an avocado. The nuts at that stage are still light colored and easy to clean up, I guess.

Carpathian walnuts are so much easier. They come out of their husks more like pecans. You can crack them in your hands. Of course, they sure don't taste like the black walnuts.

Chuck

 

[tugboat-2]

Ah yes gentlemen, we too have many black walnut trees here on this small farm,...with millions of the darn things on the ground right now.

We used to harvest a bunch and take the time and "work" to get the meat out. Very tasty but so much work. WHAT to do with them?

Too bad there isn't a worthy market for 'em,....but you know, I've been wondering if I built a drying rack, (squirrel proof),..and seasoned them for two or three years, (?)...could I then feed 'em into my kitchen cookstove?

They certainly are "like" a hardwood. I just thought of it and have yet to try it, but wondered if anyone has tried it or heard of using them as fuel?

The amount I get yearly would fire the stove for the entire winter I'm sure "IF" properly dried. Any thoughts???

CHEERS!
. . tug

 

[jbooth]

I would think a yard vac would work well for picking up walnuts. Probably would need to leave an up top opening for grass and leaves to blown on through. Walnuts should drop out being heavier than the grass and weeds. I have never used the method as I pay my grandkids to do it. I know they should do it for nothing, but they will get into me for money anyway. Just as well let them think they are "earning" the money

For hulling walnuts; a small portable cement with small rocks or iron thrown in with the walnuts has worked well for me. Add some water if you want to clean the black crap of the walnuts. Side benefit is it will clean your iron if it is used for the media.

May need to experiment with the size of rocks/iron.

There is a market for walnuts here, but I would hate to try to make a living doing it.

 

[lhfarm]

So, here we are 15 years later! I'm 15 years older and at least one year wiser... I received my new pull-behind - 36" Pull-Behind Black Walnut Picker - Bag-A-Nut What a machine! Worth every dollar! The lift-out baskets are a back saver. I'm pulling behind a zero-turn and the baskets fill quickly. I filled the FEL bucket with 5 or 6 baskets. What a joy to use.

 

[bigtiller]

I used to use my 10 gallon cement mixer, 6 big rocks and some water to strip the hulls off. But I found an even easier way.

If you mow around the tree with a 3500 pound lawnmower, it will push the nuts down into the soil making it easier to walk. Then go to Walmart and buy a bag of nuts.

$9.50 will buy you 12 oz. of black walnuts. About 3 cups.

Hammons Black Walnuts Large Pieces, 12 oz - Walmart.com

Buy Hammons Black Walnuts Large Pieces, 12 oz at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[lman]

So, here we are 15 years later! I'm 15 years older and at least one year wiser... I received my new pull-behind - 36" Pull-Behind Black Walnut Picker - Bag-A-Nut What a machine! Worth every dollar! The lift-out baskets are a back saver. I'm pulling behind a zero-turn and the baskets fill quickly. I filled the FEL bucket with 5 or 6 baskets. What a joy to use.

Around here there are places that buy walnuts. Do you sell them or just feed them to the squirrels? We've got a few walnuts here but they are back towards the river so we leave them and the squirrels clean them up. Our mowers are set to mow higher than the nuts.

 

[RjCorazza]

There certainly are some clever machines for very specific jobs. My neighbor has a hand roller for picking up walnuts, but he only has one tree to pick up. It's a small football shaped basket, that rolls around picking them up.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I picked up a bucket full of walnuts yesterday morning with the thought of husking and planting them. I left the bucket in the carport and when I went out a few hours later the squirrels (I assume) had emptied the bucket. They must have been thrilled that I put the nuts all in one place for them.

 

[Oaktree]

Wish I'd heard of this gadget 25 years ago when I lived at my old place. No walnuts, but I did have a couple of butternut trees. Miserable to try and pick up off the ground, plus the hulls were sticky when the nuts were green. I'd dry, shell and eat them, but as others have noted it was a lot of work.