Make harvesting black walnuts easier (and tastier) with these must-know tips.
Bob Stefko
What Are Black Walnuts?
Be ready to race the squirrels when it’s time to harvest walnuts.
Credit:Bob Stefko
Avoid walnut headachesliterally and figurativelyby parking far from this trees canopy and gathering the fruit quickly after it falls.
Peter Krumhardt
Harvesting Tips
1.
Gather black walnuts promptly.
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Pick up fallen fruit daily toprevent squirrelsfrom nabbing the nuts first.
Gathering from the ground presents no problems, and the nutmeat is not harmed in the fall.
As the walnut husk deteriorates, it turns black and soft.
Blackened walnut husks willstain concreteand landscape stone.
Gather the walnut fruit immediately to prevent this staining.
Protect your hands from the stubborn black substance by wearing gloves when harvesting the nuts.
Remove the husk right away.
Shortly after harvest, remove the green husk, or thick outer covering, around a black walnut.
Removing the husks is time-consuming and messy, but the flavor of the nutmeat is worth the labor.
Stir the nuts in the tub to dislodge debris and remove lingering husk material.
Discard all floating walnuts.
Let the nuts cure.
Place thoroughly dry nuts in mesh bags or baskets until you are ready to crack them.
Have patience when cracking walnut shells.
Cracking open a black walnut shell to retrieve the nutmeat can be a test of endurance and skill.
Traditional nutcrackers are no use when it comes to black walnuts.
Ahammer or a visethat can apply steady pressure is much more likely to reveal the tasty nut.
Soften black walnut shells by soaking them in water for one to two hours.
Remove the nuts from the water and keep them moist by storing them in an airtight container overnight.
Crack the softened shells the next day.
It is common for bits of shell to break off as you remove the nutmeat.
Carefully separate shell bits from the nuts.
Sometimes well-dried walnuts will develop a crack along the shell’s seam.
If you want to salvage larger pieces of the nuts, look for the shells with this crack.
Then carefully use a thin blade such as apocket knifeto split initiate the two halves.
Store black walnuts in the fridge or freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Black walnuts can be used the way you would use English walnuts.
They make tastyadditions to cakes,cookies, quick breads, andyour next charcuterie board.
Black walnuts taste similar to English walnuts, but with a more earthy flavor.
They can vary from sweet to bitter, depending on how they are processed.
