How to Hull English Walnuts

English walnuts have a mildly sweet, delicious flavor. These nuts taste good eaten by the handful or in any baked item. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and protein. Plus they have no cholesterol and no fat. The following article will tell you how to harvest the walnuts, from picking them off the tree to scooping out the nut meat.

Instructions

1. Harvest the walnuts at the appropriate time, usually late August through September. Do not delay too long--otherwise, after they dry you will be left with kernels that are dark-colored or moldy. Recognize harvest time when the nuts all around the tree start to burst their hulls at the same time.

2. Determine the maturity of individual hulls by inspecting the tissue between the kernel and the shell's inner lining. When the English walnuts are ready, the tissue will be brown and the hull will be loose. The hull will burst naturally if the tree received enough water; otherwise, you will need to inspect the individual hulls.

3. Pick the nuts. Spread a tarp under the tree, shake the tree branches to dislodge the nuts, and then gather them up from the tarp.

4. Leave the whole nuts to dry for two weeks if the hulls did not burst naturally. Preferably keep them outdoors in the sun. Flip them over daily.

5. Remove the hulls gently by hand to avoid damage to the kernels.

6. Store the English walnuts whole in the kernel or else crack them with a rubber mallet to remove the nut meat. If you aren't going to eat them or use them in recipes right away, you can freeze them in a sealed plastic bag for later.