How to Harvest and Store Walnuts

Walnuts come in two types: the familiar English walnut and the native American black walnut. While the English walnut gives up its hull fairly easily, removing a black walnut's hull takes some doing - so much so that some hardy souls have been known to drive over the hulls with a car.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baskets
• Gardening Gloves
• Baskets

1. Harvest walnuts in early fall, from September to October.

2. Knock or shake hulls from the tree once the shells are full but while the hulls are still intact, or gather them off the ground as soon as they fall.

3. Remove the hulls, protecting your hands from stains using rubber gloves. Rinse with water to remove the tannin.

4. Spread the shells in the sun to dry and cure for two to three weeks. Kernels will break cleanly when bent if completely dry.

5. Keep nuts in the shell in a cool, dry area for several months. You can also shell nuts and refrigerate them for several months, or freeze them for longer storage.

Tips & Warnings

• Walnuts are delicious when eaten raw, tossed into salads, added to prepared dishes or used in baking.
• English walnuts are milder; black walnuts have a stronger, distinctive flavor.

[duece]

on 12/13/2008 I have gotten my nuts directly at drop, hulled by hand with a razor and some potato peeler gloves, dried for two weeks. however when shelled the nuts have an interesting after taste... I haven't been able to find anything about this on the web.. the initial flavor tastes great, just like the walnuts at the store... but the aftertaste is bitter and weird.. any clues ?

[AnnieRod]

on 9/30/2008 Baganut makes nut harvesters that work on English Walnuts and Black Walnuts. They are easy to push or can be pulled behind a trailer/ATV/mower. They start at $375 but are well worth it!
You can watch a video on the home page of their website www.baganut.com

[gypsy-aurore]

on 10/16/2007 The neighborhood squirrels loved when I left my walnuts out to dry last year. This year I plan to eat them. Maybe I'll use the oven to cure them.

[Lorin]

on 9/24/2007 When I crack my walnuts they vary in color from an off white to a dark almost solid black. What causes the color differences?

[pageparadise]

on 9/11/2007 Should I leave them outside all the time? Rain or shine? What type of surface should I use?