How to Eat Black Walnuts
Black walnuts are a tasty treat, though these nuts are different from the walnuts you may see in the grocery store. The process of eating black walnuts involves several steps before you get to the nut or meat inside. You can find these nuts in parks, on the street or in your own backyard, but you have to take your time before you eat black walnuts. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Press the outside of the husk to ensure that the black walnut is mature and ready to eat. The outside husk should be a dark green color and soft to the touch. When you can press your finger against the husk and see the indent of your fingers, it's ripe. Alternatively, the nuts fall from the tree when ripe.
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Wear gloves to protect your hands and goggles to protect your face. Black walnut husks are extremely dark and will stain your skin if you touch the inside. The substance turns your hands black, or a dark color, and it tends to stay for a couple of weeks, sometimes up to a month.
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Place the black walnuts in newspaper and set them down on a flat surface. Stomp down on the nuts with your foot, sliding your foot around slightly. You also can wrap the nuts in plastic and hit them with a hammer. Peel away any remaining husk to get to the shell inside.
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Fill a five-gallon bucket with warm water and drop the black walnuts inside. Give the bucket a shake and remove any debris that floats to the top, including nuts, because this indicates that the shell is empty. Lay the shells out on a flat surface and let them dry. If you don't want to eat the black walnuts right away, you can leave them in an area with high ventilation and no sunlight for two to three weeks.
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Soak the black walnuts for at least an hour in cool water, which helps soften the shells. Then crack the outside using a nutcracker or hammer, and you can eat the black walnuts. Try eating black walnuts raw, toasting the nuts in a little butter or using them in your favorite desert recipe.
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Tips & Warnings
The peak season for black walnuts is in the fall, particularly September through the beginning of October. If you're willing to wait until then, the husk is easier to remove, and you'll get to the meat more quickly. A quicker and easier way to remove the husk and get to the meat is to place the black walnuts in a pile on your driveway and run over them with your car.
