Things You'll Need:
- Head protection
- Gloves
- Old clothes
- Old shoes
- Flat work area
- Hammer
- Wire brush
- Water
- Bucket
- Drying area
- Nutcracker
- Storage vessel
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Step 1
Wear a hard hat to protect your head from falling nuts, gloves that will not allow the hull juices to penetrate to your skin, and clothes that you do not mind throwing away. Walnut hulls leave very stubborn dark stains.
To gather the nuts, shake the three branches up and down--as opposed to sideways--to loosen nuts from the branch, or pick up fallen nuts from the ground. -
Step 2
Choose nuts with green hulls. Black hulls may have liquefied near the shell and penetrated the meat.
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Step 3
Spread the nuts on a flat area and stomp or hammer the hulls off, discarding them in a compost pile or the woods. Some people drive over the nuts with their car to knock the hulls off.
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Step 4
Scrub the shells with a wire brush to remove bits of hull left behind.
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Step 5
Rinse in a bucket of water and scrub again.
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Step 6
Dry the shells. Place in a sunny spot where animals cannot get to them. Make sure no shells are touching for maximum ventilation. You can use a herb drier or an unlit gas oven with only the pilot light on. Sun drying may take a few hours, whereas an herb drier or oven will take 24 to 36 hours.
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Step 7
Crack the shell open to remove the meat after an adequate drying period. Allow nuts to cure for at least four weeks for better texture and flavor.
Nuts that will be eaten over a period of a few months can be stored in an airtight container. For longer storage, freezing is preferred.
Comments
wrwoody said
on 10/29/2009 This article was so informative. One must appreciate all the patience and hard work that goes into a little cup of black walnut meats. My dad always gave me a container of black walnuts that he himself had hulled and cleaned for me. You tips are so resourceful. Thank you so much.