Things You'll Need:
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Step 1
Wear gloves whenever you are handling black walnuts, since the nuts contain a pigment that will stain your skin. Walnut juice will also stain your clothes, tools and any work surfaces you use during harvest and curing.
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Step 2
Harvest black walnuts after they have fallen from the tree. The husks should be a yellowish green and should be soft enough that pressing them with your thumb leaves a slight indentation. Do not harvest black walnuts that are dry and rattly or that are squishy and moldy.
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Step 3
Remove the outer husk. If you are processing small amounts of nuts, you may use a hammer to break the husk. To process large quantities of nuts, you can lay them out in your driveway and drive over them with your car, or you can put them in a cement mixer with a handful of gravel and just enough water to moisten the mix. Always wear safety glasses, in case pieces of the husk or shards of walnut go flying.
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Step 4
Wash the nuts outside using a garden hose, or indoors in a sink where you don't mind if it gets stained.
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Step 5
Remove any insect-ridden nuts. To check for insects, place walnuts in a bucket of water; the sound nuts will sink, and buggy nuts will float.
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Step 6
Cure black walnuts by laying them out on a table or on several baking sheets in a cool, dry, dark, well-ventilated location for two weeks. Do not stack the black walnuts more than two or three nuts deep. After two weeks, break open the shell of a nut to test if it is finished curing. A properly cured nut will be crisp and dry and the shell will snap when you open it. Discard any moldy nuts.
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Step 7
Store black walnuts with or without their shells. Shelled nuts must be used or refrigerated immediately. Black walnuts in the shell may be stored in a cloth bag or a wire basket to allow for air circulation. Ideal humidity levels should be between 60 and 70%. High humidity may cause the nuts to mold, and low humidity may cause them to dry out, crack open and spoil.
