How to Harvest Black Walnuts in Virginia
Black walnuts (Juglans nigra) grow native to many areas in the United States, including Virginia. According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension, black walnuts have the potential for "small-scale production" and "direct marketing" in most of the state. In addition, black walnut trees are highly versatile. Their trunks are a prized hardwood and the nuts are used for food and medicine. If you have a black walnut tree, why buy the nuts in a grocery store? You can harvest black walnuts yourself and save money in the process. If you have many black walnuts, you may be able to harvest for profit. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Pick the black walnuts after your area's first frost. In Virginia, the first frost can occur as early as October and as late as the end of November, depending on your location. A sign that a black walnut is ripening is a change in husk color from green to yellow. You can wait for the highest ones to fall on the ground and manually pick the ones within easy reach. Wear gloves and old clothes when you work with black walnuts because the husks contain a black oil-like substance that will permanently stain.
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Remove the outermost skin, or hull, of the nut by pounding each end of the walnut with a hammer. Place the hulled walnuts in a bucket of water to rinse clean and check for damage. Black walnuts that are damaged will float to the top of the water; throw these away.
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Dry the walnuts by laying them out on a flat surface in a darkened well-ventilated area. This is known as curing. The curing process takes approximately two weeks. You can tell when curing has completed by cracking open a walnut to see if it is crisp and dry inside.
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Store the cured walnuts by placing them inside a breathable bag. Virginia Tech recommends using mesh bags and placing in a cool environment. When ready to use, soak them in hot water for 24 hours to soften, making the shell removal easier.
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Tips & Warnings
Try to gather your black walnuts as they ripen and hit the ground. It may be easier to harvest and clean small batches and this will keep wild animals from taking off with most of your nuts.
If you are removing the husks from a large amount of black walnuts, the University of Minnesota recommends putting them in a bucket filled with three parts walnuts, one part water and a small amount of gravel. Stir the mixture until the husks are removed.
Wear safety glasses when removing the husks with a hammer. Walnut shells are hard and can cause damage if a piece hits your eye.
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