What to do with Black Walnuts?

Congratulations on getting some walnuts! Wish you were closer to me and you could have many more.
Seems like most everyone in our neighborhood has black walnut trees, and anytime anyone goes to pick one up, it's just reflex to say, "Don't get that on your hands! It'll stain and you'll have to just wear it off!" I've never heard one person say anything that would take the stain off skin. There may be something, but no one around here seems to know it. I have a brown spot on the back of my leg where I walked through them and when I stepped on one it split open and a piece flew up and hit my leg. It's been there over a week. I hope someone will come along and tell you how to remove, or at least lighten the stains.
RG

RG- After all the time spent getting the husks off the walnuts, yesterday we finally got around to cracking the nuts. My DH was helping me and when he hit the nut with his hammer it wouldn't break at all or it would completely shatter. I gave him a smaller hammer and he would sit there going tink, tink, tink and nothing. Eventually he busted up enough to fill an 8x13 pan. We took them in to the kitchen table and sat there picking the nuts out of the shells for 2 hours and we finally got 1 cup of nut pieces. I didn't even have to chop the nuts because the pieces were so small.

There must be a better way to do this - how do you get the nuts out of the shells?

hmstly - have you ever gone "crabbing" you know with a chicken neck on a line and a net or the neck in a trap, caught a bushel or so - steamed them then hand picked them for the sweet meat?

Sometimes it is far better to really have to work for the bounty - cause it taste even better than if it process were easy!

This message was edited Nov 15, 2005 12:29 AM

I was cracking some walnuts today that a friend brought over... she said they were black walnuts, but they tasted like regular walnuts to me. Perhaps black walnuts are harder to crack, but these were pretty straightforward. I use a wooden mallet (same one I use for crabs, LOL), set the nut on a hard surface with the "seam" facing up, and give it a couple of firm taps. Usually they come out in big pieces, occasionally I'll manage to crack out a whole one, and sometimes I misjudge and end up picking out nut crumbs. I like cracking them on the fireplace hearth, because I can set the nut between the bricks to help hold it steady... that's an especially useful trick for cracking smaller nuts like hazelnuts.

critter you are tough but I love your system (sometimes less force and more finesse is the wat to approch a situation!).

This message was edited Nov 15, 2005 12:32 AM

My dad has a favorite saying, "Don't force it!!..... Get a bigger hammer!" LOL

sometimes a bigger hammer and less force and sometimes a smaller hammer and more force - it is all about the correct tool and technique and would apply to most every situation or circumstance. You can clear a forrest in a short order w/a bulldozer but what are you left with but barren earth. If you did it selectively by hand it would take many more hours but how many hours does it take a hardwood tree to grow?

Sorry, you would not believe the rate at which I have seen "forrest" gobbled up this past year.

While catching up on reading this, I remembered something. I bought a Christmas ornament in Germany that was a miniature nativity scene set in a fake walnut shell. Although that was fake, there are lots of creative ideas you can come up with if you just put your mind to it. Good luck!! ~ Suzi :)

Just thought I would mention, I finally used the black walnuts over the Thanksgiving weekend. I baked a Black Walnut Pie - using the same recipe as pecan pie. It was really good - rich - and good.

Yummy!! Now I am jealous!! ~ Suzi :)

There are still folks that hand-fashion tons of varieties of beautiful crafts ... from the wood and from the nut of the walnut.

Many folks still make and the shops still offer various vases and solid bowls from the walnut and/or a combination of woods and the artistic 'filligree' bowls, Christmas ornaments, and other carvings that are masterfully created from 'slices' of the nuts. I'm relatively certain I've spotted some of the 'buttons' that were mentioned above also. Some fascinatingly intricate and beautiful arts and crafts ...

As patischell has stated - the Black Walnut husks/hulls are most definitely highly valued for its remedy/healing uses and tinctures to treat multiple ills and ailments. Many of which surpass modern medicine and treatment. Which incidentally, these .. are the origins of the majority of todays medicine - only drastically 'watered' down and mixed with other ingredients we don't need.

RainGazer .. I'll bet that hubby of yours could design and/or replicate some mitey beautiful pieces of furniture .. should you guys decide to harvest the trees for lumber. But, at any rate, weigh the options carefully ..

Nope, no 'activists', per say .. just a couple of folks that prefer to implement some restoration and replacement, of what we are graciously allowed to borrow.

- Magpye

Bumper crop this year - still gathering - Last years was much less, think it was the dry wx.

This year we got way too much rain for other crops. But the black walnuts seemed to like it.

Another factor - the teenage boys next door have started hunting & have dessimated the
local squirrel population. The DW is mad about this but I realize that the boys will be boys.

I have found that our crops vary from year to year here, the odd years (' 05 ) or this year was a good harvest although the even years ('00) ('02) ('04) were not good at all, very few. I'm thinking they need a rest period between years.

They set up nut buying stations all around our county here in the Ozarks were they shuck the nuts with a automatic shucker. I have never sold any of my nuts to them because they only give a pittance for them, $10.00 for a hundred pounds of shucked nuts !, what I don't use, I leave the rest for the critters.

A tip on picking the nut meats :o) after you have cracked your nuts, lol, (excuse me) let them dry for a week before you pick the meats, you will get bigger kernels and they won't so juicy inside, allot easier to work with.

Tomorrow I'm having Black Walnut Brownies, ya outta try them, their Deeeeeeelicious !!

Bill

When collecting black walnuts here in Illinois at my grandmother's house (in the forest around Shelbyville) I just put on leather work gloves and stomp the green husks to break them free, then pull the nut out and throw them into sacks. If you have room, dump all the nuts onto the ground and wait a month or so. Mother Nature cleans them very well. Then crack the nuts and enjoy the spoils. I have never seen any bugs infest the nuts on the ground.. maybe due to the Thujone left on the nut. Just watch for squirrels, and unless they are really industrious, enjoy watching them go crazy trying to deal with such a booty. If I get stained I use the same old time remedy that hairdressers used to use to remove haircolor from skin..... find a smoker and use the cigarette ash plus a little water to make a poultrice and just rub the stain away. It won't completely remove the stain, but it will drastically cut down your wait.

I buy a box of disposable vinyal gloves and wear them inside the gloves I husk with. Then I sit on the porch and start tearing the black husk off. I'm lucky to have a screened in back porch to dry the nuts on, or the squirrels would get a lot of them. Funny story. I was cracking nuts the day the schwan man came. I answered the door and told him I didn't want anything that day. On the way back to the porch I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I burst out laughing. I had been popping nuts in my mouth and had a ''bluto'' beard and mustache all around where my hand hit my face.

Ahh, those totally unplanned candid shots - that went by the wayside! Really cute tale, billyporter ..
And a big ol 'hearty' welcome to DG .. to ya!

- Magpye