While we do not have a black walnut tree on our property we do forage black walnuts every year from a nearby neighbors property. The tree is in their yard and they do not wish to collect or go to the effort of cracking the walnuts and picking them out. So every year we go over several times a week and pick them up out of their yard. Then they come home and we put them on the slab out back and run over them with the lawn mower. This breaks up the outer husk without breaking the actual nut.
Then O Wise One takes a wire brush to the nuts getting most of the black remnants of the husk off the shell. Some people pressure wash them. Once clean the nuts are dried in the sun and then cracked on a heavy duty nut cracker made for cracking walnuts.
Then I sit and pick the nut meats out.
Then I place them on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven to get out any excess moisture. I put mine on 100 for about an hour. You could probably do this in the dehydrator or even in the sun if you would like,
Once the nuts are toasted I simply put them in ziploc bags until I have enough and then place them in vacuum sealed bags and freeze for later use. I bake with these. Add them to my morning oats and we make trail mixes with them adding toasted oats like a granola and our home grown dried figs, blueberries, apples or even raisin and cranberries from the store. I also use them for pesto.
While that is lots of work chopped walnuts right now are $6.98 a pound at the local Walmart. I have 25 gallons of walnuts that are ready to be cracked and another 25 gallon to be cleaned yet. I should have lots of walnuts to last for a year or two frozen. I like to freeze mine in vacuum sealed bags to prevent freezer burn.
Foraging at it's best from something someone else would throw away.
Blessings from The Holler
CQ
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I have one in my yard. I haven't gathered them yet we are still running over them. Going to let them dry and pic on them later in the winter. I love them in muffins. Have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteThey are wonderful in baked goods! You have a great day too and thanks for the visit.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a walnut tree, and I never used the walnuts. I should have put my kids to work collecting them!
ReplyDeleteBlack walnuts have a little different taste than the walnuts you buy in the store but we like it. Walnuts are good for your heart just in moderation because they are also high in fat. The downside is they can be hard to crack and pick out. We have a very heavy duty nut cracker that we use. Once cracked we roast ours in the oven to dry them out then freeze them in vacuum bags.
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