The Forestry Forum

Okay, I know there's some people out there that could help me with this.  Last year I collected a bunch of walnuts from my yard tree.  While I was washing them off I noticed that some of 'em would float while others would sink.  Cracked a few open and was really excited about discovering this method for which walnuts had meat in them (the sinkers). 

My problem comes after they're hulled.  Some of 'em I cracked right away and put on a cookie sheet (the vice works good for crackin').  These managed to mold on me since I stuck them in the oven to get them out of the way and forgot about them.  Others I left in the shell for a time (like my gram used to do), but when I cracked them open they were all shriveled up  :(   How should I go about my walnut harvesting this year  ???  Black walnuts are so much better than English walnuts.  Ya couldn't beat my gram's black walnut cake  :)

Now if I can just get my hands on more than four hickory nuts this year before the squirrels do   :( :D

We always spread the walnuts out on newspaper behind the wood furnace for a month or two after hulling and washing .There was always a few shriveled up ones but not too many . I've cracked many a bucket of them.  Tom

After hulling we set ours in the sun to dry ,Pick them up before the scquirels and put in a bucket for later cracking .  Never washed them yet.

That's what my gram always did with em...spread them out on newspaper in the basement for a month or two before cracking them.  I just found it strange that all of the sinkers that I opened right away had nice meat in them, but all of the ones I set on newspaper for a while were all shriveled up by the time I cracked them  ???

Well somebody better come up with a solution for getting the best stuff out of black walnuts 'cuz I got a customer who is willing to give me all of her walnuts every year - she calls 'em a nuisance and has been throwing them in the landfill ( :o :( :'( for the past few years.  Something like 25 bushels. 

I thought I just posted this thread...didn't know it got so far back  :P

Anyway, I've been looking around on the web trying to find out some info on hickory nuts and black walnuts.  I found this page that describes how you should take care of your walnuts before cracking:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/nutrition/BJ511.html

I've already started my daily (at the least) trip out to the hickory nut tree in the field.  Got a couple so far that have fallen.  No wonder the squirrels like those things so much...DanG they're tasty  :)