I cannot believe how many walnuts have fallen this year. In one certain area you cant’ walk without a squish….and an uncertain wiggle due to the hard nut that follows the squish. As I stated in my last post, we decided to try and harvest some actual nuts this year. The process is messy, and takes a bit of time to get the nut out of its casing…I hope the results are worth it…either way, it has been a fun project so far.
My friend, Jill, told me how she used to harvest walnuts as a kid…I decided to try it…
…with just a couple twists of the foot, the husks came right off! Collecting the husks in one container, and the nuts in the other….
…I wished the contents could have been reversed in quantity. But, we had a good amount for the first time harvesting. If this turns out well, harvesting next year will definitely start as soon as the walnuts start falling. There are just so many this year, it would probably take a year to finish the job…at that point, I don’t think we’d want to eat them.
This is what walnut husks will do to your hands. BTW, this was the second layer of gloves I was wearing.
Next step was to add water….
…at this point they had soaked for about 30 seconds…
…I agitated them around a bit…
…then poured out the wat….I don’t think you can really call that water anymore!!
That’s a pretty good amount for one afternoon!! Like most things, room to breathe, and in this case, dry out, is necessary to prevent mold. The hubby built the drying screen table, which I think is pretty awesome! With a little patience, like 2 or 3 weeks, it will be time to crack open the shells…kind of like an early Christmas!
Not to worry…there are plenty of walnuts left on the ground for our resident squirrels. They should be plenty well-rounded this year.
Also, to my surprise, as we winterized the garden we found a few gems….
…this was one big, beautiful carrot!! I roasted it last night with brussel sprouts, and butternut squash…paired with some toasty garlic bread, it was a so good!
Thank you for visiting the farm today, and thank you even more to those who have served our country. You are all so awesome!!
Your friend in Oregon,
Tami
Build Me a Dream 
Comments on: "Harvesting Walnuts" (10)
Can you just go pick up any old walnut? I’m not really sure how to collect them. How long do they have to dry before you can eat them?
I know some walnut trees produce toxins to stop plants from growing around them, is that what the soaking is for? Thanks!
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Hi there!! Thank you for posting!! I wasn’t sure that black walnuts were a good nut to eat until recently. The big, beautiful ones they sell in grocery store are English Walnuts. My post prior to this one shows the difference. I wouldn’t collect walnuts that I’m not sure about…I know that ours have not had any pesticides applied, and the walnuts had just recently fallen…but that is how you harvest them, you wait until they fall. I soaked them for about 30 seconds because I shucked them on the ground and wanted them a bit cleaner.
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I didn’t know you could eat black walnuts! Let me know if they are any good! I will collect some next season if they are!
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Reblogged this on 2 Boys 1 Homestead and commented:
Interesting!
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Thank you!!!
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I can remember picking up walnuts as a kid, thanks for the flashback. I can remember picking the walnuts as soon as they fell from the tree, and then they turned black and dry, and the outer part just separated from the nut easily. No rinsing needed, but I understand why you did it this go around.
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Hi Frankandot!! I would love to use your method…it sounds so much easier!! We collected a small bit about a week ago, and left some of their “coats” on. We saw a little mold developing, so decided that the cleaner they were the more apt they would be not to mold or mildew. This is our first trial run so…we’ll see!! 🙂 Did you dry them out indoors (ours are in the garage)?
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I just moved to Oregon, and this was my first time seeing walnut trees. It’s neat to see the nuts being used! We don’t have any on our property, but there are some nearby that look like they’re wild. Maybe another year we’ll collect some.
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Welcome to Oregon!!!
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