I’ve been meaning to update, Harvesting Walunts, for a while now. To say that removing the nut from the shell has been a lesson in frustration would be an understatement. OMGoodness!! Breaking into that black walnut shell is like trying to break into Fort Knox. For whatever reason….the nutty gem within is highly, highly protected…I mean beyond what seems reasonable….seriously!!
If you think I’m joking, take a look at this……..
Jimminy Crickets….unless you have teeth like a squirrel, or jaw strength like a Great Dane (more about that below)…I’m not entirely sure we were meant to actually eat these nuts. I mean think about it…if you were reliant on the calories and nutrition that black walnuts can provide, by the time you broke open enough for a handful size serving, you would have expended more calories than the walnut provides. There’s got to be a better way than my finite mind can fathom.
The results of about 45 minutes of effort resulted in this…..
The 2nd clue that this was not going to be an easy process. See all those dents in the wood…those are walnut shell impressions from banging it with a hammer!!
The black walnut’s chamber of secrets!! It’s a matter of digging out small pieces of nut.
My question is, “Why is the meat of these walnuts so protected?” Look at the damage to the wooden board that trying to break into this shell has caused. Is it worth the effort to gather those small pieces of nut?
The comparison of nut to shell. This is the result of shelling four black walnuts. The nut is sweet, and very…nutty. Quite good, actually, but I think next year…I’ll probably just leave all of them for the squirrels. Obviously, they are more equipped to eat these nuts than I am!!
Now, if I can just invent a tool that breaks the shell as efficiently as this girl…maybe I’ll harvest more this coming fall….
In all likelihood, I think I’m sticking with the good old English Walnut…look at the difference three nuts yield, besides that, there’s no danger of being impaled by flying walnut shells!!
Quite the difference!! I don’t think I’ll be harvesting many black walnuts in the near future.
Thanks for visiting the farm today. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!!!
Your friend from Oregon,
Tami
Build Me a Dream 
Comments on: "Breaking Bad – Black Walnuts" (2)
Interesting, and good to know. Tho I don’t think we can grow walnuts in Texas. I am going to try an almond tree. 😊
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Almonds would be cool. We planted chestnut trees last fall, hopefully, we’ll see some nuts this year. 🙂
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