Black Walnuts

Here's an article I came across after a quick search. Maybe someone can confirm that this is proper.

http://www.natureskills.com/black_walnut_harvesting.html

 

When I was a kid,  we had a huge black walnut tree.  Because she didn't want us to get stained, Mother never would let us do the hulling.  I don't remember anyone stomping on them to remove the hull, but I also don't recall what method they did use.  Seems like on the farm there was a tool for every purpose.  I also don't remember scrubbing the nuts after hulling, but I can't say for sure that they didn't.  I think we just let them dry and cure,  then we shelled them as needed.  Now mind you,  it's over 50 years since I was involved with the process,  and some of my meds give me brain fog.  If I can remember what I did yesterday, I'm doing good.  However,  I would trust the information in this article since the author was actively involved in the process, and she backed it all up with photos.  /img/vbsmilies/smilies/thumb.gif

 

My grandfather owns a small pecan orchard, and he has a few of these to shell the pecans. I would guess you could also use it for black walnuts?

 

Oh, that would definitely work for the shelling.  However black walnuts have a nasty, smelly, pulpy outer hull that has to be removed first.  These hulls, by the way,  make wonderful natural dye,  if one has the fortitude to deal with it. 

 

Y'all notice that the article only took you through the curing stage.

Fact is, the hard part of using black walnuts is the cracking and shelling. I have yet to find a tool that does it efficiently.

Indeed, if anyone wants to give it a try they're welcome to come on down. I've got three of the damn things, and the nuts go to waste.

BTW, the hulls are used for making dye. Depending on approach and material, they can color fabric and leather anything from a walnut brown, to yellow, to a rich black.

 

We have two black walnut trees in my yard, in most cases me and my sisters throw them at each other causing a "walnut war". But this year we do plan to gather them up. After they fall on the ground we let the hull dry out then we pick them up, and put them in the basement for a couple of weeks and then the meat slips out of the shell quite easily and your hands don't really get stained at all.