Black Walnuts

[binkydee7]

Parents used to harvest Black Walnuts when I was a child. I can't remember steps to harvesting the nuts. Any input would be appreciated. Please help! Thanks!

[cynthia_h]

I don't know what to do about the hulls, but I "helped" a friend's dad harvest almonds when I was in the 3rd grade.

Friend and I were asked to climb up the tree and wait. The dad spread sheets underneath the tree.

Then he said, "OK, girls, hang onto a branch and jump up and down carefully. Jiggle the almonds off the tree!"

And there were absolute showers of almonds onto those sheets. I even got a sackful to take home on my (first) bicycle.

It's stuck with me ever since as an excellent way to harvest nuts: put sheets down and borrow a couple of kids. (Not that I've had the trees to do it with, but it's a great idea.)

Perhaps others will help with the walnut hulling process.

Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17

[rootsy]

put walnuts on hard ground.. drive over with vehicle to break the husks off of the inner shell... pick them up, spread them out somewhere out of the weather, let them dry... use bench vise to crack hull open and scoop out the meat....

If you have chickens they'll feast on the little worms that generally are found in the green husk. If the walnut has been on the ground for a few days or weeks and have bruised and turned brown or soft... almost a 99% chance there will be little white worms in there...

I have 6 feed sacks full that need to get driven over... and there's probably atleast that many left on the ground still...