Here’s how to process the black walnut

Emails bombarded my in-box last week like a barrage of walnuts on the driveway. More than a dozen readers contacted me to say that last week’s column about black walnuts piqued their interest and they are eager for more information.

First and foremost, readers asked how to process their own walnuts in order to eat them. Other people wanted to know where to purchase native black walnuts (as opposed to the run-of-the-mill English walnuts sold in grocery stores) for snacking and baking. Some asked how to use the hulls for other purposes mentioned in my previous column, including natural dyes. Several exasperated homeowners wanted to know what to do with the mounds of decaying walnuts raked from their lawns and walkways.

Food first

Let’s start with food. The art of walnut processing begins with the harvest. Walnuts must be green and newly fallen — or shaken — from the tree. Processing begins right away, because the walnuts will begin to decompose if left in a bucket or box.

Gathering the fruit is the easy part. The next step is a formidable challenge. You need to somehow get the edible nut out of its rock-hard armored casing. Squirrels, the masterminds of seed pilfering, figured out long ago how to get the job done with only their teeth. We humans are dentally challenged by comparison. So — using our arguably superior intelligence and opposable thumbs — we have invented all kinds of gadgets to crack walnut husks.

The most basic method of cracking the husk requires a hammer, a towel, and a hard surface. Why the towel? Walnut-busting basics are predicated on the issue of extracting the nut without getting the indelible stain of the husk all over your hands. Wearing gloves, cover the walnut husk with the towel and whack each walnut one by one with the hammer — repeatedly. Give it all you’ve got. Eventually, the husks will yield.

Another method of breaking the husk is to use an old-fashioned cast iron corn sheller. These hand operated gizmos are not standard equipment in homes anymore, but you might find an old one in working condition at an antique store or a flea market. Or, you can go on eBay where bids start at about $300.

With these two basic methods, you can produce two, maybe three cups of nuts in an hour’s time — which is fine if you’re really into slowly preparing your food. In the old days, slow food was the only food and often people gathered to make the laborious process of processing walnuts a party.

Donald Culross Peattie wrote in his classic, “A Natural History of Trees,” “Nutting parties were the most highly prized of children’s festivities throughout the eastern forest belt. … The charm of the nutting party, of course, did not depend solely on the subsequent pleasure of cracking the rough shell and extracting the delicious, oily sweet kernel from its intricate walls. It derived much from the tingling autumn airs, the flaming forest leaves, the wild telegraphing calls of the crows, and the shouts and games of the other children …”

It’s difficult to match Peattie’s eloquence in describing the next method of breaking walnuts. Simply spread walnuts along the driveway, drive your car back and forth, and voila! A huge mess. But a mess containing broken husks and walnut shells.

Intransigent walnut hulls will also yield in a cement mixer. A cement mixer? According to Walter Reeves on his gardening website walterreeves.com, one person put walnuts and rocks in a cement mixer and let the mixer rotate. I’m not sure how clean the end product was. Most of us don’t have easy access to construction equipment, anyway, so it’s back to the hammer and towel.

Once the walnut shells are extracted from the crumbly black husk, you can soak and then cure the whole shells for storage, or you can skip that step and soak them for 24 hours prior to shelling. Shelling will reveal the treasure you’ve been after all along: the nutritious nutmeat.

Cracking black walnut shells is not as easy as shelling, say pistachio nuts. The walnut shell, like the husk around it, resists breaking. Over the years people have come up with lots of ways to overcome this. Check out nutcrackers.com to see a variety of seed cracking tools.

Once the shell is cracked, you can either reward yourself for all your labors by eating the nutmeats on the spot. Or, you can store them. If you chose to store them, your job still isn’t over. The meats must be dried to prevent mold. Spread the nutmeat on a screen and place in the sun where the squirrels can’t filch the fruits of your hard labor. Some sources recommend drying in an oven set to its lowest heat.

Any way you look at it, a walnut is a tough nut to crack. If you’d like to skip the hassle and just buy some black walnuts, be prepared for sticker shock! I found a small package selling for triple the price of English walnuts. You can find less expensive black walnuts (and lots of cool walnut products) online at sites such as black-walnuts.com and nutsonline.com.

Beyond food

What about the myriad other uses of walnuts? Using the husks for dye is relatively easy. The first step, as usual, is to break up the husks. Put about 10 to 15 walnuts’ worth of broken husks in a gallon of water and steep for an hour or so. The water will turn a deep, rich brown. Dunk fabric in the simmering dye bath until the cloth takes on the shade of brown that you like. Remove the fabric and squeeze excess water. Be sure to wash walnut-dyed clothing separately for the first few washes. The dye is colorfast, light-fast, and wash-fast.

The million-dollar question is what to do with the heaps of decomposing walnuts that you’ve raked, shoveled and plowed off the ground this year. Walnut fruits — as well as the leaves — contain a compound known as juglone which inhibits growth in many plants, including garden favorites like tomatoes and eggplants. Although juglone breaks down when exposed to air and water, it’s best not to compost walnuts near a vegetable garden. Some plants such as redbud trees, black raspberry bushes, marigolds and most grasses are not susceptible to juglone. You can safely compost walnuts in proximity to these plants.

Black walnuts may not be worth their weight in gold, but darn close. So, instead of dismissing the fallen fruit as a nuisance, gather some up next fall and experiment on your own. Who knows, you just might rival the squirrels in the art of walnutting.

Ÿ Valerie Blaine is a naturalist with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. Comments and questions can be sent to blainevalerie@kaneforest.com.