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When they fall on the ground they will be either green or brownish. You lay them single file on a cement surface and stomp on them with old shoes on and break out the black walnut. Then you dry them and we use a hammer to crack them open. Don't walk on your carpet, etc. after you use the old shoes. The hulls were what the settlers used to make brown dye to dye their clothes. It really stains and will also stain your hands, so you may want to use work gloves or plastic gloves when handling them.
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Originally Posted by rtmitche
I've read you wait till the split, what color should the hull be? Do you dry them?
One of my grandfathers shared a gigantic old black walnut with a neighbor. He'd been in the house over 50 years & the tree predated him.
He knew that my mother was fond of black walnuts, so every year he would fight the squirrels for the black walnuts on his side of the property line, shell them, & give them to my mother for Christmas. I'm not sure of the color, but when the nuts hit the ground, start scrambling, because it will be you vs the squirrels, & they outnumber you.
I have a pecan, & have been told that the nuts don't fall until after the leaves fall. I was extremely sick last fall & the squirrels won.
When they fall on the ground they will be either green or brownish. You lay them single file on a cement surface and stomp on them with old shoes on and break out the black walnut. Then you dry them and we use a hammer to crack them open. Don't walk on your carpet, etc. after you use the old shoes. The hulls were what the settlers used to make brown dye to dye their clothes. It really stains and will also stain your hands, so you may want to use work gloves or plastic gloves when handling them.
This is exactly the way to do it! I've never had to fight the squirrels.They usually don't bother with black walnuts.Pecans are another story!We put our nuts on a gravel drive and drive over them to remove the outer hull.Then lay them on an old screen to dry out.Once dry,the shell will be black.I use a hammer to get the nuts open.They are very labor intensive but so worth the effort.They will begin to drop in late fall and could continue to drop all winter.Doesn't matter really.When they hit the ground, you can leave them or gather them up to be dried.They won't go bad for a long time.
I have a pecan, & have been told that the nuts don't fall until after the leaves fall. I was extremely sick last fall & the squirrels won.
Some times we win the pecan war and other times the squirrels win. They are really smart. Last year hubby went out the back door, down the steps and right there where you would step on the cement was cracked pecans. It was one of those ha ha ha we got'em messages from the squirrels.
Black walnuts are another story, you can pick them up off the ground when they fall even if they are green, sometimes that is the only way you can win that battle. Put them in a bag and let them sit until they turn brownish/black. The hull will get sort of wrinkled and appear to dry out. They are nasty when you remove that hull. If they are still very wet after you remove the hull let them set (away from the squirrels) to dry out before you crack them. You will be able to tell when you crack a few if they are ready.
I heard if you don't wear gloves your hands will be stained for weeks. Tony's in Gastonia makes a mean black walnut ice cream. Also I heard they're better for baking with than eating straight.
Good advice on this thread. I have 3-4 black walnut trees in my yard, and yes, the squirrels do love them. I just wanted to add that you might want to invest in a good heavy-duty nutcracker. As someone noted above, the BW shells are one of the hardest to crack of any nut. A hammer works, but it can pulverize the meat. If you get a nutcracker, be sure it's designed for black walnuts as most are too wimpy to handle them. Mine is similar to this one: Kitchen*|*Helpers and Accessories*|*Utensils and Tools*|*Our Best Nutcracker - Lehmans.com=
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