Walnuts

[Robson Valley]

I can believe the mess. Maybe I don't need to fool with this walnut husk ink thing at all.
I buy boxes of 100 disposable vinyl gloves at the hardware store, That would be about 7BPS to you.
Even wear them, slapping hamburgers together.

Our water tastes really good. Chlorination here is a legal requirement.
The aeration tips on every sink tap do a good job and the chlorine stink wafts away.
Let it sit for an hour. Boil for drinks, they all work.

 

[Toddy]

Our kettle has a filter in it, and the kettle will give either hot or cold filtered water. It's still a footer when you can't just turn on the tap though.

M

 

[Robson Valley]

Yeah, must be. I don't pay any attention to it. There's no "ritual" to prepare water for anything here.
Some of the tributary rivers, when they drop and clear, still have that tell-tale glacier-blue color.
I stayed in one place south in the mountains, even the water in the bath tub was blue!

 

[Toddy]

Our village, and the next one along, sit ontop of a teardrop shaped sandstone rise out of the river valley. We are in something of a micro climate, always a bit milder than round about, always damp, forest fires are unknown, lush rich grasslands in Summer, and very rich in fruits. The natural line of fresh water springs that stretched along the side of the ridge apparently encouraged early settlements here. My Uncle still minded where every well had been in the two villages, though all are now capped and mostly forgotten. As a fourteen/fifteen year old my Saturday job was in the shop known as The Dairy. The floor in the back shop was always wet, never smelly, just always cool and wet. Like rain in a hot Summer. There was a natural spring slowly seeping up through the flagstones of the floor. The Inspectors said that it wasn't a health hazard since the water was as pure as it could be. It was naturally filtered through layers of sand and sandstone and slowly forced up by pressure. One of the other shops still had it's well and folks were offered a glass of fresh water. It was lovely it tasted 'right' somehow, cool, clean and very refreshing. Not like the stuff that comes out of the taps now. That's what we called 'city water' that was chemically purified.
I think the rain water is better than the tap now.

 

[Stew]

Back on topic, I have some fine sized walnut trees near my work. Reading that lot, I'm not sure I dare experiment with processing any!

One day I might brave it.

 

[Toddy]

I think it's worth it for the fresh nuts and if you used good strong rubber gloves it ought to be fine.

I thought the hulls would just be like the conkers, and twist off to leave the nuts, and well, it does, just that you suddenly realise that this 'stain' isn't coming off

M

 

[woodstock]

We are going to try vets cow examination gloves the big black ones as our hand are black, people in shops drop the change into your hand rather than touch you as it looks like your hands are filthy.

 

[humdrum_hostage]

I have a few customer's with walnut trees and apart from one which is about 60 feet high, none have had anything to harvest this year!
Bad year for crop followed by endless amounts of crows and squirrels have polished the lot off! I have been visiting weekly, watching the squirrels demolish them right above me while I work and the crows fly back and forth with them in their beaks!!!

I do find the thick black marigolds that Tesco sell, work.

Of course the next hurdle after the black fingers is making sure they don't go mouldy before they are ready to eat.

 

[Robson Valley]

What do you all do to preserve walnuts?
I find they just go rancid in bags in the cupboards. Freeze them?

I ask as I will be shopping for walnut halves later today.

 

[Toddy]

Do you mean the nuts in their shells but out of the outer skins ? or the nuts totally seperated from their shells ?

The nuts in shells when hardened off keep for a couple of years in big glass jars. Two years, but after that maybe one in ten is foosty tasting. I know because I got carried away with 10p bags of bargains in the post Christmas sales and ended up with enough to fill 3 x 5ltr jars. The last jar was one in ten unfit to eat. The squirrels didn't mind though :roll:
The nuts out of their shells I keep in smaller glass jars and just use up as munchies or for baking.

We eat a lot of nuts, walnuts are good food

 

[Dave]

I dont forage them. I wouldnt know where there were any where i go. But i like those little waldorf salads, with the bits of tangerine in them, so i normally buy the nuts, and some fruit salad. You know the stuff from the delicatessen in the supermarket, and add the broken walnuts to that. Also to walnut cake.

I prefer stuff like yorkshire parkin, walnuts, and pecans, and maple syrup on pastries. As a pose to the jam and cream and eclair affairs.

 

[erehwon]

Different country but we have two walnut trees in our garden and have many more growing around us, it a a race to collect them as they fall as both our dogs quickly grab them and are soon enjoying cracking open the shells and eating their contents. After this season's walnut tree bashing we had a good crop with the first ones cracked open and placed in the cupboard today. There is a local person that tours the villages to buy any surplus walnuts from you that he then takes to the local markets to sell. The walnut shells we use on the fire for kindling. Harvested at the right time when the outer casing has split when beating the tree the nut and casing generally separate making for a clean and easy harvest. We are lucky though as during the walnut harvesting season we can check and beat the trees every day, the first year we collected them too early and ended up like most on here with the dreaded "black finger" syndrome much to the amusement of our nearest neighbours, fortunately they pointed us in the right direction for the following year!

 

[Robson Valley]

I'm buying just the edible walnut meat part. Lots of it.

Dime-bags for obscene prices in the village grocery store.
So here I am in the city, going to the "Bulk Barn" to buy a few kilos.

My traditional Christmas treat is curried and roasted pecans.
Decided that I'd do the same thing but with walnuts. See how that goes.

My guts don't take kindly to raw nuts any more. Oven roasted seem to settle well.

 

[Toddy]

I dont forage them. I wouldnt know where there were any where i go. But i like those little waldorf salads, with the bits of tangerine in them, so i normally buy the nuts, and some fruit salad. You know the stuff from the delicatessen in the supermarket, and add the broken walnuts to that. Also to walnut cake.

I prefer stuff like yorkshire parkin, walnuts, and pecans, and maple syrup on pastries. As a pose to the jam and cream and eclair affairs.

I'm suddenly in the notion for date and walnut loaf, or maybe parkin/gingerbread.

 

[Dave]

Mmmm, yeh. I hear ya! I have some in the cupboard as well. Tonight, its pizza, walnut cake, coffee, and binge watching stranger things season 2 on netflix. With the occasional gentle floor wrestle with the dog.

[I managed to walk straight past the booze section....lol]

 

[Janne]

We buy ours shell less in bulk (2 pound bags) at the local Cash and carry (costUles) and I put them in the freezer.
I check the Best Before date so I buy the ones with a minimum of one year on the pack.

I also buy Pecan halves this way. And freeze.

 

[Toddy]

Different country but we have two walnut trees in our garden and have many more growing around us, it a a race to collect them as they fall as both our dogs quickly grab them and are soon enjoying cracking open the shells and eating their contents. After this season's walnut tree bashing we had a good crop with the first ones cracked open and placed in the cupboard today. There is a local person that tours the villages to buy any surplus walnuts from you that he then takes to the local markets to sell. The walnut shells we use on the fire for kindling. Harvested at the right time when the outer casing has split when beating the tree the nut and casing generally separate making for a clean and easy harvest. We are lucky though as during the walnut harvesting season we can check and beat the trees every day, the first year we collected them too early and ended up like most on here with the dreaded "black finger" syndrome much to the amusement of our nearest neighbours, fortunately they pointed us in the right direction for the following year!

I was told that that was the way to harvest them but I don't have a walnut tree. Lovely to have them growing in your garden.
Do the shells 'spatter' when used on the fire ?

 

[Robson Valley]

Pizza crust, pizza sauce. Top with cored 1/4" apple slices, walnut halves, rosemary and handfuls of mozzarella. Bake as usual.
Thanks, Janne. I've been buying and freezing pecans for years. Never curried walnuts before.
I can buy just about any amount that I can afford in the bulk store. Just great bins, bags & scoops.
I'm just a little too far north to get enough summer for nut crops.

 

[Janne]

And I am a little bit to far South. Coco-nuts are the crop here!

Fresh Walnuts are delicious, before they are fully dried.

Pizza crust, pizza sauce. Top with cored 1/4" apple slices, walnut halves, rosemary and handfuls of mozzarella. Bake as usual.
Thanks, Janne. I've been buying and freezing pecans for years. Never curried walnuts before.
I can buy just about any amount that I can afford in the bulk store. Just great bins, bags & scoops.
I'm just a little too far north to get enough summer for nut crops.

 

[Robson Valley]

I've eaten fresh walnuts, right off the orchard floor. Yeah, OK.
I'm accustomed to roasted and salted peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts and almonds.
Learned how to make dry curried roasted pecans. Less than 15 minutes for a 4C batch.

All this thread talk makes me want to try the curry thing with walnuts (and save some for pizza).