Making walnuts last

We are blessed to have an enormous walnut tree on our property which this year produced a very large crop. Its tempting to think that this was the result of the long dry Summer. That might have contributed to it but the reality is that the walnut tree follows a pattern of biennial cropping. Every other year there is a big crop.

We make a lot of use of the walnuts. When they are still green in June we make pickled walnuts. In their mature abundance, which they reach at this time of the year, some are used to add to various cake recipes. But mostly we have the luxury of a handful of walnuts, or more, every day. I add them to my morning porridge, plus dipping in to a bowl in the kitchen when I pass by.

It is fair to say that Janet is the overseer of our annual walnut harvest and through trial and error has worked out the best way, in our experience, to ensure that they remain edible well into next year. She also has the resolution to prepare them ready for consumption, the nutcrackers never far off.

What we have found works best is to collect up the freshly dropped walnuts each morning and each afternoon. They are too high up to pick off the tree. A breezy day is a source of excitement. Collecting those nuts that have only just dropped appears to be important. The walnuts are then rattled about in a garden sieve to remove any soil, debris or husk remnants and then placed into stackable vegetable trays. This year we have collected ten of the trays in the picture below. These are stored in a cool garage. If they are stored in an environment that is too warm they are likely to turn moldy. 

The walnuts are then only cracked open and the kernel removed as needed at periodic intervals, a bowlful at a time. We have found that drying them, which is often recommended, is counterproductive. Also the shelled nuts will store in a fridge for a few weeks but eventually they will go off as the oil in the walnuts will turn them rancid. So, leaving the walnuts in their shells until needed seems to work best.