[ponyexpress]

How do you tell when walnuts are ready? Do I have to wait for them to fall off the tree? I can't get to my tree everyday to pick them up, so they start to rot.
Is there a neater way to crack them than running over them with the car?
Thanks for any help!

 

[uncle Will in In.]

You are asking about black walnuts aren't you? Wait until they fall on the ground. They won't rot for a month or so. Taking off the outer husk works well if you run them through a corn sheller. Just pouring them in the driveway where the car runs over them works. Some people jack up a drive wheel on their vehicle with a board with low sides laid under the raised wheel. The walnuts are poured against the idling wheel and as the tire jerks the nuts under it and out the rear, the husks are torn off. Once hulled the nuts need to "cure" a while to make them better to eat. Good pass time for long winter nights is sitting in the kitchen with a flat iron in your lap, and a claw hammer in you hand busting the shells to extract the goodies.

 

[bethlaf]

i tried to respond before, i assume youre talking about black walnuts, since english dont require a car .
as uncle will said, they are ripe when they hit thre ground, remember the gren husk is the outside, of the seed, and the nut is protected by it , so even if the husk looks nasty, the nut is usually still good,
i put an old sheet on the ground to collect the nuts ,
and a hammer and flat rock cracks the nuts nicely

black walnuts cinnamon and raisins make the best yeast raised sweet rolls in gods green earth ...

use the small broken bits of nuts and add them to a largish jar of olive oil , the more nut meats the better, i use about 4 ++cups of nut meats in a 2 1/2 gallon jug shake it regularly, and in a month or so youll have deliciously flavored oil , use in baked cakes (((TIP home made from scratch cakes are moister if you use oil instead of margarine or shorteneing, and no trans fats )))) and brownies
or for salald oil for vinagretter dressing, that with homemade raspberry vinegar, youll have a sald dressing the neighbors will envy

they also sell crackers for black walnuts, for about 60.00, which to my mind is way too expensive

 

[Thumper/inOkla.]

2 days after the squirrels get them........

 

[ponyexpress]

Thanks everyone!
I guess I am just a little too anxious. I picked some off the tree yesterday! Guess I'll just have to wait for the rest of them to fall.