Bag-A-Nut for walnuts - follow up

[ToadHill]

Best sheller I've found is to lay the nuts out on the gravel driveway and let the grandkids drive the garden tractor over them. It takes off the hulls off likity split.

 

[Chuck52]

Around here, most of the hulls are already squishy black, or getting there. I hulled mine by just twisting them in my hands wearing some leather gloves....of course I now have stained fingernails, but heck, I'm a guy, so who cares! I was then left with a mess of slimy black nuts which I cleaned by stirring them in a bucket of water a few times. I think people who get serious about black walnuts prefer to husk them before the husk starts slimming, so the nut comes out cleaner. I've read instructions saying to roll the green nuts across a knife and then twist them apart like you would an avocado. The nuts at that stage are still light colored and easy to clean up, I guess.

Carpathian walnuts are so much easier. They come out of their husks more like pecans. You can crack them in your hands. Of course, they sure don't taste like the black walnuts.

Chuck

 

[tugboat-2]

Ah yes gentlemen, we too have many black walnut trees here on this small farm,...with millions of the darn things on the ground right now.

We used to harvest a bunch and take the time and "work" to get the meat out. Very tasty but so much work. WHAT to do with them?

Too bad there isn't a worthy market for 'em,....but you know, I've been wondering if I built a drying rack, (squirrel proof),..and seasoned them for two or three years, (?)...could I then feed 'em into my kitchen cookstove?

They certainly are "like" a hardwood. I just thought of it and have yet to try it, but wondered if anyone has tried it or heard of using them as fuel?

The amount I get yearly would fire the stove for the entire winter I'm sure "IF" properly dried. Any thoughts???

CHEERS!
. . tug

 

[jbooth]

I would think a yard vac would work well for picking up walnuts. Probably would need to leave an up top opening for grass and leaves to blown on through. Walnuts should drop out being heavier than the grass and weeds. I have never used the method as I pay my grandkids to do it. I know they should do it for nothing, but they will get into me for money anyway. Just as well let them think they are "earning" the money

For hulling walnuts; a small portable cement with small rocks or iron thrown in with the walnuts has worked well for me. Add some water if you want to clean the black crap of the walnuts. Side benefit is it will clean your iron if it is used for the media.

May need to experiment with the size of rocks/iron.

There is a market for walnuts here, but I would hate to try to make a living doing it.

 

[lhfarm]

So, here we are 15 years later! I'm 15 years older and at least one year wiser... I received my new pull-behind - 36" Pull-Behind Black Walnut Picker - Bag-A-Nut What a machine! Worth every dollar! The lift-out baskets are a back saver. I'm pulling behind a zero-turn and the baskets fill quickly. I filled the FEL bucket with 5 or 6 baskets. What a joy to use.

 

[bigtiller]

I used to use my 10 gallon cement mixer, 6 big rocks and some water to strip the hulls off. But I found an even easier way.

If you mow around the tree with a 3500 pound lawnmower, it will push the nuts down into the soil making it easier to walk. Then go to Walmart and buy a bag of nuts.

$9.50 will buy you 12 oz. of black walnuts. About 3 cups.

Hammons Black Walnuts Large Pieces, 12 oz - Walmart.com

Buy Hammons Black Walnuts Large Pieces, 12 oz at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[lman]

So, here we are 15 years later! I'm 15 years older and at least one year wiser... I received my new pull-behind - 36" Pull-Behind Black Walnut Picker - Bag-A-Nut What a machine! Worth every dollar! The lift-out baskets are a back saver. I'm pulling behind a zero-turn and the baskets fill quickly. I filled the FEL bucket with 5 or 6 baskets. What a joy to use.

Around here there are places that buy walnuts. Do you sell them or just feed them to the squirrels? We've got a few walnuts here but they are back towards the river so we leave them and the squirrels clean them up. Our mowers are set to mow higher than the nuts.

 

[RjCorazza]

There certainly are some clever machines for very specific jobs. My neighbor has a hand roller for picking up walnuts, but he only has one tree to pick up. It's a small football shaped basket, that rolls around picking them up.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

I picked up a bucket full of walnuts yesterday morning with the thought of husking and planting them. I left the bucket in the carport and when I went out a few hours later the squirrels (I assume) had emptied the bucket. They must have been thrilled that I put the nuts all in one place for them.