Topic: Walnuts Advice please!

[Trixiebelle]

My neighbour Ahmed has a HUGE walnut tree in his allotment that is absolutely covered in nuts!

I was AMAZED! I never even considered that walnuts grew in the UK. I can be a bit geographically dim & horticulturally challenged at times  ::)

Anyway. On account of him having no teeth whatsoever, he says I can have the lot  ;D < --- that's me with TEETH by the way!

He says that you take them off the tree at the end of August, dry them out, peel the green case off and ................... then his voice trailed away! Don't think he's ever picked them!

What do I do with them? When are they ripe? How do I know they are ripe? How do I store them? How do you pickle walnuts? Will squirrels nick 'em off the tree?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated and recipes for date and walnut cake even more so  ;D

Trix X

[Melbourne12]

It's too late for pickled walnuts.  Pickled walnuts are done with the whole nut, including the green case, but before the shell starts to form.

When they first start to drop from the tree, you can eat them as "wet walnuts".  Under the outer casing is the shell, and when you break the shell you'll find the normal walnut kernel, covered in a skin.  The bitter skin needs to be peeled off (which is a great fiddle), leaving you with a rather delectable milky nut.  Mrs Melbourne12 (Jean) would kill for wet walnuts, but I (John) find them more trouble than they're worth.

If you remove the outer green case and store the nuts in a dry place (or dry them in the airing cupboard), you'll get dried walnuts in good time for Christmas to eat with your after-dinner port.

Jealous? Moi?  :'( :'( :'(  ;)

PS I think the traditional way to pick the nuts is to shake the tree, or bang the branches. But in practice the nuts will fall when they're ready.

PPS Jean's parents used to have a huge walnut tree in their garden.  Only a memory now, sadly.

[Trixiebelle]

Thanks Melbourne!

But when do I shake the tree? And when do I peel the green off?

I don't fancy 'wet walnuts', I'd rather like the ones that crunch between your teeth with a bit of Stilton & Lime Cheese on Christmas Eve!

It's traditional in my house to have a huge bowl of nuts and absolutely NOTHING to crack them with. It's my job then to go in search of a brick and a tea-towel  ::)

[Melbourne12]

I think that August is a bit optimistic.  We think that end September/early October is probably the best time, although it may depend on the variety and indeed the climate.

My advice is that the squirrels do indeed love them.  You need to be out early after a windy night to gather the walnuts before the squirrels get to them.  But there should be enough for you and the squirrels if the tree has got a good crop.

You peel the outer case off immediately.  The shell will be quite dark brown and damp.  As they dry the shell will get a bit lighter in colour.

The troble with the brick technique is that the walnut can easily be reduced to fragments.  This http://www.nutsandclaws.co.uk/ is what you need to crack a;; sorts of nuts without breaking the kernel. Highly recommended!

[Trixiebelle]

Thanks Melbourne! I thought that the end of August was a bit early.

There's enough nuts on that tree for me AND the squirrels but I'm not sure about being early-up after a windy night. I'd rather be under the duvet!

Looking forward to harvesting the walnuts though. I like little surprises like that.

[valmarg]

Trixiebelle, this is a recipe from an ancient Good Housekeeping booklet dated 1950, though I don’t suppose the procedure has changed much.

PICKLED WALNUTS

Wipe the green nuts, prick them well and put them into a basin, rejecting any that feel hard when pricked.  Cover with brine and allow to soak for eight days, then throw away the brine, cover the nuts with fresh brine and re-soak for 14 days.  Wash and dry the walnuts well and spread them out, exposing them to the air until they turn black.  Have ready sufficient hot spiced vinegar, put the nuts into the pickle jars, cover with hot vinegar, and cover when cold.  Allow to mature for 5 – 6 weeks before using.

The recipe for brine is 2oz salt to 1 pint water.

The recipe for spiced vinegar is:

To one quart (2 pints) vinegar allow

¼oz blade mace
¼oz allspice
¼cloves
¼stick cinnamon
6 peppercorns
¼oz root ginger (for a hot pickle)

Tie the spices in muslin, place them in a covered pan with the vinegar and heat slowly to boiling point.  Remove from the heat, leave to stand for 2 hours and then remove the bag of spices.

Having read, and typed out the recipe, you can understand why they are so expensive in the shops.

If you are too late to pickle any this year, I’d be ready to ‘snatch his hands off’ next year!!

valmarg

[Trixiebelle]

That recipe looks good Valmarg  :) But I couldn't be arsed with remembering the soaking dates and ounces of vinegar and salt!

Has anyone got a recipe for just sticking them in the shed outside until they're ready to crack open with a brick and a tea-towel?

[tim]

This is our little offering.

I'm afraid that the suirrel gets most of ours & buries them in our neighbour's lawn. When he digs them up in the Spring, he makes one hell of a mess of the lawn. Neighbour is far from from pleased.

Mostly, the ones we get are on the ground &, by that time, blackish. The nut then just pops out.

[valmarg]

Trixi, you asked earlier for a recipe for date and walnut cake.  This has raisins instead of dates, but can vouch for the taste:

WHISKY CAKE

Cake

7 oz stoned raisins
4 oz whole walnuts

6 oz plain flour                                )
1 level teaspoon bicarb                          )   Flour mixture
½ level teaspoon cinnamon              )    (sieved together)
½ level teaspoon nutmeg                  )
½ level teaspoon allspice                 )
¾ level teaspoon salt                           )
4 oz margarine/butter
5 oz caster sugar
1 tablespoon whisky
1 egg

Filling and icing

2 oz butter
6 oz icing sugar
2 tablespoons whisky
cherries

Method

Simmer raisins in water for 20 minutes, drain, reserving one third pint of the liquid.  Cool.

Cream margarine and caster sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat egg and add, fold in flour mixture.  Add raisin liquid.  Chop walnuts (leaving a few for decoration) and add with raisins and 1 tablespoon whisky.  Pour into two prepared 7” tins and bake in centre of pre-heated oven (mark 4, 350oF, 180oC) for 40 minutes, or until firm to touch.  Remove from oven and leave to stand in tins for a few minutes.  Turn out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Cream butter and icing sugar with 2 tablespoons whisky.  Sandwich cakes together with some of the butter cream.  Spread the rest on top and decorate with remaining walnut halves, cherries, etc.

The addition of the whisky to the butter cream really makes the cake live up to its name!!

I would have to admit, the 'brining process' does seem a bit too long to bother with for pickling walnuts, tho I do like the end result.  If you've never eaten them, they are a bit of an acquired taste.

valmarg

[Trixiebelle]

Well thanks anyway Val! I'm sure I'll get those pesky nuts before long  ;D

[ACE]

The green outer skin really stains your hands. I think they used to use it to fake a suntan in the old days.

[markfield rover]

My mate has a tree too , do you know their value on the open market,it is huge!

[cleo]

The squirrels will get most of them but at least all this rain has done something-the crop this year looks fantastic and they are swelling nicely.

[Doris_Pinks]

YUM fresh green walnuts! ;D

[telboy]

If you can beat the squirrels to the nuts - you are a star!

[Toadspawn]

I agree with Ace. If you try and remove the outer green or even black and rotting skin your hands will be black for days. Handle with care or wear rubber gloves.  If you let them fall off the tree when the skins are black and rotting and collect them up and dry them thoroughly (not in the oven) then the stain is much less of a problem.

[Tinkie_Bear]

Ohhh, wet walnuts, you lucky thing. 

If the tree is a good size you will have enough to pick up and let the squirrel have his share - my friend does and still has enough to share with the rest of the village !!

If you are going to put the walnuts into something i.e. chocolate or cake and need an easy way of removing the bitter skins, crach the nuts and then plonk a load in a bowl of boiling water, it doesn't take long, the skins all swell up and come off easy - this is not idea if you are going to eat them raw as the nut cooks a little and goes a bit rubbery but is perfect in a cake or my favorite, make some chocs with the sloes that have  come out of the gin (stone them first - far easier) and some wet walnuts, just melt some choc and put it ontop of the sloes and nuts, leave to cool and enjoy. 

Have fun.

Helen

[tim]

Amazing how one can get tunnel vision? I must have passed this 100 times this year without noticing. Thank you, Squirrel - that's just about where our lovely Birch died last year. It'll be a gap filler.

[Trixiebelle]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeell ... I got 2 carrier-bags full of windfalls last week and in the last couple of days the pesky squirrels have taken the LOT off the tree  ::)

I've put them to dry in the shed (the walnuts, not the squirrels!) but not before eating a few and forgetting that they stain your fingers. I've been walking round looking like I've dipped my hands in engine oil.

They were BLOOMING LOVELY though  ;D

[Froglegs]

but not before eating a few and forgetting that they stain your fingers. I've been walking round looking like I've dipped my hands in engine oil.

Spssssss.... 8).....wona buy some soap... :-X      ;)

Yes i know ....get ya coat. ;D