Subject: Walnut Ripening??

From: [email-masked] (Jim Hunt)
Date: 23 Aug 1996 22:25:49 GMT

OK, I am getting more and more suspicious of the local squirrels.

I'm not sure why, but they have taken to stashing walnuts in crooks
of trees and up on rafter ends all around my house.  We have two
walnut trees on the property, one of each type, I'm not sure which
is which, but one is English and I guess the other is Black.  One
has narrow blade leaves in fernlike patterns, the other has large
complex shaped oak type leaves up to 8 inches across.  I am also
not sure which type of walnut is being stored this way, maybe both.

The walnuts are picked in pairs, or triples sometimes, and placed
in some elevated position in the area.  My Bottle Brush plant has
about ten or fifteen walnuts stashed in various forks.  The Apple
tree has walnuts sitting on top of bunches of apples.  And most
of the flat rafter ends on the sunny side of the house have one
or two walnut groups sitting up there.  They seen to require a
sunny spot, at least I haven't found any in shady locations.

I'm in CA, Silicon Valley, and have both black and brown squirrels.

I consider several reasons, it may be a territory marking thing,
or it could be simple short term storage, or it could be a ripening
issue, like they need to sit in the sun a week before being edible.
I doubt it is long term storage because of the high visibility and
lack of protection of the sites chosen.

So does anybody know if fresh walnuts need to be aged after picking
before they are good?  Does anybody even EAT fresh walnuts?  I know
I don't, the squirrels have them all picked before they are even full
grown.  I see them eating walnuts all the time, but I can't be sure
if they are fresh picked or ones that have been sitting for a while.

As an amusing bonus, I have to tell you what I saw last weekend.

I have a mild hill in front of the house, and a squirrel had picked
a nice large walnut triple and was walking across my driveway when
the triple came apart.  The double and the single started down the
hill.  The squirrel grabbed the single and then chased down the
double, which had gotten up quite a bit of speed.  He tackled it,
and dropped the single to grab the double.  Then the single started
off, and he took off after it...

...Repeat twice more before the hill leveled off!

I almost died laughing, but he did get all three back in his mouth
when they all stopped, and continued on his way with the prize.

-- 
Jim [email-masked]	Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

---

From: [email-masked] (Paul Hinrichs)
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 20:23:30 GMT

>OK, I am getting more and more suspicious of the local squirrels.

<rest of great squirrel story snipped>

You know, I bet the time will come when there'll be a Squirrel Channel
on cable TV. The little rodents are pests most of the time, but
they're great fun to watch.

I have no idea what they are doing with their walnut stashes, but I do
suggest wearing a hardhat in the area when they start going after
them. Maybe this is some sort of food preservation technique they read
in the squirrel edition of "Stocking Up"? Do the sites they select to
be mostly in the sun, maybe to dehydrate them?

---

From: ywu <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Aug 1996 10:16:56 -0400

Jim Hunt wrote:
> complex shaped oak type leaves up to 8 inches across. <Snip>

I have a black walnut (BW) in my front yard - it has the fernlike
leaves.  BW have much thicker shells than EW.  In either case, it's not
imperative to age them although the flavor changes and to some extent I
prefer the fresh ones.  Roasting is also up to preference, though it
makes them easier to crack - esp the BW.

Your story w/ squirrels is very funny.  I don't find squirrels as
amusing here since they bury the nuts - making huge divots in my lawn.
Arrggghhhh!!!! (they also wreak havoc with my sunflowers).

This is a fruiting year for my tree (I don't know about EW, but BW only
fruit every other year) so if anyone has suggestions for how to de-husk
these things, I'd love to hear them.  If anyone's in SE Michigan, you're
welcome to stop in and take as many as you can carry!

Later,

---

From: [email-masked] (Jim Hunt)
Date: 30 Aug 1996 00:50:13 GMT

|> fruit every other year) so if anyone has suggestions for how to de-husk
|> these things, I'd love to hear them.  If anyone's in SE Michigan, you're

Somebody mailed me this, but it answers your question.  Not sure if they
want their name used, so I'll err on the side of privacy.

------------------------

Re your walnut crop...

I believe the "ferny" leaf will be the black walnut, the other will be 
the English (most common commercially).

I use both kinds, but there is a phenomenal difference between the two in 
accessing the nut: the English just takes pliers or a nut cracker.  The 
black will take a heavy duty vise and two muscular adults!

I get the English variety while the shells are still wet (it rains a lot 
here, in Oregon) but out of the husk, and let them air-dry; we shell 
them, dry them in a food dryer, then pack in jars to store in a cool, dark 
place, or freeze.  

The black ones are another story: when they fall, they don't usually fall 
out of the husk, but, rather, make a nasty mushy mess while lying around 
waiting to be gathered.  If you decide to gather these beauties--and they 
ARE beauties; there is no other flavor on this earth quite like 
them--wear gloves, preferably rubber ones.  The stains are legendary and 
then a day.  Remove them from the husk and lay them on plastic drop cloth 
or whatever and allow them to dry off (this will take a few days).  Once 
the shells are dry, clean off whatever else remains: dirt, grass bits, 
veins from husk, most all the detritus you can get off.  Because you will 
want the best grip possible for your vise when you attempt to crack them...:)

When you decide to shell them, think of the most frustrating thing you've 
ever done and add the second one: this task is that bad!  (In some 
states, these shells are sold to asphalt businesses to be included in 
roadbed mixtures, they're that hard!)  

Grease up the vise, because you're going to be winding/unwinding it a lot
and you'll want it to work easily.  Get your partner tuned up: provide
thin leather gloves if possible, wear protective eyewear, keep small pets
out of the way; don't invite anybody to "visit" while you're involved:
this is serious business. 

Start with the nut placed in the vise so that the blossom or stem end is 
on top; (you'll figure out which is which); crack it a little.  Then, 
remove the nut and place it "sideways" in the vise (so that the 
blossom/stem ends are against the vise grids) and crack it again.  With 
luck, the shell will begin to give way in a vew places.  You will have to 
sort of revolve the nut several times to create rifts in the shell.  

The nutmeats are contained in small rooms (usually 3) and they do not 
have the thin membrane like the English nut; they are just as hard walled 
as the shell itself.  The biggest problem is to crush the shell without 
mashing the meat.  If you are persistent and tenacious, you'll develop a 
style that will help you get the job done.

As a parting comment: last year, my spousal unit and I picked up off the
front yard of a local business about 8 lbs of black walnuts.  I went thru
all the foregoing cleaning instructions (except I neglected the rubber
gloves and had the stains to prove it), the drying, additional cleaning. 
I cannot say how many hours we labored over the vise--placing, winding,
pinching fingers, dodging flying objects, retrieving from the farthest
place the nut could fly out of the vise and land--and we wound up with at
best two pints of the most gorgeous, worm-free, heavenly aroma-ed and
ethereal flavored stuff you can imagine. 

Would I do it again?!  You bet...in about two months.  Only this time, 
I'm going for 20#!

Hope you'll excuse the length of this.  I just wanted you to know what 
you're getting into...  I didn't, but it didn't deter me.

--end of forwarded message--
-- 
Jim [email-masked]	Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

---

From: Frank&Sandy Orioles <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 1996 07:26:09 -0700

> these things, I'd love to hear them.  

Hi, we have found BW trees in some local parks, so my husband  has them scouted out 
already.  For some really good information on the WWW, try 
http://etcs.ext.missouri.edu:70/R156729-167123-1m/publications/xplor/forestry.gph

Sorry that is so long, I copied it from the top of my printout. I am assuming its from 
the univ. of misssouri cooperative extension.  Anyways, its a two page article about 
harvesting, hulling, cleaning,drying, cracking, storing Black Walnuts.

Hope it helps.

Sandy Orioles

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From: "M. Counides" <[email-masked]>
Date: 1 Sep 1996 11:10:01 -0700

The best method I know for dehusking black walnuts is to dump them on your 
driveway.  After you have run over them a few times and they have dried, 
pick up the nuts and proceed on to the shelling.  The dehusking is easy. I 
usually give up in the shelling phase. I guess that is why I planted an 
English walnut.

Naomi Counides
Associated Beefalo of Idaho

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From: [email-masked] (Bill Bersey)
Date: Mon, 02 Sep 1996 01:21:32 GMT

>Later,
I have 5 black walnut treed and find the best way to husk them is to
let my son wack them with his old tennis racket thru the chain link
fence.  It works!!
bill

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From: [email-masked] (William A. Grimes)
Date: Mon, 02 Sep 1996 15:24:49 GMT

>Associated Beefalo of Idaho
That was always the method we used in Indiana.  Let me add, however,
that under no circumstances should one attempt to de-hull a black
walnut bare-handed. The hulls can be (and were) used to make a dark
brown dye that has to wear off the skin.  Of course, if you want nut
brown hands ... <g>
William A. Grimes
San Francisco, CA
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Daniel B Patnode)
Date: 3 Sep 1996 15:53:33 GMT

>From  article <[email-masked]>, by "M. Counides" <[email-masked]>:

Does anyone know if, after crushing the shells, one could attempt to at
least eliminate some of the work by throwing the whole mess in a tub of
water.  What I'm wondering is if one or the other of the shell or the meat
floats?  For example, if the meat sinks but the shell floats or vice versa.
At least that would eliminate *some* of the work.

Dan
****************************************************************************
                  Dan & Lilia Patnode, Proprietors
                 Greenwood Antiques & Collectibles
              Specializing In Silver-Plated Flatware
                 [email-masked] in Milwaukee, WI

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From: Elisa Rae Ung <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 Sep 1996 23:31:39 -0700

Hello,

I am a journalism student at USC who is trying to find out two things:

1) Which fruit has the most calories per pound
2) Which fruit has the fewest calories per pound

I can't seem to find this information anywhere.  Someone suggested to post
to these newsgroups, can anyone help me?  I need both an answer and an
official source to verify the answer.  Even if someone could suggest where
to look, that would be helpful.

Also, this assignment is due Thursday (yipes!) so an answer before then
would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and pardon me if this question's been brought up before.  I"m new here
:)  Please e-mail me the answers directly instead of/in addition to
posting them.  Thanks very much and hope to hear from you soon!

--Elisa Ung
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (J Burkhard)
Date: 6 Sep 1996 10:04:17 -0400

> For some really good information on the WWW, try 

>harvesting, hulling, cleaning,drying, cracking, storing Black Walnuts.

I tried the URL you gave but it bounced back.  I was able to get into the
basic http://etcs.ext.missouri.edu URL and attempted to work my
way down to the walnut info.  I got roadblocked at an order form for 
purchasing publications.

Is there a direct URL to the site that works or can anyone just write
up some info on the drying / roasting aspects of the process.  I have
the hulling and cracking down OK.  All I do to hull is to roll them under
my foot on the driveway.  The hulls easily split off.  It seems like it's
best to do this when the nuts have recently fallen and the hulls are
still green.  Once they blacken, it get more messy.

Thanks for any info!

Jim
(dozens of BW's of all ages -- they've reached critcial mass!)