Re: OT: Non iris fall tip on black walnuts
iris-photos@yahoogroups.com
  • Subject: Re: OT: Non iris fall tip on black walnuts
  • From: C* <c*@speednetllc.com>
  • Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:14:00 -0400
 

Hello Lawrence,


Thanks for sharing this with the group .... I haven't had a good way to harvest black walnuts yet, and my neighbors graciously give us some whenever we'd like them.

Does your trick work with walnuts already dried for a season, or should they only be fresh?  

Also, how do you crack them without picking?!  That's amazing .... would it be a certain position of the nut when you put it in the vise?

You may reply to me off-list, which would work best for the group,  I believe.

As a side note, I don't see anything wrong with sharing it with the group, especially if you created the article, and include "OT" for "Other Topic" with the subject line.


Thanks!

Adam~

President, Mio Irisarians
Region 6
Zone 4


On Oct 16, 2011, at 9:45 PM, Lawrence & Helen Lacey wrote:

The only relationship of this to iris is that I mentioned it at our local society meeting yesterday.  So at the dual risk of violating protocol and re inventing the wheel, here is something 

I devised and shared with our local garden club.

From: Lawrence Lacey Zone 4B

Date: October 16, 2011 


If you have virtually give! n up on harvesting your own black walnuts because of all the tannin and black gunk that still sticks to the shell after hulling and contaminates the final

product after cracking, consider this.  I just this week devised this method and it works like a charm.  All you need is a power washer and a container that lets the water in and the gunk out

that restrains the walnuts from being blown to kingdom come.  The animal trap I have been trapping coons with works just fine.  If you are handy, you could also cobble up a container out 

of hardware cloth.   I don't fill the trap, only about 2 to 3 " of walnuts in the bottom, so the powerful stream will stir the entire mass and plaster them against the opposite side of the cage.  I 

then hit them from the other side, going back and forth until I am satisfied I have just about all black off except the pointed tip (bloom end ) of the nut which is tougher.  Dry them for a day 

after washing and they are right for cracking.  I then use a mechanic's vice for cracking, don't do any picking and get large meats with minimal breakage.


Lawrence Lacey

<DSC_3944.jpg>

Hulled black walnuts before washing
 

<DSC_3945.jpg>
After power washing
 

<DSC_3946.jpg>! ;
Squirrel proof outdoor drying
 

<DSC_3947.jpg>
My power washer
 

<DSC_3949.jpg>
Dumping walnuts into animal trap
 


 

<DSC_3952.jpg>
The operation
 



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