Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: It’s a nutty year
This has been one nutty year. I have 2 black walnut trees at the edge of my property. I have cleaned up a ton of them this year, seriously about 100 pounds worth so far.
My neighbor across the street is complaining that the squirrels are coming over to eat nuts on her porch! So what can you do with all those nuts. Well, some say, the black walnuts are delicious. I found a video of a guy from Canada who harvests them. He has a lot of information about Black Walnut trees, the juglone and how to harvest and prepare black walnuts.
Once you get the outside hull off, then it’s time to wash them off the big chunks from the outer shells. Next, put them in an onion sack. The point is to expose them to air to cure for a couple of weeks! Once they’ve cured, it’s time to crack them open.
This is not like cracking the walnuts you buy at the grocery store! We’re talkin’ hammer time! This guy cracks them open but doesn’t take the nutmeat out right away. He gets them all cracked, putting them back in the bowl and THEN he uses wire cutters! Yup, ya gotta want ‘em!
Or you can sell your crop to Hammons Black Walnut company. He has a hulling location in Montello, Wisconsin. The closest I could find. They do a LOT of business in Missouri! The toxic juglone is a natural herbicide, killing many plants underneath it. The juglone is also very toxic to horses. Check out gardenbite.com for lots more information.
I have a spot on the other side of my garage that most of the plants I put there do really well for a time and then die. I believe the roots have been the problem. Oh, more research to do!
Speaking of nuts… A friend of mine says the acorns have been ridiculous this year. Adding that the young deer are crunching the acorns like cereal! Snap, Crackle, Pop!