Nutz for nuts: Reticently one of you guys started a thread on trees and someone mentioned black walnut. Has anyone figured out a easy way to crack them. They're really hard on the...

Maid Marion Loc: Corvallis, OR

Reticently one of you guys started a thread on trees and someone mentioned black walnut. Has anyone figured out a easy way to crack them. They're really hard on the hands(to head off wise cracks, no I don't crack them in my hands, I used a hammer) . Also I read somewhere that they are good pickled green in the husk, has anyone tried that?

Foodfisher Loc: SO. Cal coast

Grew up in Grampa's house in Pennsylvania. Off the front porch was a black walnut tree. Through many years of opening and eating them, hammer and anvil was the best way. Crack them along the seam then use a pick to get the meat. Hammer and rock turned the rock to dust. Crack anywhere but along the seam let you enjoy broken shells along with the meat.
Pickled is new to me.

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

Maid Marion wrote:

Reticently one of you guys started a thread on trees and someone mentioned black walnut. Has anyone figured out a easy way to crack them. They're really hard on the hands(to head off wise cracks, no I don't crack them in my hands, I used a hammer) . Also I read somewhere that they are good pickled green in the husk, has anyone tried that?

Well, Marion my dear, my wife's name is Marion and that is how I call her. My dad, "Thirsty" used to have a little wooden inclined box that he built, and he would jack up his rear wheeled car, put a chain on the tire, dump the walnuts into the inclined box with the motor in gear, I would step on the gas, and the tire and chain would throw the walnuts up against the woodshed. The walnuts would be shucked, but not cracked. I can't help you there. Besides that, your car is probably front-wheel drive.

fishyaker Loc: NW Michigan (Lower Peninsula)

I wonder if you placed them in a workbench vise and gently turned in until they cracked enough to pry open with a flat bladed screw driver?

Maid Marion Loc: Corvallis, OR

fishyaker wrote:

I wonder if you placed them in a workbench vise and gently turned in until they cracked enough to pry open with a flat bladed screw driver?

Tried that with a hacksaw, got some interesting buttons and a mess. 🙃

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

Maid Marion wrote:

Tried that with a hacksaw, got some interesting buttons and a mess. 🙃

A vise and a saws-all would do it; you would still have a mess. It would be easier than using a hack saw. Good luck on this one, Marion, I don't think there is an easy answer.

Maid Marion Loc: Corvallis, OR

flyguy wrote:

A vise and a saws-all would do it; you would still have a mess. It would be easier than using a hack saw. Good luck on this one, Marion, I don't think there is an easy answer.

I didn't think so, but hope springs eternal. Thanks all. PS saws-all I might lose a hand.

Maid Marion Loc: Corvallis, OR

flyguy wrote:

Well, Marion my dear, my wife's name is Marion and... (show quote)

No car and that would make a mess of the woodshed. 🤣 thanks anyway.

CamT Loc: La Porte, Texas

Maid Marion wrote:

I didn't think so, but hope springs eternal. Thanks all. PS saws-all I might lose a hand.

Now days I just buy them shelled. We had lots of them growing on the farm when i was a youngster and getting the meat out was always a challenge. We sold them whole by the sackful to the state.

Maid Marion Loc: Corvallis, OR

Foodfisher wrote:

Grew up in Grampa's house in Pennsylvania. Off the front porch was a black walnut tree. Through many years of opening and eating them, hammer and anvil was the best way. Crack them along the seam then use a pick to get the meat. Hammer and rock turned the rock to dust. Crack anywhere but along the seam let you enjoy broken shells along with the meat.
Pickled is new to me.

Thanks, will try again.

Slimshady Loc: Central Pennsylvania

Marion I just recently saw a nutcracker specifically for black walnuts. I don’t remember where it was though. I did read the reviews on it as my dad just absolutely loved them in peanut (walnut) brittle. Try searching u tube. I’ll try to remember where it was

Fishing Fool Loc: redding, ca

We always used a pair of channel locks and cracked them in the seam. My mother was famous for her walnut cakes and bread.

CamT Loc: La Porte, Texas

Fishing Fool wrote:

We always used a pair of channel locks and cracked them in the seam. My mother was famous for her walnut cakes and bread.

My grandmother made the absolute best black walnut fudge

Maid Marion Loc: Corvallis, OR

Thanks all. Here I sit with 2 huge trees and have been using flavering from a bottle.

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

When a small kid we lived on my grandfather's farm so we could help take care of him. There was a walnut tree in back of the yard. Those nuts were hardly worth the effort to get any meat to eat. The thing i remember most about that tree was I always heard that if one got a ringworm, the green sap from a walnut would cure it. I did once get a ringworm infection on my forearm and applied the green sap of the walnut and it worked.

My favorite tree were the apricot trees that grew on grandad's farm between the house and the fields. We, me and some cousins could hardly wait until the apricots ripened so we could climb up and feast on them. Still my favorite fruit, fresh, dried, in a pie, anyway they can be fixed. Just Sayin...RJS