How to keep walnuts
September 28, 2022 3:11 AM Subscribe
The kid came home yesterday with about a kilo of freshly picked walnuts. Yeah!
But how do we best keep them for later? It was very rainy here yesterday, so they are wet, even though they have dried on a towel over night.
Recipes will be nice, too. Walnut trees are quite rare here, and imported walnuts expensive, so we don't eat them a lot. I have a feeling there is some region/country where they are an important part of the cuisine.Could it be Ukraine, or Caucasus? Or both?
Recipes will be nice, too. Walnut trees are quite rare here, and imported walnuts expensive, so we don't eat them a lot. I have a feeling there is some region/country where they are an important part of the cuisine.Could it be Ukraine, or Caucasus? Or both?
Response by poster: They are not black. I don't know much about walnuts as per above. They are less round and knobby than the ones at the stores.
posted by mumimor at 3:47 AM on September 28, 2022
posted by mumimor at 3:47 AM on September 28, 2022
Data point - Last year, I was given a bunch of walnuts that a friend had from his tree - all still in shells. For reasons of not getting round to it - they sat in a bowl in our kitchen until last month when we shelled them and ate them - still tasted good. This page suggests that nuts should be kept in a "cool and dry place" to prevent then chance of them going rancid - which is more likely when kept somewhere hot.
posted by rongorongo at 3:49 AM on September 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by rongorongo at 3:49 AM on September 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Do they have the fleshy pericarp still on them? If so, keep them laid out to dry until you can remove that part, then you can store in a net bag in a cool dry place. If not, just wait until definitely dry. A fan and rotating a few times a day could help in either case. I think you're in Europe(?), where as far as I know NA black walnuts are rather uncommon, but it doesn't really matter because you'd treat all walnuts and pecans the same.
PS I suspect you're thinking of Georgia, which is known for heavy use of walnuts.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:50 AM on September 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
PS I suspect you're thinking of Georgia, which is known for heavy use of walnuts.
posted by SaltySalticid at 4:50 AM on September 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I grew up in a region where basically every garden contains a walnut tree. My mother stored them and shelled etc every year. Here they are seen as similar to zuccini: everyone tries to give away theirs.
Anyway.
If l they are still in outer skin-like shell? This outer shell is not wooden but feels like an unripe apple, it is initially green and turns black eventually.
To store them peel this off, regardless if it is fully black yet. If it is bright green still, leave them in a cool room until it softens and blackens, simply because it is then easier to get off.
Wear gloves, every part of a fresh walnut will stain your fingers brown.
If yours are already without this leathery cover (it falls off by itself when they are left under the tree), lay them out as flat as you can and as airy. Eg not a big plastic bucket but a shallow basket or card board box in a warm room, and just stir them up about once per day so they dry evenly. My mother used to keep them close or above her (wood heated) stove in the kitchen for several weeks. The idea is to dry them outside and inside. Once they feel very, very dry, you can store them anywhere dry and somewhat airy, safe from mice.
For removing the wooden shell if you have no special tool, use a small hammer, gently. Hit the seem where the halfs meet. Or, insert a short pointy knife at the top - there are so many kinds of walnuts and some have a tiny gap and a sharp twist opens them.
There are also those with a very brittle almost papery shell which could be cracked bare handed but i believe this kind is rare, at least here where i live.
If you want to, you can also do it the fiddly way, If they are very fresh, which i might with just a kilo: don't dry them, crack them now when they are moist inside still. You will find the nut covered by an almost invisible skin and this incredibly thin skin can be peeled off with a sharp small knife. IMO they are best this way, sweet and moist. But it is a pain to do and without this papery skin best eaten immediately (Not a hardship).
All traditional Austrian recipies involving walnuts are for cakes and desserts, eg Nussstrudel this recipie uses hazelnuts but is actually better with walnuts.
posted by 15L06 at 5:24 AM on September 28, 2022 [9 favorites]
Anyway.
If l they are still in outer skin-like shell? This outer shell is not wooden but feels like an unripe apple, it is initially green and turns black eventually.
To store them peel this off, regardless if it is fully black yet. If it is bright green still, leave them in a cool room until it softens and blackens, simply because it is then easier to get off.
Wear gloves, every part of a fresh walnut will stain your fingers brown.
If yours are already without this leathery cover (it falls off by itself when they are left under the tree), lay them out as flat as you can and as airy. Eg not a big plastic bucket but a shallow basket or card board box in a warm room, and just stir them up about once per day so they dry evenly. My mother used to keep them close or above her (wood heated) stove in the kitchen for several weeks. The idea is to dry them outside and inside. Once they feel very, very dry, you can store them anywhere dry and somewhat airy, safe from mice.
For removing the wooden shell if you have no special tool, use a small hammer, gently. Hit the seem where the halfs meet. Or, insert a short pointy knife at the top - there are so many kinds of walnuts and some have a tiny gap and a sharp twist opens them.
There are also those with a very brittle almost papery shell which could be cracked bare handed but i believe this kind is rare, at least here where i live.
If you want to, you can also do it the fiddly way, If they are very fresh, which i might with just a kilo: don't dry them, crack them now when they are moist inside still. You will find the nut covered by an almost invisible skin and this incredibly thin skin can be peeled off with a sharp small knife. IMO they are best this way, sweet and moist. But it is a pain to do and without this papery skin best eaten immediately (Not a hardship).
All traditional Austrian recipies involving walnuts are for cakes and desserts, eg Nussstrudel this recipie uses hazelnuts but is actually better with walnuts.
posted by 15L06 at 5:24 AM on September 28, 2022 [9 favorites]
I know nothing about the care and keeping of walnuts, but I can suggest some recipes.
First, a good walnut caramel tart is a very fine thing.
Second, do you have a favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Variation 1: Swap out half the chocolate chips for walnut pieces.
Variation 2: Swap out half the chocolate chips for walnut pieces. Swap out the other half for chopped dried apple. Add some cinnamon or mixed spice.
Variation 3: same as variation 2, but make it one third walnut, one third dried apple and one third good white chocolate chips.
Third, Nigella Lawson's banana bread recipe also uses walnuts, though not very many. It's my go-to banana bread recipe. I don't soak the sultanas in rum (I never have rum on hand), just use them straight from the bag; I use dark brown sugar instead of caster sugar; and I try to wait two days before I start eating it, because the delay takes it from good to sublime.
Finally, coffee and walnut layer cake is a (British) classic for a reason.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 5:32 AM on September 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
First, a good walnut caramel tart is a very fine thing.
Second, do you have a favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Variation 1: Swap out half the chocolate chips for walnut pieces.
Variation 2: Swap out half the chocolate chips for walnut pieces. Swap out the other half for chopped dried apple. Add some cinnamon or mixed spice.
Variation 3: same as variation 2, but make it one third walnut, one third dried apple and one third good white chocolate chips.
Third, Nigella Lawson's banana bread recipe also uses walnuts, though not very many. It's my go-to banana bread recipe. I don't soak the sultanas in rum (I never have rum on hand), just use them straight from the bag; I use dark brown sugar instead of caster sugar; and I try to wait two days before I start eating it, because the delay takes it from good to sublime.
Finally, coffee and walnut layer cake is a (British) classic for a reason.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 5:32 AM on September 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
PS as children we tried crack them so both halves stay intact, which is not that difficult if they are well dried, glue the halves together with a small ribbon inserted and paint them golden, for hanging on the Christmas tree.
Or insert a long ribbon and put a pebble inside to use as a cat toy.
posted by 15L06 at 6:36 AM on September 28, 2022
Or insert a long ribbon and put a pebble inside to use as a cat toy.
posted by 15L06 at 6:36 AM on September 28, 2022
Ditto on if they have that green/brown/black outer part, that stains. Once it's gone, I remember no other fancy storage needs. They were usually just left in the basement in a basket. The trick to cracking them by hand is to have two of them, align the seams and squeeze hard. We would keep a mostly airtight tin of shelled nuts out on the porch to feed squirrels and birds, they love them as a treat. You'll make friends with walnuts.
posted by zengargoyle at 10:18 AM on September 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by zengargoyle at 10:18 AM on September 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
walnuts are wonderful on salads, in zucchini or banana bread, cookies. great for snacking too.
posted by supermedusa at 10:21 AM on September 28, 2022
posted by supermedusa at 10:21 AM on September 28, 2022
Mom used to keep big bags of shelled black walnuts in the freezer. She put them in a lot of different baked goods like fruitcake, applesauce cake, zucchini bread, etc. Basically any sweet and spicy baked item can take some walnut.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:36 PM on September 28, 2022
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:36 PM on September 28, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rockindata at 3:45 AM on September 28, 2022