Foraging for Black Walnuts?

Ok, this may sound strange but apparently in Kansas there is such a thing as harvesting/foraging wild Black walnuts. I have never even heard of Black walnuts until I was running through a wooded area at my school and kept stepping on them, when I complained how my feet hurt my hubby told me they were walnuts. After researching a little I really want to try them.

Apparently they are difficult to hull and stain badly, has anyone had any experience gathering/eating Black walnuts and are there any tips you can give me?

<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/black%20walnuts" target="_blank"><img src="http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s74/jimkay21/title.jpg" border="0" alt="Black Walnuts Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>
<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/black%20walnuts" target="_blank"><img src="http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n220/Daytraderwon/Camp2/100_3555.jpg" border="0" alt="Black walnuts Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a>
p.s. that's not my hand Happy just to show how the walnuts look before being hulled.

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4 replies since 8th October 2011 • Last reply 8th October 2011

Reply #1:

the mother of my boyfriend has a walnut tree in her garden. it´s best when you pick up the ones where the outer hull is rotten or really dark and wizen. it´s best you take some rubbergloves for hulling, with the outer hulls you can dye hair or fabric! after taking the outer hull let them dry on some newspaper and crack them directly after. the nut itself is damp and tends to molder in the hull. we tried to dry them in the oven, disk dryer, air but it didn´t work (the industry use brimstone to make them stable). after cracking spread the nuts and let them dry again, the skin of the fresh nut tastes bitter, but when they´re dried they taste like, well, walnuts Happy crystallized with cinnamon and sugar they´re really great!

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Reply #2:

I have already begun gathering clothes that I want to try dying naturally. I found this great website that has step by step instructions (and pictures)!
Thanks for the advice on choosing dark walnuts, I noticed the more ripe they are the softer they seem. How did you dry the walnuts? Just air dry for a few weeks, or in the oven?

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Reply #3:

my boyfriends mother put them on a baking tray and leave them a few days near the chimney, my mother just let them dry in the kitchen, she said they are fine after a few days. she always tasted one and if they are still bitter she let them dry some more days.

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Reply #4:

Thanks! I will try your tricks and see how they turn out. I may upload a tutorial in case anyone else wants to forage for food.

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