advice needed on black walnut tree

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by stevej37

I have found sprouted nuts everywhere around my property. I pull them and there is always a walnut attached. They are a disease!
No thanks to the ground squirrels.

If one has a significant amount of wooded property, it is a good idea to spread a lot of the nuts across it each year. Your kids will be wealthy. Each tree can be worth thousands (if not expected to be contaminated).

[bmcuscgr94]

This is what I use, but I have 18 acres of walnuts.



And we put them in these:

[stevej37]

Each nut on the tree is about a small apple size.
The green soft exterior is about an inch thick and is black and stinky.
Under that is the hard inner walnut shell which houses the walnut.

The inner walnut meat can be tasty when dried and salted.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by bmcuscgr94

This is what I use, but I have 18 acres of walnuts.



And we put them in these:

They look diff than mine. Are they black walnuts?
Are they pictured with the meat on?

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by fintstone

We had a big tree like that on our property when I was a child and I collected walnuts like these, cracked them and sold the meats. There was huge demand and I had orders for more than I could delver. My hands were always were black from handling them...as were some of the other kids I went to school with. Surely you can find someone that will come pick them up after school every day like I did (so the squirrels did not get them first).

So much work involved with getting to the nut that people lose interest.
Can buy them in the store for a very low price instead.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by stevej37

No thanks to the ground squirrels.

No, nor flying squirrels. Just regular tree squirrels.

[bmcuscgr94]

Originally Posted by stevej37

They look diff than mine. Are they black walnuts?
Are they pictured with the meat on?

black walnut rootstock with a different variety grafted on. When we replanted 20+ years ago we sold the burls (black walnut rootstock) for a enough money to pay for the replanting.

Nuts in the carts have hulls/husks still on them. We have a small plant where we remove the hulls and dry them for shipment form final processing.

[stevej37]

Interesting.
The final product is what we get in the bag?...or is it the whole inner nut?
Drying them must take a lot of heat.

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by stevej37

So much work involved with getting to the nut that people lose interest.
Can buy them in the store for a very low price instead.

The black walnuts are pretty expensive (unlike CA walnuts)...they are valued for their intense flavor. And, if you have a tree, free other than labor. It is not like there are lots of safe ways a youngster can earn money from home at their own speed. Surely there is some value in learning the value of money and work today as it was when I was young.

If you have mre than a few, you can also take them to a "hulling and buying location" if there is one locally:
https://black-walnuts.com/discover-harvesting-and-hulling/hulling-and-buying-locations/

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Interesting.
The final product is what we get in the bag?...or is it the whole inner nut?
Drying them must take a lot of heat.

If you use them yourself, you remove the hull, crack the nut with a hammer and use what is inside. They don't really need drying/heat. The hull starts to decompose pretty quickly making them pretty easy to remove. Once the black stuff is gone, they are plenty dry. The husks make for a pretty good herbicide if you have the need...but messy.

https://imaginacres.com/black-walnuts/

[bmcuscgr94]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Interesting.
The final product is what we get in the bag?...or is it the whole inner nut?
Drying them must take a lot of heat.

Yes, in the bag or more likely in something already prepared like a pie crust or snacks. that's what our variety is best for.

Once through our little plant they go into drying trailers (Peerless) and we have a gas burner and fan that circuities hot air through them. We have to hit 8% mostirue orthe big processing plant won't take them.

Once dry we load them into semi trailers and they haul them to the processing plant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONFXk7cwXSI

[stevej37]

^^^ That is a great video.
Surprising how much hands-on is used/needed in the growing stage.

[stevej37]

Originally Posted by fintstone

Surely you can find someone that will come pick them up after school every day like I did (so the squirrels did not get them first).

I live in a rural area. The school bus doesn't even stop within a mile.

[stevej37]

Picked up another 6 wheelbarrows full today. The tree is over half empty now....hooray!
Pics of the walnut mountain.

[stevej37]

for size reference. Next to a large Honey Crisp apple.

[Bill Douglas]

Where are those farmer's market people when you need them.

My mom had two walnut trees and it was a lot of work to take the outer layer off and dry them, so I understand why not.

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Little help please...
What is the nut pictured on the right?
Saw on on my driveway this am - first time in 50 yrs.
Thanks
Bill K

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by bkreigsr

Little help please...
What is the nut pictured on the right?
Saw on on my driveway this am - first time in 50 yrs.
Thanks
Bill K

Buckeye?

[stevej37]

Chestnuts

[masraum]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Picked up another 6 wheelbarrows full today. The tree is over half empty now....hooray!
Pics of the walnut mountain.

That's a lot of nuts! I can see why you're wanting a "better way" to get rid of them.

Originally Posted by stevej37

for size reference. Next to a large Honey Crisp apple.

Them's some really big nuts ya got there, Steve!