black walnut processing

[k15n1]

I have a bumper crop of black walnuts. Any good ideas for how to remove the husks? I mean, other than driving a car over them.

 

[Beekissed]

Boots and gloves. Put them in a big pile and let them get a little old, then stomp off the hull, pick up the nut. Short of having a huller, that's the way folks did it back in the day.

 

[Hinotori]

Mom's method was kids with rocks. We'd sit out on the cement patio and break them open with a rock and pick out the meat into a bowl. Mom would go through and pick out any shell bits and clean them up. It's tedious work. I did a bunch two years ago and it still is tedious.

 

[Denim Deb]

The only way I know if you don't want to use a car is a hammer. But, that's a lot of work.

 

[Beekissed]

I think the OP is talking about the hulls and not the shells. The hulls will eventually dry, crack and start to fall off, but usually need some assistance to get the pulp entirely off the shells. That is why folks put them in the driveway and run over them, to break and crack those hulls. The shells are another matter altogether and would require the old hammer and hand picked nutmeats per usual.

If you have livestock, those hulls are a gold mine for drying, crushing and mixing into feeds or loose minerals as a natural dewormer.

 

[baymule]

I have a bumper crop of black walnuts. Any good ideas for how to remove the husks? I mean, other than driving a car over them.

Then drive a truck over them.

 

[Justme]

I love black walnuts. Last year I was given several boxes. I did a lot of searching to find the best way to process them. First I say what I found out not to do.
1) don't leave the hull on. Tannins from the hulls will make the nut bitter. ( I did find this to be somewhat true as those that the hulls had already dried out did have a tendacy to be bitter.) Plus the hulls may have worms in them and while they may not get into the nut this is a good time to stop their life cycle by feeding them to the chickens if you have any. Also found out the hulls supposedly make a good natural wormer for chickens. And I made some awesome stain from them. Will have to get a picture of the wooden couch I refinished using the stain I made.
2) don't drive over them unless you build a box for the tire to fit in to contain them. There is strong possibility they could become projectiles. I didn't try this as the only place I had was the cement driveway and (didn't want to build a box) and I didn't want that stained. Also black walnuts are known for a pretty effective herbicide (cannot remember what it was called) and this is also I the hulls so didn't want to do it on my already struggling grass.
3) using a hammer will result in injured fingers. If you're good enough to never miss your mark or have the hammer not glance off that round object then I applaud you and am awed by you.

Ok so what good news did I find? Depends on how much you like them cause it is gonna be some tedious work but I love them enough for it.
the hulls cut easily with a knife and then will twist off fairly easily. Wear gloves unless you want stained hands for several weeks. Nothing but time takes the stain off. Just score a complete circle around the hull all the way down to the nut. Then twist the two halves till one side will pop off then you can pull the other off. I did find that cutting one way was better than the other but cannot remember of it was around the middle or around the stem part. One person anchored his knive in his vice then rolled the hull over it. This does save some time but don't forget what you're doing and never leave the knife unattended. One the hull is off drop the nuts in a bucket of water. After the bucket with nuts is about half full use a paint mixer hooked to a drill to agitate the nuts. This will help get more of the hull flesh off. I found adding several handfulls of course sand / fine gravel help with this. After they are clean lay them single layer out to dry. Once they are dry on the outside you can put them in burlap or net bags to dry more. Letting them cure like this will make it easier to get the nutmeats out. How long? Don't really remeber but I do remember reading that you could eventually hear them rattle inside. I left mine until about june but then we're so humid here even in the winter I'm sure that inhibited them drying some. I never did hear a rattle.
To crack get a vice.AND EYE PROTECTION. I found turning the vice slowly while keeping my hand firmly over the nut till I could feel/hear it pop them turning just a bit more was best. I then threw all pieces into another bucket and picked out the nutmeats when I got tired of turning the vice. A good (or rather old but sturdy) pair of wire cutters will help to futher break up the shell and help get to the nutmeats.
Hope some of this helps. Like I said it is tedious. I only had a couple of bushels bit still spent several weeks on it working a few hours every night. But I did get a solid packed gallon bag of nut pieces not counting how many I ate while shelling out and I don't even want to imagine how much that was

 

[~gd]

In the ozarks[sp] MO country folks gather the wild black walnuts [few are produced as a farmed crop] country stores and feed mills will often have dehulling, cracking, and picking machines both the nutmeats and clean shells have value. the shells are often used in sandblasting gear where it is milder than sand but still tough enough to remove paint. The de hullers usually consist of old auto tires rotating against a surdy wire mesh and the hulls are ground off the nut by friction. Some of the old timers use sturdy boards with a group of the correct sized holes. The nut is hammered through the hole leaving the hull behind. Mechanical cracking is done by passing between rollers until the nut is well cracked. picking out the meats is often done by hand because the mechnical pickers miss a lot of the nutmeats.~gd

 

[Emerald]

Now you all make me wish I hadn't cut them out of my property.. I hated those ankle biting things.. we cut them all out and planted two nice English walnuts. They haven't had nuts yet(they are only about 5 years old) but the neighbor has a nice EW tree and the nuts off that are so yummy and the best thing... the hull peels back and it spits that clean nut right on out on the ground!
Those old black walnut trees did make good tasting nuts but the hull and the struggle to get them out of the shell just didn't do it for me.. At least we got a great price on the wood.. and no more sprained ankles for me.. I have the weakest ankles ever and even watching where I walk I fell at least once a year..

 

[k15n1]

...drop the nuts in a bucket of water. After the bucket with nuts is about half full use a paint mixer hooked to a drill to agitate the nuts. This will help get more of the hull flesh off. I found adding several handfulls of course sand / fine gravel help with this.

Will do! Thanks for the suggestion.