at last count 228 tennis ball size walnuts...

WOW!!

First time I've seen walnuts in a green coat.

The nut is under a layer of rind and pulpy muck that stains anything that gets it on it...permanently! Ruined a shirt of mine last year from using it as a sling when picking them off the ground! The mush and the rind have to be removed and the nut is not smooth like the more commonly cultivated walnut...it is very deeply scored and is very heavy and requires a lot of tooth-work by the squirrels just to get into the nut! Imagine I'll have to use the big rock and a hammer to free the nutmeats.

There's some work there Lori and guarding from the staining too. I have a few walnuts daily to keep things in order. I end up bashing our hazelnuts with a rubber hammer in the garden shed to tease out a little treat to nibble. Come to think of it the squirrels might get in a mess, unless they wait for that green shell to disperse first. Amazing how far these trees go in protecting their seeds. Then drop hundreds and more to ensure survival. At least they can't stuff THEM in their mouth and go about planting walnut groves.

the amount of work that is required to get these nuts is just Nuts! lol... set to work peeling off the covering and my left hand looks like I've never washed my hands or cleaned my nails in a decade! Tried using plastic bags to protect my hands ...couldn't find my latex gloves..and they just got in the way...so ended up using no gloves and my hands are a terrible mess. It looks like it will have to wear off...Can see where the lovely dark walnut refinishing stain comes from tho...

I've had that problem of the staining Lori when we had a walnut tree I very quickly learnt not to touch them without latex gloves , those nuts are huge I found that if I layed them out for a week or two the shells cracked open making it easier to take them off ... perfect for Christmas :o)

I wish I had the european walnut....these black walnuts are so tough. Was digging in the garden and was irritated by this sound, somewhat akin to fingernails on a blackboard, coming from the walnut tree above my head. Little red squirrel was working his teeth on the tough hull of a walnut...imagine the vibrations going into his little brain!? The meat of these nuts must be so delish. He was determinedly working. The nuts I've processed are curing...they have another week or so to go...then I can use a VISE to crack them! Once they are cracked you must use electrician's pliers to remove the tough shell while leaving the nut meats relatively whole...using something like a hammer or rock defeats the purpose and pulverises the nut. It's been a week since I stained my hands and my cuticles are still discoloured. I've used everything from lemon juice to bleach...can't get rid of it.

Golly I didn't realise Black walnuts are so different from our native ones Lori , they sound very tough nuts to crack !!

Very! lol...:-/