{"id":11905,"date":"2022-09-07T09:09:20","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T09:09:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/?p=11905"},"modified":"2022-09-08T07:33:20","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T07:33:20","slug":"how-to-harvest-a-walnut-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farmandanimals.com\/how-to-harvest-a-walnut-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Harvest A Walnut Tree {Step By Step}"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nuts are a valuable food resource being high in energy and full of healthy fats. As a snack, they can be a real treat, and if you\u2019re lucky enough to have your own walnut trees, they may even be a marketable commodity<\/a>. Here we\u2019ll take a look at how to harvest a walnut tree and then dry the nuts for long-term storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do You Harvest And Prepare Walnuts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you have walnut trees, then why not make the most of them? Sure they can be a bit of effort to harvest, but it will all be worthwhile!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When to Pick Your Walnuts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Walnuts are generally ready for harvest from late summer to late autumn. In the northern hemisphere, that\u2019s early September to early November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can tell if the nuts are ready, firstly when they begin falling from the tree with a cracked casing and secondly by harvesting a few from as high up your walnut tree as possible. Break them open and look inside, they should have a brown membrane and the nut should look mature, with a nice pale brown coloration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should begin to harvest when you estimate approximately 85% of the nuts are mature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason for not waiting until all of them are fully ripe is that you run the risk of losing the entire crop to birds, insects, and other animals, who will gladly feast on your nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another risk of waiting too long is that the husks start to blacken and become soft. This causes the nut inside to be stained and take on a bitter flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the summer has been particularly hot, and especially if your tree is still quite young, it can suffer from water stress. This is where the roots haven\u2019t been able to access as much water as they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water stress can result in the walnuts maturing much more slowly, and you may even lose the crop if winter hits before they ripen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To prevent this from happening, ensure that you water your trees regularly, particularly in hot weather, especially while the nuts are ripening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Harvest Your Walnuts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Caution must be taken when harvesting walnuts as they contain phenols that can both stain hands and clothes but may also cause skin irritation in some people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, it is best to wear gloves and coveralls or at least old clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For any walnuts that fall to the ground, you\u2019ll need to gather them quickly to prevent them from molding or being damaged by insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walnut Harvesting Process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

1. Protect yourself. <\/strong>Cover your hands with gloves and wear appropriate clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Check for ripeness. <\/strong>A handy technique for assessing this is to push down with your thumb onto the green outer casing. A ripe nut will be slightly tender. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that the nuts from the highest part of your tree ripen last.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

3. Shake the tree.<\/strong> Use a long pole to shake the branches to encourage the ripe nuts to drop off. Collect the fallen nuts immediately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make this process easier, you can spread old sheets out under the tree to catch the nuts, making them quick and simple to gather.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

4. Remove the green outer husk.<\/strong> This can be done with a pocket knife or by bashing the nuts gently with a hammer. The idea is to remove the casing without breaking open the nut inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Clean the nuts.<\/strong> Once the outer husks have been removed from your walnuts, give them a really good wash to ensure they are clean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Dry the nuts.<\/strong> Spread the nuts out on a clean surface, such as a plastic sheet, in a warm dry place, although not in direct sunlight, and leave them to dry for about a week. Drying time will depend on the temperature; the hotter it is, the faster they will dry out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re doing this out of doors, cover them with plastic netting to prevent birds from taking them. Try to turn the nuts daily to promote even drying, if you have a lot, this can be done with a rake.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

7. Store the nuts.<\/strong> The nuts can be stored in their shell for several months over the winter, or you may prefer to remove them from their shells, so they are ready to use. To do this, use a nutcracker or a pocket knife to shell the nuts. Do make sure they are well dried first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Preserve the nuts<\/strong>. To do this, dry roast them on a baking sheet by placing them in the oven on low heat or out in the sun, providing you give them protection from birds and insects. Store the nuts in an airtight container. They should remain good for up to a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, you can also freeze them for up to a year or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can learn more about drying and storing the nuts later in the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is There An Easy Way To Pick Up Walnuts?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are several methods for picking up walnuts quickly and efficiently. The most low-tech way is by simply raking up fallen nuts into piles and simply scooping the piles up into a bucket or a sack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slightly more high-tech methods also exist. You could make your own walnut gathering tool or use a pre-made one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nut wizard is an American-made, very useful gadget for collecting walnuts quickly and efficiently. It\u2019s an egg-shaped wire cage attached to a long wooden handle, rather like a rake. You push the rolling cage over the nuts, and it collects them inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is then easily emptied into a bucket by opening the cage with a specially designed metal device that comes with the nut wizard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this video, you can see a different nut harvester in action. This is suitable for collecting nuts if you have a large number of walnut trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3O8Egm96PlU<\/a>