It was a beautiful fall day today and we spent some very pleasant time outdoors. Maddie, nearly five, took an interest in the walnut tree. It’s kind of cool the way the nuts are still in the tree but the leaves are all gone. It looks like a bunch of little black “balls” in the branches.This is the first year that the tree has really produced more than a handful or two. They are English walnuts–not black walnuts like my sister and I grew up with. Those black ones were so hard to crack open! I remember we either had to hit them with a hammer or crush them in a vice. A normal nutcracker just would not crack it.
Well Maddie started picking some and then she threw them one by one down on the patio. To my surprise, they cracked open and the nuts came flying out of them! Sometimes it took a few hits before it would crack but it was surprisingly easy! She had a few that came out whole even! I joined in, picking up the nuts and taking out stubborn ones. Maddie kept getting more and more.
Pretty soon her little sister, Bex who is two, discovered something else that I hadn’t thought of. I watched her step on a nut and make the outer soft skin come off. That was impressive! Some of the nuts had already lost it or it was brittle and came off with the hit against the cement but for those with it still intact, what a good idea! It’s so messy to do with fingers! She didn’t have much luck after that first one but I sure appreciated the technique and took over for her.
We got a lot of nuts done in an hour or so. I was very happy to discover not one creepy, disgusting little worm in them! I had feared that there would be and that was one reason I had not even messed with them yet, not to mention that we still have oodles of apples that we’re dealing with. But, hey! it’s nice to know that we have a source of protein growing in our backyard, too!
I rinsed the nuts a couple times and then put them in boiling water for just a couple minutes–just for peace of mind. They are good! I have a fun jello recipe with crushed pineapple, cranberries, and walnuts that I am excited to try for Thanksgiving!
