Nutty problem

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
Nutty problem
3
Mon, 10-06-2008 - 8:41pm
I brought back 2 bags of black walnuts from the sportsman's club. They already out of the tennis ball size outer husk. This inner part is hard to crack. Are there any tips like freezing or putting in boiling water? What's interesting is that 2 weeks ago the ground was covered with the large black balls. Today, the balls had naturally split into quarters and the inner nuts were everywhere. At least I didn't try to crack the outer shells they way my former neighbor did. She put them on the concrete driveway and drove over them. Guess she'd never heard of black walnut stain, 'cause her driveway was striped like a zebra. Her DH just hit the roof when he came home from work. DH and I picked them most of them up. My DMIL had a tradition of making divinity candy with chopped black walnuts and I'd like to try this. Surely some here has cracked these goodies.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
In reply to: jaybee458
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 2:03pm

Sorry, can't help you.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-10-2008
In reply to: jaybee458
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 2:49pm

I think the drying must apply to the outer hulls - seems once mine were dry enough they popped open on the ground. The inner shells are nothing like English walnuts - very hard to crack. But - I got the metal dog nutcracker that my parents received for a wedding gift in 1939 down from the shelf and it worked pretty darned good. Most of the internet sites said to wash and dry the nuts in shells before cracking, so I think that's my next step. I did get on open and the taste is so good. Black walnut ice cream is my fav.

Jacquie

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-19-2003
In reply to: jaybee458
Wed, 10-08-2008 - 8:57am
jacquie,i live two blocks from lake michigan and i always would take my kids and now my grandkids to pick up the black walnuts that are found along that area. of coruse i never used them directly,i put them out for the animals in the winter when the ground was covered in snow..good luck with that divinity.maybe you could bring some to lotties sink...sounds yummy..hugs mindy