Black Walnut Season

Reader Contribution by Sherry Leverich Tucker
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All throughout the summer the black walnut trees that are scattered across our countryside either in the pastures or among shade trees in our yards are working at producing those delicious nuts! Usually late in the summer we start noticing just how full the trees are and predict what kind of nut season it might be. Considering our drought, this turned out to be a very good black walnut year!

Once the walnuts start falling, around mid September, it pays to be cautious when walking underneath a walnut tree, especially on a windy day! Limbs that hang over barns with tin roofs can cause a thunder like a shot-gun blast when a large walnut falls and hits that roof with a bang. These green orbs are usually the size of a baseball, or slightly smaller, and are a wonderful green color. After the walnuts fall to the ground, the green husk becomes bruised and starts rotting. It turns to a yellow then brown, and has a very distinct smell. This mushy rotting husk can stain just about anything with its brown tint. Just ask anyone who has joined in on a black walnut fight (yes, it can get messy), or has gathered them with their bare hands.

There is nothing fancy about black walnut picking. They simply need to be picked up off the ground and hauled to a hulling station where they are sent through a machine that cleans all the hull off the nut. Then the nuts are weighed and payment is made immediately based on their price per hundredweight. This year they started out at $12 per hundredweight, but are now down to $10.

Making extra money!

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