Anyone here have a Black Walnut Tree?

[candelbc]

I am curious if anyone here has a Black Walnut tree? Did it seem to bear a lot more nuts this year? I have 3, and I can't even walk through my back yard. I am going to have to take off an entire day of work just to get them picked up.

I might save a couple to see if they're worth the effort of harvesting, otherwise, it's to the dump they go. I bet I have well over 2000 nuts in the back yard.

Anyone have any experience with the tree, harvesting, or using the nut?

-Brad

[Katie H]

Wow, Brad! You have quite a harvest. We used to have black walnut trees in our yard when I was a child, but don't have any where we are now. I love black walnuts. They're suckers to crack, though. We used to put them in fudge. They have a very strong flavor and some people don't care for them for that reason. Good luck.

[sparrowgrass]

There are buyers here in Missouri who buy black walnuts by the pound. It is not much, but lots of retired folks and teenagers pick up nuts to sell.

Walnuts, like lots of other trees, bear in cycles--a couple years of light harvests, then a year or two of plenty.

They are tedious to crack and pick out. You do need to let the husks turn black and then remove them, which is a chore in itself--very messy, because the husks will dye your hands and anything else a lovely dark brown.

[Constance]

We have a black walnut tree in our yard, but we also have plenty of squirrels, and they take care of the nuts.
Black walnuts do have a strong taste, but a lot of people around here like them. My MIL used to make Black Walnut pie.
The best way to crack them is to dump them out in the driveway, where they'll get run over every time you go in and out. You go out and pick up the cracked ones and pick them out...works great.

[Caine]

I have close to 2,000 nuts in my back yard, too, but my back yard's a public beach, so there's not much I can do about it.

[ronjohn55]

Our neighbors have one - we figure it to be over 100 years old. Usually, lots of walnuts. This year, none! (Although it did drop a rather large branch on my SUV back in June)

I've never done much of anything with the walnuts though. Either left them for the squirrels, or just swept them up and gotten rid of them.

John

[pacanis]

Mine runs heavy/light loads of nuts, too. This year I am blessed with a light load. It takes a good part of the day to rake them into piles with just one tree. I was very close to purchasing one of these a couple years ago. Home
I still might. This year my yards are covered with pine cones.

[candelbc]

I am not against harvesting the nuts for use, but man, it seems like a lot of work. It's hard enough just to get them all up in the yard. I also don't mind leaving them for the squirrels, however, when they crack and leave the shells, they are horrid on bare feet.

We'll see. I am taking tomorrow off from work just to pick them all up. I might save a few just to attempt a small harvest. Some will be roasted, some will be left plain. If it's not too bad, I'll worry about harvesting them next year.

So far in my yard I have 3 producing Black Walnut trees and one Mulberry tree. What a MESS!!!!

Thanks for tips.. I'll keep you posted...

-Brad

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by candelbc

So far in my yard I have 3 producing Black Walnut trees and one Mulberry tree. What a MESS!!!!-Brad

I "had" three pear trees. Very pretty flowers the first year I lived here..... Then the pears came...... Hornets, bees, rotting fruit wear I had to mow.....
Then the chainsaw came

[bullseye]

I have three black walnut trees that I have threatened, in years past, to send to the sawmill to become furniture or gun stocks. For the last three years, very little produce. Maybe they heard me?