Processing Black Walnuts

[Durgan]

There are millions of Black Walnuts, which are an excellent food source, that go to waste yearly in North America, since people do not know how to process or crack the nuts, due to the strength of the hull and the nut proper. . First it is necessary to remove the hull, then crack the nut to get the meat. Here is my simple method utilized to process this wonderful nut. The pictures are annotated and are self explanatory.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UFWOW 17 October 2008 (Juglans nigra L. – black walnut) or American Walnut.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?IWMKD 19 October 2008 Black Walnut Nutcracker.

[bonniethomas06]

They look great Durgan, but isn't that using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

(sorry, couldn't resist).

Glad to see Neena is keeping an eye on things. She is really sweet!

[Durgan]

They look great Durgan, but isn't that using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

(sorry, couldn't resist).

Glad to see Neena is keeping an eye on things. She is really sweet!

A typical claw hammer bounces. The sledgehammer gives as convenient follow through with the blow, and the edge of the outside ring limits the blow to prevent crushing of the meat.

Squirrels do not crush, they simply eat by making holes in the four quadrants and digging the meat out.

Any compression device crushes the meat, since the shell give suddenly. The shell is almost like a stone in strength.

[Andy Hamilton]

Cheers for that Durgan most useful and do you use the saying "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut" up in Canada? Not sure if it is a typically english saying, we do have a few. It mean to go over board with something, so for instance if someone was stealing my tomatoes from my front garden and I posted an armed guard you could say I was "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut".

[grahamhobbs]

Thank heavans you can open european walnuts with a penknife.

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?Squirrel 25 June 2009 Black Walnut and Squirrels.
Black Walnut nuts are extremely tough and the meat is in the four quadrants around the shell. These nuts are very difficult to crack even for humans. I observed that the squirrels simply gnaw the four corners and remove the meat.