Well we have two mature walnut trees in the garden, and several productive hazlenuts, and since their nuts have been on the ground for a little while, I thought I should set about gathering them and shelling them.
I think that the squirrels must have found the walnuts first, judging by the number of split shells all around. They have nicked all the good ones too, because once I started cracking them, the kernels turned out to be almost all black and shrivelled.
The hazelnuts were a better story, and after half an hour's patient work with the nutcrackers I had a bowlful of sweet and crunchy nuts. Those that I didn't eat ended up in the nut mix that I have with my yoghurt in the mornings.
We weren't on walnut soil...unfortunately...but used to buy sacks of them fresh from a chap who sold them on the brocantes.
ReplyDeleteThey're not expensive to buy like that. I am wondering if it's worth the effort to gather them when they're at their best, and get someone to make walnut oil from them. I am trying to increase the number of walnut trees around by carefully avoiding mowing any that sprout in my field over the road. I am hoping for an orchard in the fullnes of time.
ReplyDeleteI have two wallnot trees but also a lot of pesky squirrels. Much better are the quince bushes that make excellent jam
ReplyDeleteThey are red squirrels so I don't really mind. Too cute!
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