Black Walnuts and Pecans

[heavyhitterokra]

I just noticed this evening, that we don't have a Black Walnut forum, or a Pecan forum, so I thought I'd start one of each here tonight.

With all the cold weather we've been experiencing lately, I've been spending a lot more time indoors than usual.  I've been using some of that surplus time to make good on the paper shell pecans and Black Walnuts that I gathered last Fall.

So far, I've cracked out and picked out nearly 7 pounds of pecan meats and about 4 pounds of Black Walnut meats.  I've been baking brownies and chocolate chip cookies to beat the band all week. If nothing else, we'll eat well while it's snowing next week!

[john]

Ron what do you think is the best way to get the meat out?

[heavyhitterokra]

John,

I've got a refurbished black walnut cracker, called, "Grandpa's Goodie Getter." The rebuilt ones are quite a bit cheaper than the new ones and they still carry a lifetime free replacement warranty. I'm not sure what a guy would have to do to tear one of those things up, they're built like a tank. www.grandpasgoodygetter.com/

It's one of the few things in life that really work as well as the manufacturer claims. Someone put a lot of thought into that thing! You can literally crack walnuts just as fast as you can reload it. After they're cracked, I just use a nut picking tool to pry the meats loose.  Mine is just mounted onto an old 1x12 pine board, no need to mount it to a table. That way, I can slide it under the work bench until next season so it doesn't get in the way.

[john]

I am glad I asked, I knew there had to be a good way to do it.

[heavyhitterokra]

It's bright and sunny outside today, so I moved my walnut cracking and picking operation to the backyard. While I was out there, 'Stanley' our resident deer, came over to see what I was doing. She loves those tiny, 'Red Hot' cinnamon candies, so my wife has been out there with me, cracking some of those big ol' Jolly Rancher cinnamon candies into smaller pieces and hand-feeding them to Stanley, while I'm cracking walnuts, so Stanley will give my walnut meats a break.

Who would'a thought a deer would like Red Hot cinnamon candy better than walnut meats.