Collecting Black Walnuts in Illinois

If you've lived in Illinois for any length of time, chances are that you've seen a black walnut tree. In the late summer and the fall, these trees begin dropping round, green hulls about the size of a tangerine. In time these hulls turn black or brown, and begin to disintegrate, leaving stains on the sidewalk, and on anything unfortunate enough to come into contact with them. However, if you've got a pair of gloves and some patience, you can harvest black walnuts, even if you're in the city.

In Illinois, walnuts usually begin falling from the tree at the end of August. Nuts will continue to fall through September and October. You can just pick them up off the ground beneath the tree. You'll have to compete with the squirrels, however. Be sure that you pick up hulls that are still mostly green. If you allow the hull to stay on until it turns brown, the taste of the walnut can be unpleasantly strong. Go by your local tree every day or two, to make sure you can collect the largest number of nuts.

As you collect your walnuts, you'll have to remove the hulls. A pair of gloves and a hammer is recommended for this. You can also remove hulls by running them over with your car tires, though there's some danger to the tire. However you chose to de-hull your black walnuts, always protect your hands, clothing, and anything else you don't want to pick up a stain. The dye in walnut hulls is very powerful - so powerful that it was used to color fabric and to make ink before the advent of modern dyes. In fact, if you enjoy natural dyeing, cooking a baker's dozen walnuts in a large pot full of water will give you enough dye to turn several skeins of wool or a yard or so of fabric an attractive shade of brown. Cooking the walnuts in an iron pot will give you a dark, nearly black color. Glass, steel, aluminum, and copper cooking pots will all create different shades of brown - from tan to mahogany.

Once you've extracted the nut in its shell, you'll still need to give it a scrub to get the remaining tannins and the hull off. A stiff wire brush will do the job. While you're at it, float your walnuts in a bowl or sink full of water. The ones that float are empty. The ones that sink are worth keeping.

Take all the nuts that you're going to keep, and spread them out in a warm, dry place. If you live in a house with an attic, this space is ideal. Be sure that the nuts don't touch, and that the air can move evenly around them. Leave them there for two to three weeks, until they're dry. You can then crack your black walnuts open and enjoy the meat. The nuts of the black walnut are harder to extract than those of the more well-known English walnut. Chances are, you'll need a pick or some other tool to take them out in pieces. However, when you get them out, you'll have the chance to enjoy an uncommon flavor. Black walnuts are a lot stronger than the walnuts we're used to. This makes them a great ingredient for ice cream, a crunchy, flavorful addition to baked goods, or just great for eating a few at a time. However, they might take some time to get used to.

Black walnuts take some time and perseverence to harvest, but anyone can do it. They grow all over the state of Illinois, and many of them are even located in towns, which means you don't have to live in the country to enjoy them. If you've got access to a black walnut tree, try collecting a few this fall, and enjoy a taste that not many people get to experience.