HOW I CRACK BLACK WALNUTS

Transcript:
For me, cracking black walnuts is a great hobby. I listen to music, watch TV, or visit with a friend. I find
the task relaxing and rewarding. It certainly is satisfying watching a glass jar get full of delicious kernels.
Or snacking on them as you crack.
However, my process of cracking black walnuts is a bit more complicated than one would think. There
are three main steps: Soak, Crack and Roast. All of which is easy and takes a little time each day over the
course of a few days.
After nuts are cured and stored for more than a few months, they will become too dry to crack easily.
This means they will require a lot of force to break, causing shells to somewhat blow apart. The
exploding shells will splinter and shatter into tough chunks and small pieces. The tiny kernel bits and
dust are un-harvestable. You lose a lot of nutmeat.
Also, any leftover dry and tough chunks of shell with kernels still stuck inside require a lot of cutting with
the shears to get out the nutmeat. This can be a frustrating task and time-consuming.
To solve this, you need to saturate the nuts in water for an extended period of time to soften them up.
Soaking in water allows the shells and kernels of nutmeat to absorb moisture again. The shell will crack
easier as the shells bend and break smoothly with a lot less force and explosive shatter.
The soaked kernel becomes slightly rehydrated. This makes it more nimble and agile, so it won’t crumble
easily when its shell is cracked.
The soaked, springy nutmeat is easy to remove and is more likely to come out in larger chunks, such as
full quarters or whole halves of kernels: not bits, pieces and dust.
Soak nuts in smaller batches. Decide on an amount that can be cracked within the next week or so. Put
the nuts into a container and completely submerge them in plenty of water. Most nuts are ready to go
after 12 to 24 hours of soaking. However, I have soaked some nuts up to three days before I was
satisfied with their softness and flexibility.
After soaking, lay out the nuts until they are dry to the touch. Be sure there are no visual wet spots on
the shells. Crack rehydrated nuts soon after they are ready. If timing isn’t convenient, these nuts can be
stored in an open container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. This way, you can keep them for up to a
week in prime cracking condition.
To start cracking nuts, loosely wrap your hand around the nut, to keep the nut pieces together, nice and
neat, and to shield shell pieces from possibly flying off wildly.
Pulling the handle with a full down stroke cracks the nut completely. The machine’s design automatically
applies the precise amount of pressure, and the jaws of the rams cut the shell in the right spots.
The machine is designed so that one complete pull all the way down fully does the job, but sometimes
you may feel you need to give the handle another shorter pump to crack and cut more of the shell.
The GGG Machine has the capability to cut and crack the shell completely. This means the shell should
just fall apart in your hand, as the nutmeats tumble out freely. You just need to simply pull or snap apart
the broken and cracked shells to get at some of the nutmeats, but for the most part, the busted up
shells and nutmeat separate easily.
For nutmeats still stuck inside a chunk of shell, use the shears to snip it out. The snipping of the shears at
the halfway point on the chunk of shell typically breaks it all the way through and releases the nutmeat.
When examining chunks of shell, you’ll see a thinner nutshell structure holding in the nutmeat. Cut
those shell structures to free the nutmeat. A gentle tug and wiggle with your fingers will release wedged
kernels too.
Because the rehydration process softens the nutmeat kernels to make them a bit stretchy and forgiving
when cracking, their texture and taste is soft and chewy. Some people like that texture, others do not.
Rehydrated kernels are just fine if you plan to use the nutmeat in a baking recipe such as cookies or
cake. However, if you plan to eat the kernels plain, you probably want the nutmeat kernels crunchy.
The simple step of using a food dehydrator will take out moisture. The kernels will become crunchy
again. Or you can roast them at a very low heat using an oven or stovetop.
The nutmeat kernels will then have a delicious crunch and a snap when you break them. I prefer this
texture when snacking on them.
Dehydrated or roasted kernels can be stored in a jar, plastic bag, or other storage container for a long
period of time. Nutmeat kernels can also be frozen and thawed multiple times with little or no negative
effects.
And that’s how I crack black walnuts.
Thank you,
@BlackWalnutDaddy
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