Walnuts, Walnuts, Walnuts!

It’s the same with chestnuts this year. Last year there were none and this year more than I’ve ever seen. They arrived a bit late but so far I’ve gathered around 50 lbs and the tree still looks untouched.

I should mention the hickory nuts are quite plentiful as well.

I have walnut trees lining the west side of my property. Quite a few are right over my pole barn that houses my 1025r. They’ve been falling like mad this year. With the metal roof sounds like gunshots going off. I was under my tractor (which was up on Ramps) doing maintenance when about 10 of them hit at once. Scared the blleep outta me. I told my wife my @ss Cheeks clenched and scooted me out from under the tractor faster than I’ve ever moved. 😂

Funny you're mentioning the walnuts dropping this year. I stopped by the farm next door to drop off some lunch and coffee to my son this afternoon. Pulled in and ran over a few walnuts on the pavement. One shot out from below the tire and whizzed by my son's nose. We were both quite surprised! There must have been a few dozen below the tree and likely hundreds or thousands ready to drop as well.

j. white said:

I should mention the hickory nuts are quite plentiful as well.

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I can second the hickory nuts this year. I also have a huge amount of hazel nuts on my trees as well.

The old farmers almanac does predict a cold and snowy winter this year.

The walnut trees in the neighbors yard has had several branches broken due to the weight of all the walnuts. The trees are all loaded with walnuts.

Where there would normally be 2 or 3 small clusters of walnuts on a branch, now there are 4 or 5 clusters of 4 or 5 nuts each. The question is, what is the best way to process the walnuts and is it worth the effort?

There must be an easy way to remove the green husk on them other than with the lawnmower...............

SulleyBear said:

The walnut trees in the neighbors yard has had several branches broken due to the weight of all the walnuts. The trees are all loaded with walnuts.

Where there would normally be 2 or 3 small clusters of walnuts on a branch, now there are 4 or 5 clusters of 4 or 5 nuts each. The question is, what is the best way to process the walnuts and is it worth the effort?

There must be an easy way to remove the green husk on them other than with the lawnmower...............

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You don't have to Hull them to sell them. I sold a couple of thousand pounds a few years ago.

SulleyBear said:

The question is, what is the best way to process the walnuts and is it worth the effort?

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They mulch. Not that many here. It's been very dry.

Same here. It’s like mowing in the Chuck E Cheese ball pit. They aren’t falling anywhere near where the house or vehicles are so I just mow over them. I’m not picking them up… I already pick up about 25,000 locust tree seed pods a year.

j. white said:

Don't know what creates the difference from year to year but the walnut trees at my old home of 16 years are dropping more walnuts than I have ever seen there. I picked up 160 yesterday under just 1/2 of one tree, the other half falls in the wooded area. Another smaller one along the driveway dropped 106 overnight and they both have been dropping for a few weeks now. Last time we had a big walnut drop we had a very snowy winter.

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We've had a huge walnut drop as well.

I have one walnut, planted by a squirrel perhaps 10 years ago. I left it alone. I had a few nuts fall in the last 2-3 years. You guys are correct though - this year was tons. I filled up 5gal buckets every day. I tossed many into the land scape waste bags, but 5 gals of them is borderline too heavy for the driver to pick up. I snuck some into my son in laws cans (his cans are picked up by the truck's hyd arm, not a driver) And I took a few to the hardware store's can if I was running an errand there anyway. Whew!

We also have a crabapple in back, this year was a bumpercrop there too. Wife has made jelly twice this summer

trav said:

You don't have to Hull them to sell them. I sold a couple of thousand pounds a few years ago.

https://black-walnuts.com/discover-harvesting-and-hulling/hulling-and-buying-locations/

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Just curious, what is a ball park of the amount paid for the walnuts? Also, would you say the husk is half the weight of the finished nut product? I am curious if you have a ton of walnuts to sell, roughly what amount of money do they generate when you sell them? I understand this is just a ballpark number you are providing. I would guess there are at least 2 dozen large mature trees in our neighborhood common property and roadsides. ...........

Thanks for the information.

Same here, lots of walnut, hickory nuts and acorns. I’ve been bicycling a lot lately, it can get a little scary, about like trying to bike on a roadway filled with bowling balls.

Mowing in the Chucky Cheese ball pit, that’s funny and true. I make sure nobody is standing around, almost like a frag grenade going off under the tractor.

SulleyBear said:

Just curious, what is a ball park of the amount paid for the walnuts? Also, would you say the husk is half the weight of the finished nut product? I am curious if you have a ton of walnuts to sell, roughly what amount of money do they generate when you sell them? I understand this is just a ballpark number you are providing. I would guess there are at least 2 dozen large mature trees in our neighborhood common property and roadsides. ...........

Thanks for the information.

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The price varies from year to year, we only took them in one year and I can't remember how much it paid but if you call the hulling station near you they will tell you and can answer probably any questions you have . About 60 percent of the weight of the nut is husk.

This link looks like it has some good info for people interested in collecting and selling black walnuts. Black Walnut Info

We enjoyed doing it even though it was a lot of work for not a lot of money. I took in two pickup loads, short bed, heaped.

Unloading was the hardest part, they had to be shoveled into a small conveyor. A dump bed with a grain door or a chute would have been much better. A gravity wagon would have worked nicely too.

We could probably make some nice pocket change but there's no buying station within about 900 miles of us. So unless I pick up some to plant for timber, the squirrels get the rest.

Just picked up another 360 of 'em. Man, bumper crop.

walnut shells can be used for sandblasting.....