John Myers
Nuts should not be picked, but collected after they fall ripe from the tree. Before walnuts and hazelnuts can be eaten, the nuts have to be dried. To do this, they are first cleaned and then dried in an airy place for several weeks. If stored properly, they will keep for a few months.
Walnuts and hazelnuts are easy to harvest from your own garden. Walnuts are in season between the end of September and the end of October. At this time, the nuts fall ripe from the tree and only need to be collected. However, make sure not to leave the nuts on the ground for too long, so that no mold can form due to the moisture in the ground. Then remove the green wrapping that surrounds the hard nutshell. Be particularly thorough when doing this so that the remains of the fruit coat cannot become moldy. Brush the nuts well, but never clean them with water. It would penetrate the core and cause mold. Attention: You should wear gloves when cleaning and removing the green fruit peel. Otherwise, the natural coloring of the walnut will cause brown discolouration on your fingers.
Hazelnuts are also in season in autumn, but can usually be harvested a little earlier than walnuts. The nuts are ready for harvest when they detach themselves from their dry leaf covering and fall to the ground. As with walnuts, they should not be left on the moist ground for too long and you should only collect nuts if the shells are intact and free of mold.
After harvesting, you need to dry both hazelnuts and walnuts. It is best to place the nuts in a dry, warm, well-ventilated place, for example on the windowsill or above the radiator. It is important that there is enough space between the nuts and that they are only dried in one layer and are turned regularly. Drying in the oven, on the other hand, is not recommended, since nuts can become bitter or rancid at elevated temperatures. After two to three weeks, the walnuts and hazelnuts should have lost most of their own weight and should be ready to eat. If the shells of individual walnuts have opened during drying, you should discard these specimens. You can now eat the dried nuts or store them in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place for several months. An onion net that you hang up in the basement is well suited.
