She lives on a small ranch with her family in Appalachia. She has been both a host and frequent guest on preparedness radio shows. Let them dry whole after you take the green hulls off. Hi there. You seem to be quite knowledgable about hickory nuts, and I was hoping you might be able to help me out.
My husband and I harvested our shellbark and shagbark hickory nuts this year for the first time and while drying, the shellbark nuts developed hairline cracks. Exactly like the crack in the shellbark nut in your picture.
The shagbark nuts did not do this. The nut inside the cracked shells are good as of right now but I am unsure if these nuts will keep through the winter when stored. Do you have any ideas why our shellbark nuts have developed these cracks?
We had a mild drought this year and I wonder if it might have something to do with it. We did use a hammer to break the hulls open originally, but after we noticed the cracks were appearing, we stopped using the hammer and the new batch still developed the hairline cracks while drying.
We let the latest batch lay out in the yard for a bit and I just went to collect the nuts today and the ones that had the hulls half cracked open had already developed the hairline cracks.
I am at a loss. What is causing this, or is it normal? And if so, can they be stored through the winter? I would very much so appreciate your angle on this. Your email address will not be published.
Table of Contents. Foraged hickory nut. Shellbark on the left and shagbark on the right. Bitternut hickory leaves. Shagbark Hickory Tree leaves.
Pignut Hickory nuts. Pignut Hickory leaf. Red hickory tree. It's Time for Hickory Nuts!! Shagbark hickory tree with new growth green unripened nuts. Trees with Don Leopold - shellbark hickory. Cracking open Hickory Nuts. Print this article.
Tara Dodrill. For many years, I never had the desire to try my luck with hickory nuts. As I became more self-sufficient and preferred to supply food to my family that I either shot, caught or gathered, I became more interested in cracking hickory nuts, and any other types I could get my hands on.
Hickory trees are just about everywhere. I pick up enough hickory nuts every year to net several gallons of hickory nut meat. I share with my family and friends, but most of them go into desserts I bake.
It is cheaper and more enjoyable than buying them. It takes time to crack and pick enough edible meat to fill a Mason jar. Hickory nut hunting is a fun activity and a good way to get the entire family out in the woods on a beautiful fall day. I also use them on cinnamon rolls, in cakes and zucchini bread.
There are many ways to crack them. I place the nut on top of an anvil and use a hammer to get to the meat inside. A rock or chunk of concrete serves the same purpose. You can also buy heavy duty nut crackers designed specifically for hard nuts. You will want to use nut picks to make the job of picking the meat out easier. Be careful not to stab yourself with the pick. Hold the nut over a bowl as you do this to easily collect the falling meat.
Eat your hickory nuts raw or toasted to savor their natural flavor. Or, use them in any recipe that calls for pecans. Based in Houston, Texas, Meg Butler is a professional farmer, house flipper and landscaper. When not busy learning about homes and appliances she's sharing that knowledge. Butler began blogging, editing and writing in Her work has appered in the "Houston Press" and several other publications.
She has an A. Share this article. Warning Do not use a nutcracker to open hickory nuts. It will crush the hickory meat. Related Articles.
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