OK I bite This new house we bought in RI has a Black Walnut tree. The first year we were here it made such a mess squirrels had nuts Everywhere and my poor dogs got shells in there feet. So it was on the
chopping block if it had nuts again..Well last year No Nuts But, now if it has nuts this year I might try it.
How do you get the Green part off and do I need to dry them out Before I try to break them ??

Thanks

The same technique works with shagbark hickory nuts. Just be careful of your fingers, because the nuts are a lot smaller! We used to hold them with pliers.

If you can't leave them on the ground (because of the squirrels getting them-they only take the good nuts) to turn black and naturally open , use 5 gallon buckets. Use plastic buckets because the hulls will get juicy (will have worms eating. I have also used a wire pet crate turned on it's side and left out till hulls open. My fav is an old 1" x 2" gauge wire chicken cage. If you haven't collected Black walnuts before they can be very messy. Use rubber gloves to pick up after hulling. Go back and read earlier post abt. using your car.
I use the flat part of a hoe for smashing stubborn hulls. I wear old clothes, rubber boots, and rubber gloves.
Yes, a couple of weeks to dry. I keep mine in the dry after they get dried out.
May you have a bounty of nuts this coming year. Oh, they keep several years if kept in a dry place.

A wonderful, informative website is forestry.about.com, they have good info on harvesting black walnuts.

Did you wait for the nuts to fall from the tree on their own?
When we said to drive the car/truck over them was how to get the hulls/green part off. Or you can pry the hull off using a knife (wear gloves that you don't care about damaging). Or you can put them on the pavement and stomp on them a while.

Yes it's better for them to fall naturally.
If I collected early, they are mostly green, I use car to crack husk then let lay until husk start breaking down-turning black. Then I use a hoe to dig out. Yes I also do the stomp on those that creep out of the tire line. I have a small area that is packed gravel & makes a wonderful walnut crushing area.

chickhill said:A wonderful, informative website is forestry.about.com, they have good info on harvesting black walnuts.

Thanks for THAT, too!

Yes they do fall naturally but, green. I will try the bucket method on some before we put the rest in the woods

Thank you

chickhill said: I also do the stomp on those that creep out of the tire line. I have a small area that is packed gravel & makes a wonderful walnut crushing area.

Do the STOMP!

@crittergarden you are welcome