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.
