Black Walnuts; A Maligned and Deeply Loved Tree

Black Walnuts are beautiful native trees to eastern North America that offer amazing gifts. They produce flavourful nuts every year, and about every third year they drop a massive bounty that captivates wild food enthusiasts. Their thick shell and difficult to extract nut meat has led to less of an economical industry developed around this food- however this is largely due to a lack of processing technology and interest in Canada. We also believe their shells are the hardest to crack because they have some of the most amazing foods our native landscape can offer.

Their nuts are extremely nutritious, being high in protein, healthy fats, and an array of vitamins and minerals. They actually have higher levels of these nutrients than their close cousin the English Walnut that people are familiar with eating. These trees will produce food for a hundred years, to feed the next generation of humans and wildlife in a regenerative way. Wild turkeys, squirrels, bears, nut hatches, and countless other species sustain themselves on Black Walnut in the fall. They are host to hundreds of native moths and butterflies that in some cases exclusively feed and live within their branches.

Their timber is also extremely valuable and sought out for because of its innate strength, shock resistance, and unique rich brown colouration that can at times have streaks of red and other interesting colour tones. An acre of mature Black Walnut can have a timber value of $100 000! Some people plant them specifically so they can have money in the bank for their grandchildren.

Food Possibilities

The nuts are really unique, with a wild, fruity taste that is difficult to describe. We absolutely love their complex flavour, more so than regular English Walnuts, and add them to all kinds of dishes. They can be roasted and added to all kinds of deserts, dishes, and flours. They make the best banana bread and ice cream.

Another interesting product that can be created is oil. Hammons is a company in the States that sells Black Walnuts on a large scale. They create an expeller pressed oil out of the nut meats that is a healthful and an ecological substitution to our incredibly processed and environmentally devastating vegetable oils.

These trees can keep you alive-truly. Unlike fruit trees, nut trees like the Black Walnut contain the fats, oils, minerals, and proteins that the human body needs to thrive.

 

Economic Opportunities

Hammons has over 215 local buying stations across 11 states where they hire local people to collect the bounty of Black Walnuts every fall. They have processing facilities and technology that is impressive and has allowed the company to be profitable for over 70 years. They process 25 million pounds of Black walnuts on average per year.

The success of Hammons is reflective of the fact that Black walnuts have the potential to be an economically viable business model in Canada if more people begin to recognize their amazing qualities and plant them out. There’s a growing interest in them, and we are also incorporating Black Walnut on our landscape, along with Hazelnut, Hickory, Korean Pine and Oak.

We recently discovered a company in Quebec called Au Jardin de Noix that has a 35 acre plantation of primarily Hazelnut, Black Walnut, Hickory, and other nut trees that can survive and thrive in northern climates. They sell their nut products and also offer guided tours of their orchard for more people to learn and experience the food opportunities that nut trees offer.

Even if you aren’t interested in planting Black Walnuts as a business venture, they are still invaluable to anyone who wants to create more food security in their lives and for wildlife. The nuts also have a long shelf life once they’re properly dried and can be stored for many years. These trees represent food security at a deep level.

Nocino

Nocino is an interesting Italian liqueur that can be made from unripe black walnuts, alcohol, and spices. The walnuts should be harvested in the summer while the husks are still green, and you can cut them in half. From there, add to vodka and allow the mixture to macerate for at least 30 days. A few spices like cloves or cinnamon can be added or not- keeping it simple will allow the walnut flavour to really shine. Once the maceration time has elapsed, you can strain the contents and add some maple syrup to sweeten it up. Allow it to age for 6 months from here. It’s got a really interesting flavour that can be consumed as a digestif before or after dinner, added to ice cream, mixed drinks, etc.

Growing Tips

Black Walnuts grow best in full sun, and in soils with consistent moisture without being totally water logged. Their chosen natural environment is one with slightly alkaline soils within a riparian zone. They grow very happily along the edges of ponds, creeks, and rich bottomlands. The trees also exude a chemical called juglones that can inhibit growth of other plants around it. There is a lot of hype around this characteristic of the tree, but it is important to know all of the details. There are some plants that will live in proximity to the trees, and some that will not. Pine trees, blueberries, apple trees, tomatoes and many other species will all potentially be killed by the Black Walnut if they’re within 50 ft of it as it becomes mature. However, currants, elderberry, black raspberries, paw paw, hazelnuts and many other species will be quite happy growing near the Black Walnut. Keep this in mind when planting. Having more than one tree in a given area will ensure better cross pollination and yields although they are self fertile and can reproduce on their own.

Harvesting and Processing Tips

If you’re serious about harvesting and processing a lot of black walnuts here’s a few tips and tricks. Fill a bucket of water and add the nuts with their hulls on them into the bucket. Using a corded drill with a paint mixer attachment, mix the nuts in the bucket for 5 or so minutes. The agitation of the paint mixer will remove most of the hulls from the nuts. From there they can be dried. I lay them out on cookie sheets and dry them near a warm spot like a wood stove for a few weeks. You can also set up screens stacked on top of one another with a box fan blowing through them to dry the nuts in a more space efficient manor.

For efficient shelling, use the duke nut cracker, the master nut cracker, or other nut crackers specifically made for the hard shell of black walnut. However, a hammer and a solid flat rock will work in a pinch! Put a towel over the nuts before you smash them so that shell bits won’t fly all over your kitchen. You’ll figure out a good flow as you go along for better efficiency. Getting together in a group on a nice fall afternoon is also a great way to process!  

 

Climate Change

There are so many potential benefits of planting this tree in our landscapes, in particular northern ones that are slightly beyond their natural range. Climate change is having a drastic impact on species within their natural range, and environments are changing faster than species are able to adapt. By planting these species northward, they are able to move north faster than if they were relying on only their own natural dispersal. This is important because many northern climates are becoming much like their southern counter parts were 20 years ago. These southern climates are often becoming inhospitable to species that are native to the area and the need to move north is imperative to their survival. There is a ton of research going into this concept known as assisted migration by universities and citizens in North America. It is also something that there is countless records of indigenous peoples doing with different tree crops that are important to them.

Our Own Research

We have planted several dozen Black Walnuts on our land here in central Ontario zone 4b, and have experienced encouraging results so far, although it is still early in the game. We’ve learned that they for 1) appreciate our bottomland, moisture rich soil, and 2) they are also innately cold hardy beyond their natural range. We’ve seen zero die back on these trees, although they do sometimes get hit by a late frost as we are in a frost pocket. We are still in the early days of knowing if they’re going to be a promising crop for us here in the north, especially with surrounding areas having fairly acidic soils, but they have certainly encouraged us thus far. There are a few specimens located in the city of North Bay, Ontario which is about 30 mins west of us, that have at least 30 year old Black Walnuts that are producing year after year in varying amounts. We collect our seeds from there, as well as other locations for our nursery. They have also been reported to be thriving and reproducing in areas as cold as zone 3!

In Conclusion

Black Walnut is both adored and despised by people, and many people consider them to be a nuisance. Who knew that free, nutritious, life-giving food raining down on a landscape every single year could be so troublesome? Often it is just the fact that people have zero connection to this once revered food source or that they were simply planted in the wrong spot like a driveway for example that leads to their despisal. I hope I’ve opened up your mind a little to the great possibilities of this amazing tree, and that you’re inspired to try tasting them if you never have before. They’re a gift worth exploring, a generous gift that gives back in carbon sequestration, incredibly nourishing food, and as a home for a myriad of animals.

To order our bare root Black Walnut seedlings, visit the nut tree section on our website.