Pickled Walnuts

[KIMBOKO]

Does any one have a tried and tested recipe for Pickled Walnuts?.

[pothunter]

Hi Kimboko

Can't help you with pickled walnuts but did try honey walnuts and can recomend them.

Jar of walnuts top it up with runny honey, shelve it for a month to let the honey flavour into the walnuts and enjoy, nice on toast.

Bon apetite, Pothunter.

[scanker]

Not used it myself, but there's a recipe given here: http://forum.rivercottage.net/viewtopic.php?t=15718#203174

[Moonraker]

You may be a little late Kimboko. To test the walnuts prick them with a large darning needle and if any walnuts (shell) can be felt they are too old for pickling. The linked recipe says"the shell begins to form opposite the stalk end about 1/4" in from the end" so check here first.

The walnuts are picked around here around St. John's Day (June 24th) for making vin d' noix or walnut wine (actually more like port) but we are that much further south.

Or try the old and tested recipe from Mrs Beeton ;)
Mrs Beeton - Book of Household Management - page 534. PICKLED WALNUTS (Very Good).

INGREDIENTS - 100 walnuts, salt and water. To each quart of vinegar allow 2 oz. of whole black pepper, 1 oz. of allspice, 1 oz. of bruised ginger.

Mode.—Procure the walnuts while young; be careful they are not woody, and prick them well with a fork; prepare a strong brine of salt and water (4 lbs. of salt to each gallon of water), into which put the walnuts, letting them remain 9 days, and changing the brine every third day; drain them off, put them on a dish, place it in the sun until they become perfectly black, which will be in 2 or 3 days; have ready dry jars, into which place the walnuts, and do not quite fill the jars. Boil sufficient vinegar to cover them, for 10 minutes, with spices in the above proportion, and pour it hot over the walnuts, which must be quite covered with the pickle; tie down with bladder, and keep in a dry place. They will be fit for use in a month, and will keep good 2 or 3 years.

Time.—10 minutes.

Seasonable.—Make this from the beginning to the middle of July, before the walnuts harden.

Note.—When liked, a few shalots may be added to the vinegar, and boiled with it.I would add cloves of garlic myself. Most modern day recipes include a sweetening agent but this is more authentic to the Persian way used over thousands of years.


Pickling eliminates their toxic constituents, which include juglaic acid, tannic acid, and hydrosulphuric acid. Another example of processing raw wild plants to make them edible.

Did you know?! "Many trees were planted as residential landscape trees during wartime, because these chemicals, and others found in the nuts, were used to manufacture explosives and other materials for the war effort."

Watch out for exploding walnuts :)

[KIMBOKO]

I have already picked some, salted them and pickled them to one recipe. But I also have a larger batch which my daughter picked some weeks ago and I have just salted them and we were looking for a different pickling spice recipe. I am certain they are young enough for good eating.

[Moonraker]

That explains it ;)

Next year (bit late now) can I suggest making some vin de noix. Really great stuff :) Great web site with loads of details and recipe here;

Vin de Noix - French Green Walnut Wine (http://www.williamrubel.com/alcohol/vindenoix.html)

Good luck with the pickling,

[Klenchblaize]

This reminds me that many years ago a lovely old chap took the time to write down his method of making them and from the moment of picking through to eating at Christmas. Must try and find it when we finally get over the house move and living out of boxes. I do remember something about testing them with a needle before commencing picking etc.

Cheers