There may be a few foods that are more English than pickled walnuts, but with the possible exception of fish and chips, I can’t think of one. Chances are, however, you’ve never heard of them. I hadn’t, until several years ago when I ordered the meat-and-cheese plate at a local Irish place called deVere’s.
On this place was a black disk. I asked the waitress what on earth it was, and she smiled; she’d had this question before: “It’s a pickled walnut. It’s good with the cheddar.”
I followed her advice and stabbed the disk with my fork, adding a bit of cheddar cheese and a bit of cold roast beef to round things out. Wow. It was a bit like eating solid steak sauce, with a little floral aroma and a zephyr of bitterness that just barely let you notice it.
I ate another disk all by itself: Fairly soft, puckery and strangely floral. And yes, there was definitely a Worcestershire-Heinz 57-A1-thing going on here. How had I never had these before?
Turns out that very, very few people outside of Britain eat them. This should change, which is why I am presenting you with this recipe. And the reason I am posting this now is because you need to get out and get your walnuts now. That’s right, you need green, unripe walnuts to make pickles. And yes, you use the whole thing, hull and all.
I got mine a few weeks ago, after an unsuccessful fishing trip with my friend Joe. We were in the Delta and as we were driving out, I noticed a NorCal black walnut (Juglans hindsii) absolutely laden down with nuts. “Pull over!” Joe, used to this by now, did. I gathered about 150 nuts in less than 15 minutes. It was a bonanza.
I knew I was in business right when I got to the tree, but just to be sure I pulled out my pocketknife and sliced an unripe nut in half. You need to do this, either with a knife or a stout needle or a long nail, because you have to catch the unripe walnuts before the shell forms. Once that shell forms inside the walnut’s hull, you’re too late; the traditional harvest date in England is late June.
The process for pickled walnuts is not hard at all, but it takes more than a week. You need to brine the green walnuts for a good long time before they will be ready to pickle properly. The brine time helps with preservation and removes some of the bitterness in the unripe walnuts. Once brine pickled, they are pretty durable.
Do you need to sun-blacken the walnuts? No, but doing so gives you a nice, uniform look to them. Otherwise they will be olive green in some places, blotchy black in others.
Once you have your pickled walnuts, what do you do with them? Look to the English. Traditionally they are part of a ploughman’s lunch, with other pickles, cheese and cold meats. But I see them a lot tossed into beef or lamb stews (pot pies and pasties, too!) in wintertime, and in summertime I’ve seen them served in cool salads alongside tomatoes, and accompanying shellfish such as scallops or shrimp.
Pickled Walnuts
Ingredients
- About 50 to 60 green, unripe walnuts
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 gallon water
- 2 quarts cider or malt vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cracked allspice berries
- 1 ounce ginger, about 1 1/2-inch pieces, smashed
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine. Put on some rubber gloves if you have them, because walnut juice will stain your hands for weeks -- and it won't come off. Trust me on this one. Properly gloved, stab each walnut with a fork in several places; this helps the brine penetrate. Submerge the walnuts in the brine and let them ferment for 8 days at room temperature.
- Remove the walnuts and put them on a baking sheet and leave them outside in the sun for a day, until they turn uniformly black. You can do this step without gloves if you want.
- Pack the walnuts into quart jars. Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over the walnuts. Leave very little headspace in the jars. Seal and keep in a cool place, either the fridge or a basement -- you just want them to rest below 70°F -- for at least a month before you eat them. Kept this way they will last a year.
Hi there,
I have only just come across your recipe as I’m about to start pickling. I originally found another recipe that did to put the walnuts in salt water for up to 4 weeks and keep changing every three days! I’ve done this and now at the point of pickling but a little concerned that’s too long and now I have ruined them?
They’re black and dried out and have a white salty residue which il wipe off. Should I still give it a go? It also didn’t suggest to prick them with a fork before? Maybe that’s why they had to be in brine longer.
Your recipe looks yummy!
Chloe: I don’t know what to tell you. I know that my recipe works, and does not require that long in the brine. Also, it is awfully late to be doing this recipe, as the walnut shells should have started hardening by now.
Hi Hank, thanks for the recipe and it was fun to make. However, since the liquid they are canned in is 100% vinegar (besides the sugar and spices but no added water) we found these to taste only like sweetened malt vinegar. I am wondering if I did something wrong, or is that just how they are supposed to taste? Has anyone tried adding a simple syrup or maybe a bit of additional brine? Thanks in advance.
Wow, what a great find your recipe was! I have a beautiful walnut tree and for once I got the nuts before the squirrels. I just finished a batch of these and your flavor description “Fairly soft, puckery and strangely floral…definitely a Worcestershire-Heinz 57-A1-thing going on here” was spot on. What a unique thing to make and share. The recipe was easy to follow and I think they came out perfectly. This will be a fun and interesting addition to our charcuterie board.
I want to add that because the walnuts float in salt brine, I weighted them down by placing a ziplock bag of beans in the top of the jar. I also kept them in a dark cupboard and had no mold at all. I did not do this for the 30 day pickle.
I have just found this recipe and whilst a little late (I’m in Suffolk, UK) I’m going to give this a go. We have a huge walnut tree and lose all walnuts to squirrels so am excited. Walnuts are green a little large but no shells. Thanks again, wish me luck and just checking that I don’t slice til I’m serving. Is that right?
Lisa: Well, in your case I would slice a few now to see if the shell is still soft. But if you still have decent green walnuts, then yes, I leave them while until serving.
Greetings from Republic of Ireland, I first tasted pickled walnuts when I bought a jar in TK Max store in Dublin a few years ago. Most people in Ireland never heard of them being pickled, they usually just eat the mature nuts at Halloween etc. I see online a lot more UK people know them and like then, but as usual USA recipes contain ingredients that are practically unavailable here in Ireland……….. like what is this ” Sun ” that I’m supposed to use to blacken them LOL. ……I have 3 Kilner jars fermenting at the moment maybe a local tanning salon might let me…??
Le gach dea guí ó Éireann ( every good wish from Ireland )
Hey. Approximately how many jars will this recipe make?
I.mac: About 3 to 4 pint jars.
Great, thank you.
I attempted your recipe but after fermenting the walnuts in a salt brine for 8 days I found a small amount of white mold growing on the surface.. is it safe to remove the mold and go forward as you can with other ferments?
Emily: Yep, that happens. Just pick it off and proceed.
Hi Hank! I am finished brining and blackening my walnuts. I was wondering, can I put the rest of the ingredients in as stated, and then can them and store them in the pantry? I’m so excited to be trying this 🙂
Jenny: Yes. And since there is so much vinegar in the pickling solution, you need not can it. Just tighten the lids.
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Just a side note, I’ve started following you on Instagram and really appreciate your thoughtful know-how. Thanks for sharing!
Pickling vinegar smells great…many thanks for the recipe and walnut facts. I live in England so might try doing another batch as I have leftover pickling vinegar.
Hi..we have an abundance of nuts this year after a really bad harvest last year.. can I ask.. do you cool the liquid etc before putting lids on.. ; once pickled do you eat the whole thing
Cheers from Somerset
Yes eat the whole thing sliced. They are good stirred into stews, but only one or two as they are strong.
Hey hank – Im trying your recipe out with some walnuts from a neighbours tree. When the walnuts have blackened in the sun you say use the remaining ingredients – I presume that includes the now black salt brine water too? Or is this discarded and only the vinegar and spices used to jar the walnuts?
Thanks!
Megan: You throw out the brine water. Just vinegar.
I’ve just started brining mine, just checked the tree and they are big enough but no shell. As we are in lockdown it’s a nice way to spend a few hours!
(I’m in the UK near Cambridge).
I have used table salt (NaCl) as that’s all I had to hand.
For the brining they are in a bucket with a loose-fitting lid inside the bucket weighed down with a jar full of water, this keeps all the nuts below the surface, but any gases can escape easily. As we are in a heat wave the brining is being down halfway down the cellar steps.
As my tree needed a prune anyway this killed two birds with one stone, incidentally I noticed that walnut leaves give off an aroma similar to cedar wood, so I might wilt down some leaves and see if I can distill off an essence to add to one of the jars.
I reckon I’ll try a few different spice mixtures, one in each jar, to see what works best for my palate.
I now have smoker’s fingers as I am intrigued to see how long the staining really lasts!
I’m a pickled walnut virgin but have two trees full the nuts this year. Do you leave them to go black in the sun before or after brining please?
Hi Adam, wonderful !
I am near you. if you still have pruned branches, can I have please to try to grow new walnut trees from cuttings ?
It’s pointless growing from cuttings when you can grow from nuts, you just need unroasted ones, (i.e. not from the supermarket) they grow like crazy. I have a few spare from last year if you want to try.
Ohhh I’m thinking about doing this, I’m near Cambridge too ? interested to see what these turn out like as I love pickled walnuts!!
Pickling done this morning. I only boiled one pint of the (malt) vinegar with the spices in, the rest I just heated up to about 80C in the bottles, this stops the acetic from boiling off too much and makes less mess and smell. The walnuts had been out of the brine overnight and not quite black but a nice dark olive green colour. I expect they will blacken off a bit further with storage. One test bottle in cupboard will be tried in a few months, the rest into the cellar.
The test walnuts were edible within 2 weeks, quite tasty already, and they went black in the jar. I am looking forward to a walnut salad with fresh and pickled together – double walnuts!
I wasn’t able to find allspice berries, can I use allspice instead?
Mark: Yes. Halve the amount though.
armenians do this. perhaps the original ones to do so. see: ny times 2010 recipe
Can’t rate the recipe yet but I have just found two walnut trees on our land in Jamaica so here goes
Hannah Glasse has a traditional recipe for this in the 18th C. The Art of Cookery. That recipe uses nutmeg, ginger, mace, cloves, and black pepper
Remaining ingredients? What is that and where is it kept while drying the main ingredient, the Walnut?
hi. in Iran , we make walnut pickles . but we only use the main eatable part of the nut not the whole thing . it’s actually very mild and you can have it with any kind of foods . but i never have seen this one.
Can hickory nuts be used as well?
Ben: No. They have a very different shell structure.
Hi Hank I like your recipe but my family and extended family have been doing these for years I’m 59 and my mother is 86 and the family recipe came from my grandmother on my mothers side of the family the only difference is we don’t sun dry them and our problem in New Zealand is that its Christmas time when you have to do them and the smaller walnuts are better. When you give them to people they have no idea what they are until you explain to them that it is a walnut. But they are always good to pull out at a dinner party and freak people out.
Thanks Hank. Have just set my second seasons walnuts out in the sun for colouring, after successfully following your recipe last year. They are definitely an undiscovered little gem and much easier to preserve than most people think.
Hi Hank, great article and recipe, thanks! I have a walnut tree here in Launceston, Tasmania, and this year I think I’ll have a go myself. Similar story…went to a winery and had some on a cheese board. They were delicious. Our summer is already half way through, but the walnuts have been slow to grow past that inch x inch size. I’m going to slice one as you suggest to see if I need to wait longer, or just jump in. Could it be that there are different varieties of walnut tree and their nuts are different size? Cheers, Phil
My mother used to make a beef and pickled walnut casserole when I was young (back in the 80s) which was my favourite meal. I’ve just picked a heap of young walnuts and about to try your method. Cheers Mate.
Can this be done with pecans?
Shaylyn: No. They have a very different shell structure.
I asked this question previously but I don’t think it made it thru.
Is there any reason to think this might not work with pecans?
Thanks
Rooster: It won’t work with pecans. Their shell structure is very different. Sorry!
My recipe is from the 1950s. It suggests allspice, cloves and root ginger in the vinegar.
1 imperial pint water
1/4 oz allspice/pimento
1/4 oz cloves
1/4 oz Stick cinnamon
1/8 oz root ginger
Thinly-peeled rind 9f half a lemon
1 bay leaf
I make my own vinegar which seems to give the walnuts a really good flavour. I might use a few cloves to make it more interesting but the amount suggested seems overwhelming rather than tantalising. I will add black pepper too. The last lot I made was outstanding but I can’t remember which recipeI used!
If your using raw vinegar with the mother culture and don’t want to kill it with boiling is that okay or would it be best to boil some with spices and then when cool add raw vinegar?
sounds delicious…
do I boilthe rest of the ingredients in thebrine or do I use clean water?
thanks
Pieter
Do I cut the walnuts before bottling them?
Babs: I do not cut them.
Your recipe for pickled Walnuts is amazing. Will be doing these every year from now on. Thoroughly enjoyed watching them turn black in the sun. Fascinating. Thank you
While these may be used in England currently, I believe they were something the English carried back from their exploring.
https://georgianrecipes.net/2013/09/10/kaklis-muraba-pickled-walnuts/ I see Lebanese recipes, Egyptian recipes, etc. So Middle Eastern might be the origin. I made two recipes. One I used brown sugar and the other white sugar. I think the brown sugar over took the flavors of the spices and balsamic vinegar too much. Next year I will try 3:1 white with brown sugar.
These are truly addictive!
Hank, I just finished canning my first batch and I have a couple of questions for you. Do you use distilled cider vinegar or raw? I made one batch with each, I’m interested to see if there’s much difference. Do you use a water bath to get the jars to seal, or do you use another canning method?
Dave: I use distilled cider vinegar, and I water bath can them for 15 minutes.
Exactly as described. Like eating steak sauce, with just enough tang to be exciting without being oppressive. A wonderful recipe that has been added to my collection.
On another forager page the author reported that Eastern Black Walnuts don’t seem to set up the same way as the variety common in California. He said the texture was grainy, dry and unpleasant. I suspect the walnuts I have access to in Mid to Northern MN are probably the Eastern variety. Do you know anything about this texture issue? I can link the page if you would like to address it directly.
Thank you for one more item to make for future meat boards. I actually was coming here hoping you had some recipes for spiced or otherwise toasted walnuts. I’m looking to concoct some trail mixes that would include some ground venison jerky bits, maybe hard cheese, definitely dried fruit (blueberries or Juneberries), puffed wild rice and nuts. For some reason I’m having a hard time deciding what flavors would go well in a mix with these items. Hope you don’t mind the tangent.
Thanks for your helpful guide!!! I’ll try and pickle these.
Hello,
Just to be clear, the walnuts should be picked green from the tree, leaving the husk on them when brining? Thanks!
Roger: Correct.
Hi Hank,
I just tried my walnuts pickled in June… they have a slightly fibrous and tough texture, namely at the rind/outer edge. The flavor is awesome, though. I was careful to pick them young and they look just like yours. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Hillary
I just put the young walnuts in strong vinegar with loads of spices. All types and garlic. Leave for five years and they are fantastic. They keep forever.
Can you pickle White Walnuts?
The Pickled Walnuts are fantastic, the texture & flavour are superb.
The only down side, was I had made enough vinegar/spices for another batch, I will not make that mistake next year.
Hi Hank,
Sorry didn’t respond earlier about the CaCl addition. I found adding CaCl at the initial brining stage made them too firm to work with later – so it only gets added to the spiced vinegar at the end. Cheers -M
I made these a few times. I used a stronger brine and changed it after a few days. Some online recipes are way too salty and I have altered mine over the years… they keep for years, not just one year. Anyway, the main thing I was going to say was that I often put them in sandwiches and on pizzas, sliced up.
How do you seal the jars? Do you hot water bath or is there another method?
DeAnn: There is so much vinegar in there I didn’t officially seal them. I just shut the lids tight. But you could water-bath seal them for about 15-20 minutes to be safe.
I just found 5 walnuts that I could reach from the ground so they are brining in a pint jar. I had about 3,000 black walnuts last fall for cracking. about 1500 done and the last 1500 are sitting around until I used up the already cracked ones. Thanks for the recipe.
Picked 6 kg of green walnuts today will follow your recipe. I have a few friends who will be so so happy to receive a jar at Christmas.
Hi, ive just put mine in the brine. Am i right in reading that at no point in the process i half the walnuts? All the pictures show them cut in half, so i just want to make sure. Thanks!
Sarah: Yes, I rarely cut them in half until I serve them. But you can after they’ve gone black.
Hi Hank,
An update – last year I commented about Calcium Chloride. Happy to report this worked well.
I added a bit of CaCl both to the second exchange of brine, and a small amount to the spiced pickling vinegar itself. The result was good. No more mush.
M Harrison: Awesome! How much did you add? A teaspoon? More?
I made some of these 40 years ago and I still have a part of that batch and it is devine. I wonder if you can also pickle pecans and get a similar experience? I mention that since where i am in south texas i can’t find any immature walnuts but i can find pecans.
Thanks for the recipe and the back story. My dad made these all the time and now I am as well. Only addition to think about might be a few cloves for extra spice.
They appear clean cutted on the picture is it the pickling that makes them tender? Furthermore have you tried pickling with the spice mix for longer prior to putting them in jars ? Thank for the recipe, looking forward to it!
Iovan: Yes, they are tender — but these are made with unripe walnuts gathered in late spring, not mature ones.
Thanks so much Hank! I’ll look forward to making these next year. Your site is my favourite place on the internet when it comes to curing and preserving wild foods.
Can you use black walnuts to make these?
Sarah: That’s what I use. But you are too late in the year. These need to be made in June or July.
I use black walnuts from trees I grew from seed. Never wore gloves as the young nuts don’t exude much. I use coarse pickling salt not Kosher salt. It’s the exact same but costs less. I use smaller jars , we call them 500 ml.That way I can use the whole jar up in no time and don’t feel guilty giving a few away. Walnut trees don’t produce every year so best plant a few…it only take 15 to 20 years for them to produce.
Duncan: Weird. Our walnuts produce every year.
At what point do you slice the walnuts?
Drew: When you eat them.
could this be made without sugar, or does the sugar act as a preservative or fermentation fuel? and do the glass jars need to be sterilized? i lactoferment all the time without sterilizing equipment but don’t consider this a lactoferment. also, the vinegar is not acidic enough to inhibit botulism. is that a concern?–i made a batch of these last year, then discarded them without trying after reading other recipes that sterilized the jars and /or used a proper canning method. thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Hank,
I am on Vancouver Island, about to do a large harvest.
One complaint I have had about these is that even though the flavor is great, they are too soft. Do you know if these will benefit from the use of calcium chloride or another pickling agent to make them more firm?
Cheers.
M. Harrison: Yes, I’ve heard that a little calcium chloride can help. Not sure how much to add, though.
We live in Edmonton, Alberta and I don’t think our climate is compatible to growing walnuts. However, can anyone advise me as to where I may obtain green walnuts so we can pickle them?
We have never seen them for sale at any of the popular north American/Canadian grocery outlets.
Hi. just found your site and I love it! Some of your recipes remind me of my mom’s and your pickled walnuts is one of them. She is long gone now but oh how I remember her pickled walnuts.
I had the good fortune to visit a farm some months ago that had made them so I bought 4 jars. Tried one the other day, but unfortunately it was rock hard… they were made months ago, in season. The lady is now trouble shooting to see what went wrong. Would you have any ideas?
I’m into pickled walnuts. love them. I have even ”invented?” (probably been done before) a device that makes the pricking real easy. The comment about the walnut dye is a fantastic idea, to late for me this year but will save the brine next year and do this. . Thanks for that.
I don’t think you can call it fermenting when you add vinegar beforehand. This is more like a quick pickle recipe. I’d be interested in how a traditionally fermented walnut tasted
Hi Hank, thanks for the recipe, I’m trying my first batch of pickled walnuts now and am looking forward to the results. As someone who hates to waste anything, I decided to experiment with using the brine solution as a dye instead of throwing away. It has produced amazing results, a beautiful dark brown with a slightly golden hue. I’ve washed once and the colour has stayed true. I’m assuming the salt is acting as a fixative, although I have read that walnut dye doesn’t need a mordant.
this is an awesome article, I’m so thankful to have found it & the comments! Question: to save space could you slice after brining & can them sliced or is that not advisable?
Ashley: Yes, you can, but they run the risk of getting mushy. It doesn’t always happen, but sometimes they get too soft when sliced that way.
Awesome…Thank you Hank!
Thank you for clearing that up Hank.
Should I have boiled the salt brine first before soaking the walnuts? I ask because if I should’ve then I think I still have time to harvest some green walnuts.
Mike: You’re fine. You just need the salt dissolved.
Hi Hank!
Help clear things up for me please. So an I to boil the salt water brine then pour this over the green walnuts? I didn’t do this. I made a double batch and just let the salt devolve into the water. Will this be OK? Also, am I supposed to add the vinegar and spices to the salt brine and pickle the walnuts in this solution or throw out the salt brine and only brine using the vinegar and spice brine?
Thank you for clearing this up for me.
Michael: You toss the brine.
hi, any reason you can’t just slice them in two and pickle the halves?
thx,
terry engel
Terry: Not that I know of.
Hi,
first of all I’d like to thank you for the recipe! I found your blog a year ago when I was making my first pickled walnuts ever (but didn’t know how they’re going to turn out so never commented). This year I’m doing my second batch (they’re fermenting as I write this) and so I’m back again. But this time I have a few questions. If you would be so kind as to advice me I’d really appreciate it.
I usually do somewhere from 4-6 jars at a time. In my experience some of them turn black during this process and some don’t and stay green (I have my lids on). Last year I didn’t sun dry them as you recommend. I kept both the green and the black jars and as it turned out the black ones were great but the green ones were hard and pretty much raw as to the taste, not really edible. Is this how they are when they ferment just require the air/sun exposure?
And my second question concerns the vinegar solution. I didn’t use the brine, just the vinegar. It was ok though very strong. I can’t figure out whether to include the brine as well as I can’t tell from the description whether or not to do that. Would I mix all the brine with the vinegar, then boil it and then use whatever amount required?
Thanks,
Daniel
Daniel: You can add some of the brine to the final mix.
I recently made 2 batches of these from the same walnuts/same time. The brine of the ones I had in a bucket turned black. The walnuts I had in brine in a glass jar look the same as when I put them in. What could be the reason for this? Thanks!
Hanna: Oxygen. They turn black on contact with air.
Hi, I have a walnut tree that every year self-thins its tiny walnuts (the size of capers). This year there seem to be a lot of them so I was wondering if you know if and how to pickle these tiny walnuts. Would you prick each one? Brine them? Sun dry them? Let me know what think. Thanks
Hi, me again.
You sure? At first I was doubtfull because usually you don´t find pickle recipes that call only for vinegar, usually they dilute it with an equal part of water, more or less, and that´s why I asked you. But then I thought it could be too salty or the total liquid would be too much for the walnuts, and then I found other recipes that only use vinegar, sugar and spices for the final pickling process.
Right now my walnuts are sun bathing and getting a nice dark color.
Hi Susan,
Yes, it was around 12th December, probably a couple of weeks late as a small number of them had shell forming, but this in no way overshadows their deliciousness. You just peel the flesh off around the shelly bits.
Next year I will harvest late November (Southern hemi). I would suspect you would pick earlier in Sydney (lower latitude)…what do you think Hank?
Hi Hank,
When you say bring the remaining ingredients to a boil, is just the vinegar and the spices, or the brine too? And you pour it hot on the walnuts?
I tried doing this last year but it was too late.
I am like 200 miles straight south from Laredo, so maybe they develop earlier due to the warmer weather.
Today I picked 60 black (or Mexican, maybe) walnuts, about 1.5 inches in diameter, from a tree that is precocious, the other trees’ walnuts are just about 0.5 inches right now.
Gonna check for size and shell hardness in May and June, to find out the best time for harvest.
Can hardly wait for your book in Sept.
Ricardo: Yes, the brine, too. And Given how far south you are, I’d start checking soon. You are about 800 miles south of me in Sacramento, CA.
Chris & Margaret from Tassie,
I’m in Sydney and was just wondering when you picked the green walnuts? I’m assuming end November or early December??
As the English say: “Brilliant.” Since you can’t come by and hunt them for me in the city limits this is one of the few ways I can beat the squirrels to the walnuts!
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention in my last post: The pickling does something wonderful to these tree nuts. It makes them edible to kids with allergies — at least mine. My daughter has tree nut allergies, and has a very sensitive palette. Her tongue goes “spicy” when any trace of a tree nut hits it. No matter how delicious the cookie, she ditches it and goes for water, but she can down pickled walnuts like crazy : )
Great post. It’s exciting to see so many people trying this old, familiar recipe. I grew up (in Canada) with these pickled walnuts, but the no sugar kind. So, to Silvia: yes, feel free to skip the sugar. Cracked black pepper, allspice and ginger are the only spices necessary for a blend that will make you pucker — particularly great with cheese and crackers. Adding sugar, cloves and other extras makes the walnuts nicer for meats — more of a complex flavour. I’ve made them too late and you’ll get a layer of goodness, and then an inedible skin that you have to pick out, and then a great centre. That wasn’t a great year of picking; we harvested them too late! This year many of ours turned out too woody, and they are a bit woody throughout, not a picking-too-late-shell-formed problem. I have theories about why that I’ll test upon next pickling session. These latest “firmer” ones are good for different recipes. Also, I keep pickled walnuts for way longer than a year and I often use white vinegar because of my budget and big batches — and that’s just the way we’ve done it in my family.
This is Chris from Tassie again.
I left the walnuts in brine in the (warm) shed for one week, then refreshed the brine and put in a 17 degree (celcius) room for two weeks (I was on vacation). On my return, I put them in the scorching hot Australian sun for two days, they went black as night. I pickled them according to Hank’s recipe and they are truly amazing. Thanks for the recipe and procedure Hank.
I highly recommend this to anyone. I now have 20 jars of pickled walnuts and they go amazingly well with crackers, cheese and smoked mussels.
Thanks
Hi, i’m in New Zealand and at the point of removing my walnuts to blacken but its raining and set to do do for days! What shall i do? n
Heather: Put them in a garage. Air is more important than sun for this process.
Hi all,
Interested to read all the posts.
Chris is my walnut pickling partner (son) and I am a little ahead of him in that, while he is on holiday, I have finished the brining process and have now been drying the walnuts in the shed for 2 days and they have blackened evenly.
I note they are softening a little but still yield a little moisture when squeezed. I plan to leave them a couple more days before the final pickling. I’m getting a tiny bit excited and am loving comparing notes with Chris on the process.
Hello, I’m in Concord, CA, and 50 years ago I wouldn’t have had a problem finding perfect fruit for these, but I just heard of it the other day, and there aren’t any more walnut trees that I know of around here anymore. I may just have to dream about trying them someday, but in the event someday actually comes, do I really need the sugar? I had to stop eating it awhile back, and I don’t ever remember liking sweet pickles anyway. Thanks, you have a wonderful site here. Silva
Silva: There are tons and tons and tons of walnuts from the Delta throughout the Valley. So you’ll just need to drive. I’d look around the Delta parks. As for sugar, I wouldn’t eat these without it, but it’s up to you.
G’day Hank,
I’m writing from Tasmania, Australia.
Luckily we are right in the season for this and I have 8.5 kgs on the go, been in brine for about 5 days!!!
Next week (in 6 days), we will embark on a two week SUMMER holiday and I fear my timing was a bit dodgy. However, your recipe is the first one I have come across with a brine treatment of less than 14 days, which is promising for me.
Do you think the walnuts will be ok over this time:
a) kept in a fresh batch of brine at room temp
b) kept in a fresh batch of brine in the fridge
c) the whole lot left to pickle in a large container?
I am guessing putting into a large plastic drum to pickle at room temp is best solution, then jar up later??? Any problems with this?
What do you think?
Cheers mate.
Chris.
Chris: I think you should be fine at room temperature — if that temp is less than 23 degrees Celsius or so. If it’s going to be hotter, put them someplace cooler.
For those down under my optimal pick date is 30 November
Pick too late and you eat wood – pleasantly flavoured but still wood.
Pick too early and they won’t hold together to slice but still make good tapanade to have with crumbly feta or similar
Hello, new to pickled walnuts but my Englishman neighbor talks about pickling walnuts with his father. I thought I would give it a shot next year. Your recipe sounds straight forward…..my question is when serving you just take them out of jar and slice…you eat the outer layer and all not just walnut inside? Thanks for great information. I am hoping to find some English Bleu Cheese to go with the pickles, that is how his mom served it when he was a child.
Tracy: Yep. I serve the whole thing. Some people pick off the think outer layer, though.
I feared that, Hank.
I picked the rest of the walnuts today so will probably have to eat them at Christmas as nuts.
I shall put “Pick Walnuts” in my 2016 diary for mid June. Tree will be a bit bigger by then; any ideas how to get up in the tree to pick them other than a ladder or climbing the tree? But I noticed today that the branches seem to break off easily.
I will buy pickled walnuts as presents for my family for Christmas!
Tony
Hi, here in Sussex, England, regularly every year the grey squirrels get to the nuts before I do and strip the tree bare! So today I went and picked all the green walnuts reachable and will take a ladder tomorrow to pick the rest. However, this is mid September and could mean that the shell has hardened; have yet to prick them. Is ther3e any way I can still pickle them if they have a shell hardening inside? eg, can the hull outside be pickled? You see I have the problem of no nuts because of the squirrels or waiting again til next year, June, when I tend to forget when the weather is nice for sailing! S’pose I could just go out and buy a jar!
Tony: Sorry, you are out of luck. You need to make these in early June.
Hi. I’m making these to sell at my local Farmers Market and have loads of interest in them. I’ve finished the brining and currently have them drying out. How dry should they be before they are ready to be put into jars? They are on Day 2 of drying. Want to get it right as i have almost 15kg to jar up! Thanks
Ray: Huh. I’ve never heard of anyone making pickled walnuts in August. Have you tried one yet?
Must you pick the walnuts off the tree or can you use fallen green nuts? On the tree will be the ones that ripen, the falls are discarded by the tree. Which do you use? Next season…
Barb: I pick off the tree.
Thanks so much for the information. Here in Minnesota, I’m almost to day 8 of fermenting in the brine and have a few questions for the next step. Any reason I couldn’t pack into pint or half gallon jars (I only have 12 quart jars on hand and estimate I would need more like 16). Also, being new to pickling, do the jars need to seal airtight or can I use spent (pre used) lids for this? Should I need to water bath or just wet new lids with a boiling fill? Lastly, our cold cellar will stay well below 70 but does tend to be a bit humid this time of year. Any particular concerns there with respect to pickling? Thanks in advance for any further pointers.
Nathan: Yep, you can use smaller jars and yes, just use pre used lids. If you keep everything in the basement, you should be fine.
Hank,
My dad made some recently and they are excellent! Ate them as part of an Antipasto dish and were great on the cheese, cracker, meat medley. Also had them a top a grilled NY steak with melted blue cheese crumbles and they went really well together. Thanks for the old world recipe.
Guy
I am making these now after years of wanting to try them – I finally got the timing right with the trees.
I set them outside in the sun on a dark cookie sheet, and it’s an extremely hot summer here. I went back to check them and the sheet was very hot, and some of the walnuts were cooked and turned mush when I packed them into jars!
I wonder if I had just left them on the counter for the day, or even in the shade, if they would have blackened up fine. As it is, I think the final texture will be soft, but the flavor good. Even the brine-only walnuts were pretty tasty. Remind me of salt cured black olives.
Kate: oh no! Yes, they need sun in England, but not in hot places. I just put them out on a sunny counter indoors. Bummer. You can put the mushy ones in a food processor and make a sort of tapenade out of them.
Hi Hank, you mentioned mold is fine, I just wondered to what degree… after 6 days in brine, the whole surface of my brine was covered in a bounty of white, brown and blueish grey molds. 😛 I’d love to send you a picture…
I think what happened is the water level dropped a smidge, so all the tops of the walnuts sticking out of the brine grew mold. I scraped the mold off as best I could per your advice, but I know there are still lots of fragments in there.
My question is: does the rest of the pickling process (vinegar etc) kill off any mold that would be harmful? Still a usable batch, do you think?
Many thanks for all your recipes and responses.
Lincoln: Oh, that’s not ideal. I’d discard the walnuts that broke the surface of the water, and add more pure brine of the same strength (1/4 cup kosher salt to 1 quart water) Yes, the pickling process will kill most of the molds. You should do your best to skim them off, too.
Hi Hank, thanks for your experiences – love the photos and your writing. I have young, tender, black walnuts sitting in brine now, but as I was eager to see what it tastes like, I went to the local British store (I’m in Ontario, Canada) and picked up an “authentic” jar of “Opies Pickled Walnuts in Malt Vinegar.” Just have the right stuff on hand, I sliced some old cheese up and then went on to the walnuts – excitement! What a let-down. Opies pickled walnuts are mushy, slimey and very sweet-sour. I couldn’t even pick up a trace of that julone-laced lemony-walnut scent that is so telling of black walnuts. Chances are, they were regular walnuts. But the texture was off-putting. Were your crisp, or at least somewhat firm? …I hope?
Jennie: Pickled walnuts are never firm, alas. They always get soft.
I’ve saved this recipe from when you posted it last year. My brine is coming to a boil this very minute. Subbed Cambodian red pepper for the black and juniper berries for the allspice. Can’t wait for the end of July…
I’m trying this now after being to late last year. I started the soak but after 4 days, mold developed on the top if the water, what am I doing wrong? Also thought about trying with butternut but I am curious about the sticky outer hull?
Shannon: Mold is fine. Just skim it off. Never tried it with a butternut, though, as they don’t grow in California.
I’m a Canadian living in Cyprus. Here they only know to make the sweet version of black walnut preserves, a fantastic ‘spoon sweet’ traditionally served to visitors. But I remembered having the vinegary version on a cruise ship as a teenager and last year tried to make some, with reasonable success but not very attractive in taste like you describe as I only stored them in vinegar-salt solution. Reading your site I have now learned to blacken the walnuts in the sun to make them more uniform and will also add the spices etc.
Here in Cyprus they prepare the walnuts by peeling a thin layer of skin off then soak the fruit in water every day changing the water daily for 8 days. This removes the bitterness. That is what I did last year, but now I will try the method you stated of using the whole fruits, hull and all. The time to pick the green walnuts in Cyprus is at the beginning of June. There was actually a walnut festival last week-end in Lefke, where the walnut trees grow.
I’ve been waiting since trying the walnuts a year ago. We went down to the bike trail this afternoon and picked enough for pickling and Nocino. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Hank,
Apologies for the late reply. Yes, as Lisette said, I’m in Sydney, OZ. I remember when I picked them they were soft (I tested them with my teeth, I know, it wasn’t a wise/tasty move). I left them in a plastic bag for about a week and I think the shell must have hardened as a result. Anyhow, I brined them too, hopeful, but the shell was too hard and tooth-picky. I picked them just after Xmas. Will remember to do it earlier this year if I can. I really like Sylvienne’s pickled Macadamia idea! Thanks for such a great/inspiring blog Hank. Best wishes.
Down here in NZL we have a few trees of a specific macadamia variety that Mr Possum is ravaging so I decided to try pickling. Possum doesn’t bother with the other trees on our orchard. As you know macadamias are very hard to crack but 6 months before harvest I’ve been able to pierce the outer husk with the fork and in some cases go right through the nut. I put them in brine yesterday and am waiting out the 8 days now but would love any advice you can give me. I couldn’t find a recipe for pickled macadamia nuts anywhere. I assume I won’t have to put them out to dry – just pickle them. Please let me know if I should dry them first. Sylvienne
I have just finished brining mine, we’ll be putting them out to dry for the couple of days very shortly – I think we might have been a bit late so we’ll try for earlier next year, in late November or Early December. My fiancee, who gave me the idea, is extremely excited. I imagine Padaek, like me, is in the southern Hemisphere where is is currently summer, Hank.
Hi Hank,
I’m in the process of making this, but I think the shell of my walnuts might be too tough for it to work properly. I have a pic of it on my site and on my Instagram account. Do you think that it will still work ok? Also, what do you think of a second/new round of brine solution before drying/pickling? Many thanks. ????
Padaek: Um, where the hell are you where you are trying this in January!?!?
I live in Tennessee, between Chattanooga and Knoxville. I have
a black walnut tree in my yard. When are they ready to pick
for pickling. I have a reminder on my phone for June 1, 2015.
Would that be right. I never heard of pickled walnuts, but they
sound very interesting. I like interesting when it comes to cooking.
I was going to try to make the nocino next year.
Margo: Start looking in mid-May, in case it’s early. But early June is traditional…
I made these earlier this year, after reading your recipe. I opened a jar last night to try one. The flavor was amazing, but the texture was really woody. I sliced it thin, as you show in your picture. Still, it was woody. I described it to my husband as “It’s like eating a really delicious toothpick”. Maybe I just didn’t wait long enough? What is the texture like when this is done properly? Having never eaten this before, I’m not sure what to shoot for.
Oh, bummer! That means you picked your walnuts too late. The inner shell had already begun to form. Here’s what you can do to try to save it: Blitz them all in a blender and strain it to make a sauce a lot like A1 Steak Sauce. Or you can chop it and make it into a chutney.
I finally remembered to do this thanks to your timely post. They looked so fascinating getting all dark and murky that I couldn’t wait to crack into a jar early. The steak sauce flavor was amazing – seriously why is this not better known?
But, I found the texture a little scratchy & odd. Is that just because I was impatient and will it get softer as the walnuts age? I sure hope so, because this stuff is fantastic.
Thanks for the chutney idea too Eric, I’ll be giving that a go soon.
I think so. I typically wait until autumn to eat mine, so they age a solid 5 to 6 months before I open them up.
No need to seal the jars? Like you would something pickled if you wanted to leave it on they shelf?
I don’t. They’re pretty well fermented and pickled the way they are.
I made these with an aunt of mine over the past 2 weeks in Dixon, similar recipe with great results! We had seen all the walnuts on the trees across the street in the park and had been playing with green almonds earlier in the spring.
We were blown away by the transformation of the walnuts and the taste of the finished product, amazing! We have quickly pulsing the walnuts and pickling liquid to make a nice chutney and it’s been great on everything we tried, from steak, to goat cheese to turkey sandwiches! We made 10 quarts, next year we are going for many many more. Well worth the time.
They sound good, but is this really a higher calling for green walnuts than nocino?
I like nocino, too, but there are a few other things you can do with green walnuts. 😉
Will this work with Eastern Black Walnuts? The hulls are so pungent and staining I can’t really imagine eating them.
It will, but if you don’t like the aroma of the walnut, you might not like this. One of the main high points of pickled walnuts is that aroma.
My cousin you met in WI tells me that there is another method, i.e. poking a lot small holes in green walnuts with an awl or good sized needle and then doing the brining bit. Leaves them whole until it comes time to use them
Do these stain your hands or mouth the way ripe ones do?
Yep. That’s what I recommend gloves in the recipe.
thanks for this- always wondered, but never got around to experimenting enough to do it. Now that you’ve done it, i have to give it a try!
Adam: I don’t, because my neighbors are from Puglia and they make it for me. 😎
Hank
Have you tried making nocino with them? I was hoping to order some this year (one of a select few moments I am nostalgic for my old home in Dallas that had some nearby black walnut trees) to try that out. Thank you for giving me an additional idea.
Marshall: It’s no biggie. Just open the jars every day.
Ryan: I use Diamond Crystal salt.
Karen: I don’t think so, although I bet you can do it with butternuts. Pecans and other hickories have a hard outer hull, where the hulls of walnuts and butternuts are much softer.
This looks delicious, and I can’t wait to try it! We live in an area which is loaded with black walnuts. Can you also do this with other nuts, like pecans?
Which kosher salt do you use, or more to the point what concentration of brine are you using?
Been looking forward to this one Hank. Question: When the fermentation is occuring I’m assuming gas is being let off the brine. If that’s the case (like it is with, say, pickled carrots), what do you use to hold the walnuts under the liquid and how do you let that escaped air out of the container? Thought being if you actually close a lid on top of the container it might explode or something.
Thanks.