What to do with all these walnuts

[Spinach]

I have a huge walnut tree in front of my house. Today a friend climbed up in it and shook it, causing TONS of walnuts to come raining down. The kids were giddy. They ran around filling their bags. We ended up with 7-8 kilos (with more still in the tree).

The kids are in the mud room now, breaking them all open with rocks. I'd prefer to put them in a box and use them throughout the winter, but they're having so much fun that I've decided to let them be.

They have asked that I make something yummy with them. I thought about a glazed walnut cake.

But I'm open to many suggestions. What yummy item would you make with a bunch of walnuts?

 

[kyredneck]

.....The kids were giddy. They ran around filling their bags.........The kids are in the mud room now, breaking them all open with rocks. ....... they're having so much fun that I've decided to let them be.

...hehe...that's so cool, IMO the walnuts have already served their purpose well. Me and my family were big time foragers and it always tickled me to watch our little girls get so enthused over nuts or shrooms or persimmons or fox grapes or sour cherries or wild asparagus or bluegill fishing......etc. Those are some of our best memories.

I assume since you use metric weight that you're not in the States and the walnuts are not the Black Walnut that's native to KY, but are most likely the English or Carpathian Walnut.

A walnut cake sounds great, but heck, if the kids are enjoying them as is, let um have at it. The nuts would also be good in chocolate drop oatmeal cookies.....um, um, um...My only comment there is that the nuts would sweeten up a lot if you spread them out and let them cure in a dry place for a couple weeks. They are much better cured than 'green'. You all shaking them off the tree tells me they could use some curing.

 

[BigBossman]

I can totally understand how those kids feel. My grandparents used to have a pecan tree in their front yard. I used to go out & pick the pecans & eat them. I would love nothing more than have a whole bag full & just sit around all day cracking them open with a nutcracker & eating them.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Are the walnuts .....

English walnuts

or

American Black walnuts?

Black walnuts are wonderful in cakes.

 

[Jim1999]

Put them on strings and play conkers with them! That's what we used Horse Chestnuts for.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[just-want-peace]

Put them on strings and play conkers with them! That's what we used Horse Chestnuts for.

Cheers,

Jim

bolded mine

I'm afraid to ask--------????!!!!:tongue3:

Well, did the ADULTS approve???

 

[Jim1999]

I'll try to explain conkers....Drill a hole through the chestnut, about two feet long. Then each player holds the chestnut up by the string and hanging straight down. The other players swings his chestnut down upon the opponents chesnut trying to break it from the string. First to loose the other's chestnut wins........Conkers! (Also another name for chestnuts)

Cheers,

Jim

I found this photo....http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/kids/images/conkers/conkers_string_270.jpg

 

[Spinach]

I don't know what variety they are---whatever grows in Eastern Europe.

My kids are spoiled rotten with all the trees/vines in our yard. I have given them free reign (ir is it rein?) of the Mulberry trees, figs, walnuts, quince and wild grapes. The other fruit/nut trees and vines are mine until I'm done with them. Our trees/vines include grapes, raspberries, sour cherry, sweet cherry, apple, plum, and hazelnut. You can almost always find a child up in a tree, snacking on whatever is ripe at the time.

At this time of year, I wonder if a spiced bundt cake with glazed walnuts would be good.

 

[SaggyWoman]

Save them for the Christmas parade and throw them off your float.

 

[donnA]

freeze them for later use, gives you time to figure out what you want to use them for.