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Post by raporter1 on Sept 28, 2005 17:52:34 GMT -5
Does anyone on here gather and eat hickory nuts. With the squirrel population way down this year and nuts everywhere we went out and gathered a bunch today and plan on getting lots more. I like them in cookies and they do make a great pie.
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Post by duff on Sept 28, 2005 20:42:45 GMT -5
I got about 5 gallon of shagbark nuts without the hulls for my dad last year. Never knew if he at them or not. What is the best way to get the meat out, they are some rough shells.
The woods in Frankton is usually loaded with them but I had to hunt for a few the other day. I just planted them in my yard to see if they will sprout along with a pocket full of acorns.
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Post by raporter1 on Sept 28, 2005 21:25:44 GMT -5
Duff if there is an easier way than a hammer and a nut pick I would sure like to find out.
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Post by mbogo on Sept 29, 2005 6:38:36 GMT -5
Add another vote for a hammer! I would also add that they need to be hulled very soon after collection otherwise you will likely have a problem with grubs.
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Post by hornharvester on Sept 29, 2005 10:04:39 GMT -5
Most of the wild hickory nuts ive ever fooled with had worms in them. i had to sort threw a bunch in order to find a few that didnt so i gave up. h.h.
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Post by duff on Sept 29, 2005 10:10:05 GMT -5
Dad shells black wallnuts with a jerry rigged C-clamp fashioned in a wooden crate and some other pieces so all he does is drop the nut in crank the handle a couple times, the nut falls into the container and he repeats the process, till he is tired. He does it while sitting on the porch watching TV. It is a pretty good techinque, but time consuming. You could slip a sleeve over the handle to give some torque if needed. Then once he has a bucket full or when he is tired he will pick the meat out. The C-clamp is a beefy one, works sort of like a hydralic wood splitter I guess. If you were a machinist or could fabricate it, a wedge on the end of the C-clamp with a box to hold the nut while whole and open bottom so once split would let the pieces fall through would be pretty cool, but a bit unnecessary I guess.
I told him he needs to think of a technique where he can crack several at a time. Sort of like a home cider press. Not sure how that would work with black wallnuts and hickory nuts. They are some tough bugers.
I might take a bucket with me this weekend and really gather some hickory nuts and give a go at shelling them.
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Post by raporter1 on Sept 29, 2005 17:23:39 GMT -5
Most of the wild hickory nuts ive ever fooled with had worms in them. i had to sort threw a bunch in order to find a few that didnt so i gave up. h.h. Those are some of the best ice fishing baits you can find. Bayou Bill has been writing about them for years. Not sure how they taste though .
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Sept 30, 2005 10:14:08 GMT -5
Vice & bucket.
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Post by firemanphob on Oct 7, 2005 19:52:20 GMT -5
Has anyone ever froze hickory nuts or Walnuts? Could this keep them better until time to hull out. Also, I have gathered quite a few chestnuts and was wondering about freezing them to keep them from drying out too much. Any information appreciated. Mike
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Post by raporter1 on Oct 7, 2005 20:29:54 GMT -5
Never tried freezing them in the hull but do freeze shelled nuts.
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