black walnuts

A neighbor had a dozen large bags of raw black walnuts free for the taking, so I took one home.  They are a lot of work.  The fruit are like rotting tennis balls, a thick, fabric-like flesh surrounding the walnut.  Step one is peeling off that skin - rubber gloves are a must, as the walnuts contain a dye that will stain your hands for days afterwards

Once the nuts are cleaned (this only represents about 1/3 of them - all I had patience for tonight)

you rinse them and cure them for a few weeks.  I will post a follow-up when I get down to opening them up with a hammer and wire cutters!