Experienced walnut growers closely monitor the ripening process of walnuts and begin harvesting with the first signs of ripeness.
In households, often, everyone waits for the nut to separate from the pericarp and fall to the ground, and only then is the crop harvested. In large gardens, ripe green walnuts are harvested in order to send them as quickly as possible for drying and splitting or sale.
What gives the collection of walnuts in a green pericarp:
- prevents darkening of the kernel;
- quick collection and sale of nuts, without cleaning, drying and processing;
- start of processing earlier than competitors;
- prevention of theft if the nut grows in a summer cottage or unguarded territory.
When picking a nut in a green pericarp, it is important to clearly understand that the nut is already ripe. Collecting green, unripe walnut threatens to deteriorate its quality, especially if stored improperly. Such a nut has an underdeveloped kernel, which dries out over time, darkens and is no longer suitable for processing and, moreover, for sale.
The main signs of nut ripeness:
- The first and main sign of a ripe walnut is a cracked green pericarp. This means that the nut is ready for harvest.
- Another rather important feature is the color of the leaves – if they start to turn yellow, then the nuts have already begun to ripen (except in cases of tree diseases).
- It is important to consider what kind of nuts you are growing, in which region and during what period the tree blooms. Nuts that bloom in spring ripen in late August to mid September. Those nuts that bloom in June begin to ripen from the second half of September. In the southern regions, nut ripening occurs earlier.
- A ripe walnut has a hard shell under a green peel, which protects the kernel well, the partitions inside the walnut are brown. The kernel of the walnut is still moist and has a significant weight.
- It is important to collect nuts on time. If you wait until the green peel begins to crack massively and the nuts fall to the ground, rodents and birds will damage and take away the crop.
- The longer the nut is in the pericarp, the more iodine and juglone seep into it. These are the very substances that get your hands dirty. It is especially important to clear the nut from the pericarp, which has begun to darken.
Households wait for the nut to fall off the tree by itself and the green peel begins to separate from the nut by itself. The crop is harvested and left in rooms for ripening until the pericarp itself falls off. In other cases, they resort to manual or automatic cleaning. Automatic washing with a cleaner completely removes green peels, iodine and dirt from the walnut. Additional soaking to remove iodine and juglone is unnecessary and even harmful – the nut can become saturated with excess moisture and mold.
After cleaning, the nut is sent for drying. This can be natural drying or using drying plants.
You need to start harvesting walnuts based on the degree of maturity of the walnut, working conditions and opportunities. Too early picking of nuts affects the quality of the kernel and its safety, and too late – on the color of the kernel, animals and thieves can steal the crop, insects and diseases can attack it.
How do you determine the ripeness of a walnut and when do you start harvesting? Share in the comments, ask questions.