The Art (Science) of Cracking the Black Walnut

The black walnut is one of the most popular nuts around. It's also one of the most difficult to crack. 

And don't even think about buying shelled black walnuts unless you are prepared to cash in your 401K. O.k., that was a bit of an exagerration but you can save some serious dough by harvesting and cracking your own black walnuts, instead of buying them in a local grocery store.  On the other hand, you can also make some serious money by harvesting and shelling black walnuts.  So today, we will share a few nut cracking tips that are sure to do you some good. 

This article is focused on cracking black walnuts - not harvesting as a whole. Click on the following link if you would like an overview on how to harvest black walnuts.  So we assume that you have already picked your black walnuts off a tree (or off the ground).  We also assume that you have gone through the arduous taks of removing the husks. So now comes the fun part - nut cracking!

 

Get Crackin Black Walnut Cracking Machine

Now unless you absolutely love the challegne of cracking black walnuts and do not mind spending the time do it, we recommend one of a number of black walnut cracking machines.  The black walnut cracking machines available on the market make cracking black walnuts easty and straightfoward.  And it is really good to know that these machines come in a wide variety of prices and they share one great commonality: the do a remarkable job of cracking black walnut. If you need a commercial grade black walnut cracker, there is the Drill Cracker black walnut cracking machine. Or if you do not have a need for speed, you will find the Master Cracker or the Get Crackin' black walnut cracker more than sufficient to meet your needs. 

If, however, you are one of those folks who simply adore doing things the hard (and inefficient) way you can use a vise. Be prepared to spend a great deal of time, though. Using a mounted vise is possible but you will need some muscles and patience.

Published on  August 23rd, 2017