It’s time to collect black walnuts! The black walnut tree (Juglans nigra) is native to eastern North America. The outer husk of the nut is the source of dye. The colorant is juglone. It is a direct dye, which means that no mordant is necessary when used with a protein fiber. There are some tannins in the husk but that is very secondary to the strong juglone. I have not found a better dye to achieve a rich, fast, brown on protein fibers. Cellulose may be dyed as well, but that requires a mordant.
The best time to gather the nuts is when they are still green: newly fallen or ready to fall off the tree. If the nuts rot and turn black on the ground the dye will be damaged. I preserve the fresh nuts in the freezer for year round dyeing.
I have experimented with drying the nuts carefully on racks to prevent rotting. When I compared these dried nuts to fresh/frozen walnuts in the dyebath it was clear that they contain far less dye. On the other hand, drying may be a practical solution.
Walnut has been cooked long enough to split open the exocarp or outer skin
Fresh and dried walnuts and the actual “nut” inside the fruit
I have learned that the secret to dyeing with black walnut is slow dyeing and lots of patience. I put the entire nut(s) in a mesh bag (fresh or dry), cover with water and simmer until the outer skin (the exocarp) breaks open, releasing the soft husk underneath which contains the dye. Then I cool the bath a bit, add the fiber, leaving the entire nut in the bath (in the mesh bag) during the entire dyeing process. The mesh keeps the fiber clean. I heat the dyebath slowly and leave it for a long time. There were many occasions that I was disappointed in walnut dye, only to finally learn that it takes TIME.I still have to resist the temptation to add more walnut to the bath during the first hour of dyeing, remembering that the dye will get darker with a longer bath.
My typical approach to dyeing with walnuts is to grab a handful of them, making a good “guess” as to how many I need. I decided to approach the dyeing more scientifically in order to control the color and know how many walnuts were actually required to obtain the color I wanted.
A fresh walnut weighs about 90 grams. A dry walnut weighs about 30 grams. The dry nutcontains a lot less water and now I know that it also contains a lot less dye.
The nut inside the husk (this is the not the dye) = approx. 20 g
Afresh nut contains approx. 70 g of walnut dye material
A dry nut contains approx.10 g of walnut dye material.
I now calculate about one fresh/frozen nut per 20 grams of fiber (or about 350% w.o.f.). If I amusing dry walnuts I will double that amount, at least. Many more dry walnuts will be required to achieve the same color as the fresh walnuts.
Black walnuts are a most versatile dye.The presence of tannin meansthat the color can be dulled and deepened with an afterbath of ferrousbut when dyed over a deep indigo, a near black color can be achieved on wool or silk without the use of any mordant.
Catharine’s new edition of Woven Shibori, focused on natural dye, is available from local booksellers or Amazon.com
The best time to harvest these black walnuts is from late September to October for most of the United States. Ryan picks a bucket full just from the ground. The husked nuts are about two inches in diameter. The nut inside is also more round, while the nuts on its butternut tree cousin are more egg-shaped and smaller.
Encased in a thick green husk, ripe black walnuts begin falling from the large, high-branched trees in September and October. Be ready to race the squirrels when it's time to harvest walnuts. The hefty nuts can dent cars as they fall off the tree and may leave black stains on hard surfaces.
“Black walnuts are ready to be harvested when the hull can be dented with your thumb,” Upham said. “You can also wait until the nuts start falling from the tree.”
Collection time for walnuts begins late September to early October. Harvest black walnuts as soon as the outer husk softens, but is still green. The best quality nutmeat is light in color and milder in flavor. If you can leave a finger depression in the husk, the nut is mature.
After washing and sorting, allow the nuts to dry for two or three weeks. An excellent way to dry nuts is on a wire screen. Spread the nuts in shallow layers (no more than three nuts deep)and dry them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. A shed or garage is usually a good place to dry walnuts.
Although foraged black walnuts are free, there is a lot of time and labor involved with shelling, cleaning, curing, and cracking the nuts. It is worth the effort when you taste them though. Black walnuts have a much bolder walnut flavor than the ones you purchase in the store.
Black walnuts can be enjoyed raw and have an interestingly sweet and earthy taste to them that goes great on top of desserts, such as ice cream or cupcakes. They can also be dipped in a sugar syrup and enjoyed as a candy or ground to a meal and made into a flour.
Purely from a theoretical standpoint, the best time to prune Black Walnut is in the dormant season. That said, there are no commonly known issues (insect or diseases) with pruning during the growing season. We prune them whenever the saw is sharp.
Ethnobotanic: The bark of black walnut was used by many native groups, including the Cherokee, in tea as a laxative and chewed for toothaches. Caution: Bark should be used cautiously in medicine, because it is poisonous. The Cherokee also ate the fruit of the black walnut.
Doctors generally consider black walnuts safe when people eat them in small amounts or take them as a supplement on a short-term basis. Doctors do not know the long-term effects of taking black walnut supplements.
Despite that pulpy covering and the hard shell around the nut kernels, they are a useful food for squirrels as well as raccoons, turkeys and bears. Like many nuts, the walnut provides protein, carbohydrates and fat, necessary for storing energy for those animals that hibernate.
For a few years now I've been using the tried and true method of cracking black walnuts that Sam Thayer taught me, and it works well. I crack the nuts with a hammer in a basalt mortar (molcajete) or on a large field stone in the backyard, using a metal snips to spot-treat tough portions to reveal the nut meats.
Omega-3 fatty acids, known for their heart-healthy properties, are more readily absorbed when walnuts are soaked, boosting cardiovascular benefits. Antioxidants become more available, helping to combat oxidative stress and inflammation, while vitamins and minerals contribute to improved overall wellness.
People use the outer covering of the nut (the hull) to make medicine. Black walnut is used to treat parasitic worm infections and certain other infections including diphtheria and syphilis. It is also used for leukemia.
Black walnuts have two uses: the hull can be used to make ink, and the nut can be roasted and used in all sorts of baked goods as well as in salads. How to tell when black walnuts are ready to harvest: When the husk is brown, is cracked, gives in to pressure, or peels away easily from the nut inside.
Sometimes nut-bearing trees, such as hickory, walnut, and pecan, drop their fruit before full maturity. At times, it can be a natural shedding of a portion of the nut crop. Other causes can be more problematic, including adverse weather conditions, poor tree health, inadequate pollination, insects, and disease.
Tap when the days start getting above freezing, but the nights are still below. This happens in southwest Wisconsin in February or March, at the end of Winter when there's still snow on the ground. Once the trees get their leaves in early Spring, it's too late.
Introduction: My name is Gregorio Kreiger, I am a tender, brainy, enthusiastic, combative, agreeable, gentle, gentle person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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