How to eat hickory nuts?

[7acres]

Fortunately I transitioned to 100% work from home last year and this morning I have been participating in a conference call on my front porch. All during the call I watched dozens of green hickory nuts falling from one of the trees. Thud... thud... thud... In years past I tried cracking open a hickory nut because I heard they were edible.

But when I got it cracked open the meat was thin and pithy. Nothing I would call edible. If there's a trick to it I'd love to collect up all these hickory nuts and work up a little snack. Can anybody here explain to me how to process hickory nuts to eat?

 

[Longstreet]

The ones sold in stores are from varieties specifically selected for producing large fruits. Your tree just doesn't have the genetics to make a suitable nut for eating. My hickory tree is the same way - more shell than fruit.

 

[7acres]

Ahhh. Okay, that makes sense. I went out and collected a bag of them hoping to eat them. I guess I can keep these to germinate for some firewood in a hundred years

 

[bhildreth]

Depends on the hickory nut. We have some shagbark here on the property and I get plenty of nuts from them each year and they are delicious. Tastes a little like maple syrup.

 

[TedyOH]

Those look like shagbark nuts.....around here they do not fall this early, more towards Sept - Oct. Yours look so green that the squirrels couldn't even get through the shell yet.....when they do fall around here the outer shell is more brownish in color and the shell can be removed by hand, those nuts do not look ripe to me. They are a major PITA to clean but I think it's worth the work, (if you're bored). There's some youtube videos on how to remove the meat, explains on where exactly to hit the inner shell to crack it in the right spot so you can extract as much as possible.

 

[JBinKC]

Similar to a pecan the green husk needs to split open on the tree for the nuts to be fully developed Those nuts likely are not developed.

A good test is to put a dried husked nut in water and those that fall to the bottom are developed kernels.

My opinion only I only think hickory nuts are worth the effort with shellbark trees given the very large size of the nut. The thick shells and the challenge of getting the nut out of the shell intact is a slow frustrating process

 

[7acres]

Those look like shagbark nuts.....around here they do not fall this early, more towards Sept - Oct. Yours look so green that the squirrels couldn't even get through the shell yet.....when they do fall around here the outer shell is more brownish in color and the shell can be removed by hand, those nuts do not look ripe to me. They are a major PITA to clean but I think it's worth the work, (if you're bored). There's some youtube videos on how to remove the meat, explains on where exactly to hit the inner shell to crack it in the right spot so you can extract as much as possible.

I sliced a couple open and they definitely are not ripe. As I was collecting them off the ground a family of squirrels was above me raining them down around me. Almost all of them had a few bites out of the outer hull. I was wondering why squirrels would partially nibble all the hulls. The only thing I could figure was that the nut was securely attached to the tree and it took a few tugs with the teeth sunk into the hull, tearing out chunks of the hull, before they would release. I have no idea though.

My son went out after me and brought back a couple handfuls he got from a different hickory tree. The ones he found were about half the size of the ones I got.

Here's a good video I found on the process.

 

[Chap]

Yeah as you mentioned those nuts are far from ripe yet. We still have a bit of time down here in SC before the ripe one will be ready. I've noticed a lot of the same green nuts on the ground at my place also. Not sure if it has to do with the drought we were having, maybe trees dropping some of the nuts early due to lack of rain? I do remember last year, at the place we rented before I moved out to our farm, that the squirrels were doing the same thing with our pecan trees. Pulling nuts off, taking a bite, and then dropping them. I would have sworn they were sometimes aiming for my head.

 

[Longstreet]

OP, can you confirm which type of hickory you have? Given your location, it is most likely mockernut, but we would need to know for certain. If it is, even when they ripen they aren't worth the hassle. Look up where the nickname mockernut comes from for your answer...

 

[DBoon]

Those are definitely Shagbark Hickory nuts. The green outer husk will fall off when the nut is ripe, and if they are falling off the tree with the husk tight the shell, they are not ripe. Likely, the tree is just shedding some of the unfertilized nuts early to put its energy into the fertilized nuts. If the squirrels are in the trees now, you'll have to be vigilant when the rest of the nuts ripen.

To get to the nutmeat, you'll need a special nutcracker to get through the tough shell, something like this (broken link removed to https://www.lehmans.com/product/steel-nutcracker/choppers-cutters?) I have something similar that has high leverage and a sharp blade to split the nut open. If you aren't spending at least $25 on the nut cracker, it will just bend and break when you try to crack the nuts. You might be tempted to use a hammer, but you'll probably obliterate and crush more nutmeat than you'll harvest, and the nuts will end up all over the place. Once you crack the nut open, then you'll need a nut pick to get them out, and it will take a lot of time. The nut meat is pretty well ingrained in the shell structure - they aren't like English Walnuts which just fall out of the shell.

The nuts do have a great maple syrupy flavor, but without the sweetness. They are great in chocolate chip cookies. They are worth the effort.

 

[7acres]

Those are definitely Shagbark Hickory nuts. The green outer husk will fall off when the nut is ripe, and if they are falling off the tree with the husk tight the shell, they are not ripe. Likely, the tree is just shedding some of the unfertilized nuts early to put its energy into the fertilized nuts. If the squirrels are in the trees now, you'll have to be vigilant when the rest of the nuts ripen.

To get to the nutmeat, you'll need a special nutcracker to get through the tough shell, something like this (broken link removed to https://www.lehmans.com/product/steel-nutcracker/choppers-cutters?) I have something similar that has high leverage and a sharp blade to split the nut open. If you aren't spending at least $25 on the nut cracker, it will just bend and break when you try to crack the nuts. You might be tempted to use a hammer, but you'll probably obliterate and crush more nutmeat than you'll harvest, and the nuts will end up all over the place. Once you crack the nut open, then you'll need a nut pick to get them out, and it will take a lot of time. The nut meat is pretty well ingrained in the shell structure - they aren't like English Walnuts which just fall out of the shell.

The nuts do have a great maple syrupy flavor, but without the sweetness. They are great in chocolate chip cookies. They are worth the effort.

Wow! That steel nutcracker is awesome. You're right about being vigilant to get a few nuts. These squirrels don't leave many behind.

 

[DBoon]

These squirrels don't leave many behind.

And unfortunately, many of the nuts they leave behind are empty shells (unfertilized). If, after removing the outer husks, you float the nuts before cracking them, you'll find all the unfertilized empty nuts floating in the water. The fertilized nuts will sink. Just crack the fertilized nuts.

 

[dafattkidd]

I took down a hickory tree in my backyard a few years ago. I hated that damn tree. It drop those damn useless nuts all over my backyard. One fell right on my sons head when he was like three years old. I was glad to take that tree down and rid myself of its annoyances. It also hung too low in my neighbors yard, held its leaves the longest in fall and blocked all sunlight in my small backyard. I kept the wood to burn, because according to all sources hickory is a great hardwood to burn- but it was a hitch to split and for some inexplicable reason it doesn't burn like a true hardwood. Even in death that friggin giant weed gives me headaches. I can't wait to get it out of my pile and fill that rack with some respectable oak or locust.

 

[7acres]

I took down a hickory tree in my backyard a few years ago. I hated that damn tree. It drop those damn useless nuts all over my backyard. One fell right on my sons head when he was like three years old. I was glad to take that tree down and rid myself of its annoyances. It also hung too low in my neighbors yard, held its leaves the longest in fall and blocked all sunlight in my small backyard. I kept the wood to burn, because according to all sources hickory is a great hardwood to burn- but it was a hitch to split and for some inexplicable reason it doesn't burn like a true hardwood. Even in death that friggin giant weed gives me headaches. I can't wait to get it out of my pile and fill that rack with some respectable oak or locust.

Dude! You were quite traumatized be that hickory. I love my tall majestic hickories!

 

[dafattkidd]

Dude! You were quite traumatized be that hickory. I love my tall majestic hickories!

Ha! My next door neighbor is an old time wood burner. He hated that tree, too. I'm telling you, that tree was the worst.

 

[xman23]

Depends on the hickory nut. We have some shagbark here on the property and I get plenty of nuts from them each year and they are delicious. Tastes a little like maple syrup.

Really, I have a few shagbark hickory up on the mountain out back. I'll be watching for the nuts.