10 lbs. BLACK WALNUTS in the shell - Fall 2024 crop

Description: 10 lbs. BLACK WALNUTS in the shell - Fall 2024 crop – our famous “squirrel nuts” 2024 has been a tough year for the nut crop. We are down at least 50% from a normal year. The nuts are generally larger than they have been for the past couple of years, so we are only sorting into 3 sizes: squirrel nuts, regular eating/baking nuts, and XL eating/baking nuts. Get your orders in early, as I expect that we will be running out much sooner than usual. After washing, drying and curing, we hand sort our walnuts into 3 sizes, unlike most vendors who just mix them all together. The smallest of the 3 sizes, this year about 50% of the crop, we sell as “squirrel nuts.” This listing is for the smallest of the 3 sizes, roughly about 50% of the crop, that we sell as “squirrel nuts.” This is an advantage for several reasons: there are a lot of people who feed their squirrels and chipmunks, the critters don’t care about nut size, they seem happier having more nuts per box, and saving the larger nuts means less hand cracking for the people using the nuts for eating and baking. The “squirrel nuts” are perfectly fine for those who want to use the nuts for eating and baking, but that would be a LOT more work and we don’t recommend it. For the larger 50% of the crop we list them as being for “eating/baking.” All 3 sizes are sold in 10 lb boxes (9 for the XL), plus a 6 lb option for the regular “eating/baking” nuts. NEW CROP Fall 2024. Top-quality Black Walnuts in the shell, washed, dried, cured and hand sorted. These farm-raised Black Walnuts are from our managed orchard in eastern Missouri, and are collected by hand. No pesticides or fungicides are applied to our trees. Which Black Walnuts are collected and how they are handled after harvest has a major impact on flavor. We keep only nuts whose outer hull is still mostly green/yellow, and the hulls are removed promptly. Unlike some other sellers, we DO NOT collect or keep nuts if the outer hull has turned all brown and nasty - brown outer hulls are rotting/decaying and can give the nut meat a bitter or soapy flavor, so we always reject those (and you should, too). After collection and removal of the hull, the nuts were pressure washed, dried and cured for at least 4 weeks. During washing, any "floaters" were removed and discarded, to minimize the chance of getting any empty or underdeveloped nuts. No detergents or sanitizers are used during washing. After drying and curing, any nuts with cracked shells are rejected. When comparing eBay offers for black walnuts, we recommend that you make sure that they have been adequately washed, dried, cured, and that the floaters have been removed. We have found that this proper care eliminates about 30% of the weight of a batch of freshly hulled nuts. That's 30% that you don't want. CAREFUL SELECTION AND PROCESSING RESULTS IN THE HIGHEST QUALITY NUTS. Thank you for looking, check out all the photos, and please feel free to message me if you have any questions. Check "See Other Items" under "Seller Information" to see our other listings for different quantities and sizes of top-quality Missouri Black Walnuts. PLEASE NOTE: We shouldn't really have to make a special effort to educate potential buyers about black walnuts, but it is sad that too many people are not aware…and they later claim that it’s our fault. (1) What is "organic"? Well, use of the phrase "certified organic" falls under USDA control, and there is registration and a lot of testing involved. However, use of the word "organic" is uncontrolled and pretty much anybody can use it to describe anything. For example, someone who collects black walnuts in their yard where they use fertilizers and weed killers would not be "organic" under the USDA guidelines, but they can still legally use the word "organic" in their ebay ad. We use chemical fertilizers on our orchard because the soil nutrients were so out of whack. We *could* call our nuts "organic" but I think that would be misleading. Others are not so concerned about possibly misleading their buyers. So just be cautious about anything advertised using the word "organic." (2) These black walnuts in the shell are a FOOD PRODUCT and cannot be returned because they cannot be resold once they have left our control. That's why at the top of the listing it says "seller does not accept returns." (3) There is a big difference between ENGLISH walnuts and BLACK walnuts. Most of the walnuts sold in US grocery stores are ENGLISH walnuts. They are easier to crack than native BLACK walnuts, and have a milder flavor. We are selling BLACK walnuts. Please do not ask for a return because you really wanted ENGLISH walnuts or did not know there are different kinds of walnuts or did not know what BLACK walnuts taste like. (4) The shell of BLACK WALNUTS is very hard compared to ENGLISH walnuts. That’s just the way they are. You will need a special nut cracker that has been designed for black walnuts. Small hand crackers that you might use for pecans or English walnuts WILL NOT WORK. It can be a lot of work, but we believe that the unique taste of BLACK walnuts is worth it. Returns cannot be accepted because the nuts are “too hard to crack.” They are supposed to be that way. (5) For the most part, all squirrels are capable of cracking or chewing through the shell of our Black Walnuts in the shell. They naturally know how to do it, and they are much better at it than humans. Look at our feedback comments and you will see many, many comments about squirrels that love our black walnuts in the shell. That being said, if you have some special pet squirrels that have been hand fed on nothing but soft nuts like peanuts, pecans, English walnuts, etc., for years, then it is possible that they have forgotten what to do with a BLACK walnut, or they are just too spoiled and have become picky eaters that want some sort of soft-shell nut instead. Please do not ask for a return because the nuts are too hard for your squirrels to open. They are NOT too hard for squirrels to open, but overly pampered squirrels (yes, there are some) may CHOOSE easier food instead. That’s not a problem with our black walnuts in the shell. (6) Black Walnuts in the shell are a natural food product. There will be variation as to what’s inside once the nuts have been cracked open. We take great pride in our efforts to bring you the best nuts possible, from nut selection, quick hulling and washing, floater removal, to thorough drying and curing. We have every confidence that you will find far fewer underdeveloped nuts or “duds” in the Black Walnuts in the shell from us than from anyone else. However, it is still possible for a “dud” to sneak through. That’s why we always add 3-5% extra nuts to each box. Please do not request a return merely because you found one or two nuts that have what you believe is an imperfect nutmeat. This is a natural food product, and it is not reasonable to expect an UNOPENED natural food product to be 100% perfect 100% of the time. (7) I have been forced to add an additional bullet item to address yet another return request and a separate neutral feedback, from people who clearly didn't read down this far anyway. These are BLACK WALNUTS IN THE SHELL. They are not the smooth-shelled English walnuts you usually see in the stores. I make absolutely NO representations or guarantees that you or your squirrels can “easily” get these open. You CAN get these open if you have the right cracker. Your squirrels CAN get these open if they choose to do so. I do not guarantee that your squirrels will love them. If they snub these BLACK walnuts then maybe they just have access to food that they consider tastier? Please ask the squirrels about their specific concerns and message me with their comments. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE NUTS ARE DEFECTIVE. That's just the way all BLACK walnuts are. Before claiming that our BLACK walnuts in the shell are "defective," please consider what other "non-defective" BLACK walnuts in the shell that you have experience with that makes you believe that our BLACK walnuts in the shell are "defective." And please make sure that those were BLACK walnuts and not ENGLISH walnuts. I have a real nut cracker that is designed specifically for BLACK walnuts and I have been able to open every one of our BLACK walnuts in the shell that I have tried. If you cannot get them open then it is either an equipment or technique problem, and THE NUTS ARE NOT DEFECTIVE. Driving over them with a car will not open them. If you try to use a hammer, make sure that you have something to hold the nut still (not your fingers), and you need to put some muscle into it because a soft tap or a glancing blow will not work (a "technique" problem).

Price: 34.99 USD

Location: Elsberry, Missouri

End Time: 2024-12-03T18:50:50.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD