The black walnuts in your back yard are healthy

From Tammy Roberts, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Missouri Extension office

 It’s that time of year when walnuts will start dropping off their trees. Picking these walnuts up to sell can be a great money maker but don’t forget that you can actually eat those nuts. Black walnuts are a tasty, healthy addition to your diet.

The nuts aren’t quite ready to eat when they come off the tree. The green (or brown) outer hull of the walnut must be removed to reveal the shell of the nut. Be sure to wash the nut with the garden hose. That can be a messy job so wear heavy rubber gloves. (Some people just put them on the driveway and run over them until the nut is revealed.) Leave the clean, unshelled nut in a cool, well ventilated area for about two weeks before cracking to get the nut meats. It is ready when the nut breaks crisply.

If you look at the nutrition information from a bag of Diamond shelled black walnuts, you’ll find that ¼ cup provides 190 calories, 18 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. They also contain iron, vitamin E, vitamin B6, zinc, copper, phosphorus, magnesium and molybdenum.

There is a lot of fat is in a quarter cup of walnuts. “It’s actually good fat” said Tammy Roberts from University of Missouri Extension. There is only one gram of saturated fat and the other 17 grams are the more healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. “Black walnuts have omega 3 fatty acids which have been attributed to heart health” said Roberts. Two large studies have concluded that people who ate walnuts had a lower risk of heart attack and heart disease after consuming one ounce (about ¼ cup) of walnuts five times per week.

(Source: Why Black Walnuts?, MU Center for Agroforestry)

Black walnuts have their own unique flavor and can be used in a variety of ways. Of course, they can be eaten alone as a snack, added to oatmeal, muffins, yogurt or ice cream, or tossed in your favorite wild rice or pasta dish. Hammons Products Company of Stockton lists black walnut recipes on their web site at www.black-walnuts.com.

It can be a bit of a challenge to pick the nuts from the shell but once you do, the storage life is a long one. Black walnuts will stay fresh for up to one year when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and up to two years when stored in an airtight container in the freezer. (Why Black Walnuts? MU Center for Agroforestry)