Walnuts

Most people around here have a walnut tree or access to one. At this time of year the walnuts have been gathered and are laid out in cellars drying. The Touraine is famous for its walnuts, although it does not hold an AOC for them. Still, there is a walnut tree in almost every field and along roadsides. There is no real need to possess your own walnut to secure a year round supply – just go for a walk and pick them up off the ground – everyone does it. Walnuts are les noix in French.

Newly harvested walnuts, below, showing the leathery outer casing with its fibrous lining. The casing splits and the nuts in their shells slip out easily to be stored for a month or so to dry out, then they can be processed or eaten as desired and will keep for at least twelve months (after that the oils go rancid, but no matter, because the new harvest will be in).

Some people will opt to have their nuts pressed for oil.  It costs a couple of euros per litre to have them pressed, but unless you have a minimum of 40kg of nuts, you have to share a pressing with other small scale clients and the output is divided up proportionally. Apparently they will also make oil from your hazelnuts, and you can buy oil from them for a few euros a litre (less than half the price of buying it from the supermarket, where it is about €12 a litre). There are about 40 walnuts to a kilo, and if you shell them you will get about 500 g.

 

 Crushing walnuts for oil at a local artisanal family run mill.