Hickory nuts have a rich, buttery taste that makes them a favorite of nut lovers; however, many freshly harvested hickory nuts could be weevil infested and they require a lot of effort during harvest and storing to maintain their natural taste and keep them away from insect infestation.
Instructions
1. Sort the edible nuts from the inedible right after the harvest by throwing away any small, discolored nuts or nuts that have holes.
2. Put the remaining nuts in a bucket of water. The edible ones sink while the inedible ones will not, usually because their heavy kernels have been eaten by weevils.
3. Dry the nuts by spreading them out in a dry, cool place. Stir the pile with your hands every few days to enable even drying. It normally takes about two weeks for the nuts to dry completely.
4. Gather the nuts when the kernel has become dry and crisp.
5. Store the nuts in a dry, cool place or crack them immediately and store clean kernels in the freezer to avoid weevil infestation.
Tags: cool place
