Quenchcrack Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 I have hickory trees all over my property and now I have a bazillion hickory nuts all over my property. Does anybody know of a good way to shell hickory nuts? For those who have not seen a hickory nut, it looks, and tastes, very much like a walnut but about 1/3 smaller. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 we always used a hand corn sheller on walnuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryCarroll Posted November 6, 2005 Share Posted November 6, 2005 I have a bunch of hickorys too & plenty of nuts! What the squirrels don't eat or hoard I put in a 50# seed bag with the shells on and as they dry the the shells pop open. The dry shells burn good in the wood burner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted November 6, 2005 Author Share Posted November 6, 2005 The nuts on the ground are opening up, exposing the hard inner shell. Now, I can get the husk off easily but that shell poses a problem. The nut meat is so weirdly shaped (like a pecan or walnut) that it is difficult to get it out without just breaking it all up. I thought somebody might have a secret method. These nuts are a lot like crawdads....it is more work than it is worth to eat them..... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Hickory nuts (shelled) bring a premium price in some areas. I suggest some channellocks (for the outside ) and just using a nut pick to get the goodies out. If you have no nut pick, you can forge one pretty easy. All the ones I found this year had worms so I lost out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted November 7, 2005 Author Share Posted November 7, 2005 Actually, I think Glen posted my BP on making a nutcracker and pick. I have made many of them. However, the time to get the meat out of the shell makes it less than appealing as a cash crop. :cry: OK, I went to IFI and looked for the BP and it is not there, sorry. Must have been lost in all the re-organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 BP0155 Nut Cracker and Pick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkdoc Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 We used a walnut cracker when I was a kid. Haven't see one in ages. It is mounted on a board and when you pull a lever, the nut is cracked inside 2 half-cup shaped pieces. Kind of hard to explain. They are a booger to get the meats out of, though. I just use hickory nuts in my smoker now. Gives meat a great flavor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 there are a lot of different types of hickorys / one is a mockernut hickory which is almost all hull and almost no meat. try making banna nut bread with them its one of my favorites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted November 11, 2005 Author Share Posted November 11, 2005 Well, these are from the Shagbark Hickory and the amount of meat in the nut makes it almost too much trouble to harvest. HOWEVER...I never thought of using them in the BBQ! Gotta try that. Glenn, thanks for finding the Nutcracker BP. Guess I just didn't look in the right place.... :oops: I think I will make a few for Christmas gifts this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnW Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Yip, QC, I agree with you. Hickory nuts can best be eaten by the squirrels and worms. They're real hard to crack, you can crack them with a hammer on the cemet floor. And if they've been on the ground very long, the worms already got the meat. JohnW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpile Posted November 13, 2005 Share Posted November 13, 2005 Night before last, I saw the BP for the nutcrackers. Yesterday, I chopped off two six inch pieces of 1/4 square. Made a set in about an hour plus about thirty minutes to sand blast and gun brown them. Next set will go a lot faster. The difference in mine and the BP. I put a twist of two rounds where you place the nut for cracking. It grabs the nut very nicely. Thanks for the idea. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted November 13, 2005 Author Share Posted November 13, 2005 Chuck, How about posting a picture of the finished item? It's my turn to steal one of your ideas.... I have used 3/8 round and forge square the area where it holds the nut. Then I file some coarse grooves across the face of the flat and it holds like a pair of pliers. The nice thing about the nutcracker is that there are untold variations on this theme. I seldom make the same design twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpile Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Hellol QC. How you been?? I tried all night to post over on the Forgemagic and ended up sending it to Alan L. It was too big a pic. I will have to get the daughter over here and straighten me up.BOG But come hook or crook I will get this infernal machine figured out and then wil be able to post.grin Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 14, 2005 Share Posted November 14, 2005 Sandpile, send them to my email and I will post them for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandpile Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 GLENN --Thanks. I sent it. It is huge but I can not help it. YET.grin. chuck If someone wants to try these .. I started with 1/4" square-- cut the pieces 6" long. You need about a 5/8" set for the pivot pin. You can place your rivet so the crackers will not close completley, mashing your finger.GRIN. After setting the rivet, you can file or grind the excess off in front of the rivet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted November 15, 2005 Share Posted November 15, 2005 Chuck, looks good to me, and just the right size for the forum too. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah Posted November 16, 2005 Share Posted November 16, 2005 Quenchcrack and Sandpile, These look like they would be neat little gifts to make. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quenchcrack Posted November 17, 2005 Author Share Posted November 17, 2005 I have never made one out of 1/4". I like the looks, though. The ones I made from 1/2" took a lot of work to draw out and were beefy enough to crack a 20# propane tank. :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.