It’s green black walnut season. I don’t know how people figured out you could use unripe walnuts in cooking, but I’m sure glad they did, and after you try making fermented green walnut honey, I think you will be too, even if you don’t like the taste of black walnuts cracked from the shell.
After a month of driving around trying to make a network of locations, I finally found my black walnut orchard with hundreds of trees. I’m aiming for 300 pounds of green nuts this year.
Unripe black walnuts are pretty well known in the wild food community, and I think It’s a pretty good bet that’s mostly due to the popularity of Nocino, the Italian black walnut liquor (Vin de Noix is the French cousin that includes red wine in the maceration, and I actually prefer it to nocino. The recipe for my Vin de Noix is in my book).
Unripe black walnuts from one of my favorite trees. This is a perfect stage to get them: when the skin is still worty-a sure sign the shell has not yet begun to form, which makes them easy to cut with a knife.
In order to really appreciate the green walnut honey, it’s useful to understand what things made with unripe walnuts typically taste like. For both Vin de Noix and Nocino, the process goes like this: cut some green black walnuts in half, then add them to a mixture of alcohol and spices, allow it to macerate (sit/marinate) for 30 days, then strain, mix with a sweetener, jar, and age to allow the tannins to soften, which takes a long time-6 months at the very least. Saying that the tannins are an obstacle is an understatement.
A decanter of nocino I used to bring this around to tables I liked after dessert. Cradling it through the dining room was always a bit of a show.
After you crack open a bottle of either walnut liquor, you’ll have a reasonably mellow tipple. Nocino is firmly in black licorice-Jägermeister territory, Vin de Noix more of a sweet vermouth. But, as anyone who has handled a green black walnut knows, black licorice or Jägermeister couldn’t be farther from what a green black walnut smells like.
A good harvest of very young green nuts from one of my favorite trees. This is the size I used for the syrup pictured here, and they worked very well. Older nuts will contain a bit more natural water.
Pluck an unripe black walnut from a tree, or even pick one from the ground the tree has rejected (I usually avoid rejected green nuts for culinary purposes as they may be degraded on the inside) and the first thing you’ll notice is an strong, toe-curling aroma of green citrus peels. I’ve smelled a lot of interesting things over the years, but the smell of the green nuts is one by far one of my all-time favorite scents.
Unripe walnuts. These are at a good stage. The larger the unripe green nut, the more natural water they will contain.
Now, I like Nocino, and I probably like Vin de Noix a little more, but I would be lying if I said that every time I open a bottle I’m not a tiny bit disappointed that the exciting aroma of citrus so rich in the green nuts isn’t noticeable at all. I don’t know why the aroma changes after a long sleep in alcohol, but it does, and for years I’ve been trying to figure out a way, any way at all, to capture the scent of the fresh nuts.
Green nuts on the mature side. Note how the skin is more smooth. Some of these will have semi-formed shells on the inside and will be more difficult to cut, but they will still work to make the honey if you like.
Story goes that a few years ago I was reading an old book, and, unfortunately, for the life of me I now can’t remember what it was. I think it was from Ireland, or the U.K., but I could be wrong. Either way, in the preserves section, like many old books I’ve read from the 18-1900’s (Housekeeping in Old Virginia being a great one) there were a number of preparations calling for green black walnuts. One of them was “Green Walnut Syrup”. I made a note of the name in a file, and forgot about it for a few years.
Packing a jar full of green black walnuts and sugar. Two ingredients are all you need to make this.
All flavor, no tannins
I didn’t leave any notes on how the original syrup was made, but I have syrup macerations down to a science after making mugolio from every unripe part of every species of conifer tree part I can find in my area. If you’re not familiar, naturally fermented syrups made from pine cones are a show-stopper, partly because they give you the unique aroma specific to the conifer species used, without the often terribly strong, astringent aftertaste you would get from chewing on a raw pine cone (side note, unripe cones of Pinus siberica and Abies balsamea are so mild you could almost munch on them raw as a snack).
The finished “honey” as I had it for breakfast yesterday, with wild rice, black caps, yogurt, and fresh cracked black walnuts, of course.
Knowing how incredibly tannic green black walnuts are, I had a hunch that using the same proportions of sugar to unripe black walnuts that I use with pine cones and spruce tips to make mugolio might create a similar product: a thick, non-tannic black walnut syrup, hopefully with a whiff of the citrus aroma I’d been yearning to bottle up and contain since the first time I smelled it. The finished product will have the taste of green citrus at first, but will mellow with time and develop into something all it’s own. The big takeaway of this process, is that this is a way to extract black walnut flavor without having to age out the tannins, and that is pretty darn cool, even if the citrus aroma I’ve always dreamed of capturing mellows over time.
After only 5 days the walnuts are swimming in their own juices and the jar is almost completely liquified.
Maceration Magic
The process is exactly the same as for Mugolio. Take your green walnuts, cut them in half, then mix them with twice their weight in good, unbleached sugar, and put them in a container, preferably a glass mason jar so you can watch the show. After only a day or two, the alchemy begins as the sugar coaxes out what seems an impossible rush of natural water from the green walnuts.
Note the bubbles. The walnuts will ferment naturally with no added liquid.
After just a few days, the walnuts will be swimming in liquid, and there will be visible bubbling as the mixture begins to ferment and bubble, pressurizing the contents of the jar and letting out a satisfying hiss when the lid is opened, which you should do occasionally (referred to as “burping” in fermenter parlance). After at least 30 days but preferably longer, you scrape out the sugary walnut sludge into a pot, bring it to a boil, then strain, discard the walnuts, and bottle the syrup. Ah Viola.
How to use it
In short, anything and everything. While the flavor is not as intense as mugolio, it’s still very good. You could use the finished “honey” anywhere you would use maple syrup, and it loves yogurt and creamy soft cheeses. There’s one thing I’m excited about more than any other though, and it’s part of what was pushing me to make this is and taste the finished product a bit early. If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook, you may be familiar with the Ida Graves project-my collaboration with a local distillery in Alexandria Minnesota to create distinctly Midwestern liquors flavored with wild herbs and ingredients I harvest.
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- 2020 Ida Graves Nocino.
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- Look Ma! I make dis.
This will be our second year making wild spirits, and, as you may have guessed, nocino is one of them. One of my old chefs from Italy would sweeten nocino with white sugar, I’ve come to prefer maple syrup over the years. The scheme I’m hatching here though, is that using black walnut honey to flavor nocino might just be the ultimate version: a study in the flavor of black walnuts only the forest can provide.
Green Walnut Honey
Ingredients
- 1 lb (roughly 15-22) young unripe black walnuts or butternuts soft enough that they can be cut through with a knife
- 2 lb Brown sugar or Turbinado sugar
Instructions
Prep
- Harvest unripe black walnuts directly from the tree. While it may be tempting to harvest walnuts that have already fallen, you will want to cut some of them in half to make sure they're pearly white and clean on the inside, without any spotting or deterioration. If you harvest walnuts from the ground, wash them.
- Wearing gloves, cut the walnuts in half using a heavy knife, preferably on a cutting board you don't mind getting stained. Older recipes often mention crushing or pounding the unripe nuts, which you could also do, but beware of splattering juice.
- Mix the walnut with the sugar, then pack into a container that can accomodate the entire mixture. For the amount listed, you would want a half gallon mason jar.
Maceration
- Allow the walnut-sugar mixture to sit at room temperature or outside for at least 30 days, and up to a few months, opening the jar occasionally to release carbon dioxide as the mixture will ferment. Shake or stir it occasionally to help it on it's way, which will coat the nuts in the fermenting syrup and help prevent mold.
Boiling, straining and storing
- After at least 30 days, scrape the sugary walnut sludge into a non-reactive sauce pot with high sides, bring the mixture to a full boil, then strain out the walnuts using a slotted spoon. Discard the walnuts and thank them for their service.
- As the syrup cooks, it will begin to foam-a byproduct of the fermentation process. You can resist the urge to skim off the foam as it will subside and disappear as the syrup cools.
- With clean mason jars at the ready, bring the syrup back to a brisk simmer, turn off the heat and wait a minute or two for the foam to settle. Pour the piping hot syrup into the jars leaving 1/2 inch or so of headspace (the amount headspace is more to prevent sticky leaks than for safety as the syrup is very stable), screw on the lids tightly, then turn the jars upside down and allow to cool and seal. The syrup will last for years.
Can this be done successfully with pecans? No black walnuts in my neck of the woods.
Unripe green ones, possibly. I haven’t tried it.
I have not tried this recipe but I may when I can.
The Nocino liqueur seems to me to be a cousin of the Ratafia which is a liqueur from the northeast region of Spain (Catalonia). This is made by many people at home or can bought from commercial producers. It is definitely made from steeping walnuts and other herbs in alcohol. I have never seen it any liquor store in the US.
I have not tried Nocino but I will search for it if I can find it in a liquor store.
Ratafia from Quince is also very good and easily made at home
This is further information about Ratafia. Please check the following page about the elaboration of Ratafia. The Ratafia Russet is actually made in my hometown of Olot. The information is in french but cab be easily translated using Google. I could not find it in English.
https://blog.costabrava-pals.com/ratafia-catalan/
There is also information in Wikipedia.
Great info. Thank you!
Looking at that beautiful forest of Black Walnut trees, it looks to me as if wild grape is clambering up them. If so, the wild grape will become so heavy that it will weigh down branches enough to break them, Trees cannot heal sort of wound, so disease and rot can set in. You
Might want to take a bunch of friends and cut the vines off at the source. Love your recipes for unripe fruits. Thank you from Prince Edward County in Canada.
It is actually Virginia creeper, but lots of heavy vines can cause issues I’d assume.
In Eastern Europe people candy green walnuts. They are served in their syrup similar to your walnut honey. The Greek name is Glyko Karydaki, but I believe it’s popular from Greece to Russia.
Thanks for all the pleasure your blog has brought me.
Dave
Thanks Dave, there’s actually a recipe for preserved walnuts in my book. I know it from Greece to the Caucuses, as you mention.
Could you use unpasteurized honey for this?
Yes but it will contain more water.
Does this work with English walnuts too? By the way, I first heard about preserved green walnuts in Hungary. After that, my cousin who lives in London told me that she has green walnut preserves as a Christmas treat. I have made both pickled (salted) green walnuts, and a sweetened preserve with them, both of which you eat the immature walnut. I am on my way to harvest English walnuts around the corner to try your recipe now.
I would assume it will work with English walnuts, but I haven’t tried it myself.
This sounds great, I will try making it today (as a recent thunderstorm brought down a branch laden with green black walnuts just begging to be used.
I made Nocino a few times, and loved how dark it is. I decided to sweeten mine with a bit of maple syrup as an homage to the walnut tree’s “neighbor” (the maple tree is next to the black walnut tree in my yard)
Thanks Sarah, I’ve really been enjoying it.
This recipe lit me up. I, too, love the scent of black walnuts and I’m fortunate to have four black walnut trees right out my back door, here in Milwaukee – two mature (beyond 75 ft) and two grown, literally, from seed, about half that. The branches on the smaller two are within reach, so the walnuts could enjoyably be picked by hand.
I set up an area out back to prepare the harvest and put together two mixtures: one with demerara and one with dark brown sugar. This morning, I noticed that the alchemy had already begun. The entire experience was so pleasurable; it stirred up feelings of how much I truly delight in being active in the out of doors, and for that I am grateful. Thank you, Alan.
Thanks Catherine. It’s a fun edible science project. The syrup will tease you and hold the citrus aroma at first, but mellows to a nice, eerie walnut essence. I just sweetened my 2021 walnut wine with it and can’t wait to taste it in the winter.
Great recipe! Lots of black walnuts where I live so I’ll have to try this. I was wondering if the same treatment would work with sassafras? Would the recipe still be two parts sugar to one part sassafras?
Can this be made with refined (white) sugar?
Yes.
I have a Black Walnut tree growing in my yard & would like to try this recipe but I may be too late. The rinds aren’t half as warty as yours in the picture. The aroma of them is amazing. Reminds me of a grappa I once had.
Do you think they’ll still work?
OK, this was just shared with me and I’m intrigued with another use for green nuts. I’ve made the Croatian version of Nocinw (Orahovica) for a few years, and have some jars of pickled green walnuts I’ve made – all with English walnuts off trees in our garden. My Orahovica is made with a few coffee beans and a vanilla bean in the jar. This year I’m adding lemon zest for a change.
I’m hoping the nuts are still green enough to try the syrup. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
As long as you can cut through the nuts easily and the inner shell hasn’t begin to form, you’re fine.
they were a little brittle but I managed to hack through them 🙂 Going to sweeten this year’s Orahovica with the resulting syrup.
I attempted to post earlier but apparently it didn’t make it into the comments. I was asking if you had ever tried hickory nuts. Between that attempted post and now I “went to the woods” and have now started a batch of 3 pounds of walnuts (and a few butternuts thrown in) and a second batch of 2 pounds of hickory nuts, both batches at your 2:1 sugar :nut ratio. I found the butternuts to be much drier than the walnuts. Hickory were about at moisture laden as the walnuts. Fun experiment. Can’t wait to try it in a few months.
I love the foraging but struggle with the cooking so this is a great web site for me. I tried the walnut honey and now there is mold growing on the top, any ideas on what went wrong?
Craig, did you weigh the ingredients? If you used very large walnuts they could stick out a bit. Just pick the mold off and make sure to stir the liquid as it ferments. Eventually it will be rock solid and very stable as the pH lowers.
After about 2 weeks I noticed mould growing on the top of my walnut honey.
Should I be storing it in the dark? How else can this be prevented?
Thanks for asking Michelle, so, I address this in the recipe method. You want to make sure to stir it occasionally which will cost the nuts in syrup as it ferments and help ward off mold. Pick the mold off and discard, I’m assuming it’s simple white mold, which is harmless, especially as the syrup will be heated after macerating, which will kill any baddies.
I started a batch of this maybe 20 days ago or so, and I’m starting to see some mold on the top…. I did a bunch of googling and it looks like a) botulism can’t grow in high sugar concentrations and b) boiling kills mold spores. Can I save it by skimming off any visible mold and making sure to boil the crap out of it at the end of the month? I was REALLY excited about this and was planning to use it in the nocino I have going, but I don’t want to poison myself or any friends. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, I’ve been enjoying your book a lot 😉
Pamela, yes, it’s fine. If you don’t stir it regularly to coat the nuts with the fermenting syrup you might get a little harmless white mold. Just pick it off, remember to agitate the jars and stir next time. Bringing it to a boil will sterilize it.
Been cracking walnuts for decades now but new to the honey and nocino life and have a question…how come these end products don’t stain (assuming they won’t?) Does the staining compound (whatever that may be) break down somehow even as the color deepens? Ty for the recipes, bought your book!
Thanks for grabbing the book Billy. So yeah, the blackening, discoloration you’ll get with fresh, green walnuts is denatured through the maceration process in both of these recipes. It won’t stain your hands, a plate, or most other things.
Just strained and bottled mine! It smells delightful and tastes even better. I wish I had collected more green black walnuts but now I know for next year. Looking forward to adding this to coffee, cocktails, and more. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Glad it worked for you.
I just cooked down my 1st batch. It’s a good taste for black walnuts. Mine turned to the consistency of soft caramel as soon as it started to cool. Is that what’s to be expected? I’m wondering if I might have heated it too long. I have two more batches to cook but am spacing them each a month apart to see how the flavor changes with more fermenting time. Am loving your book! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mary. Yes you may have cooked it a little too long. Just bring it to a simmer and melt the sugar, then strain. You can add the more firm honey to the next batch you cook.
Just finished mine up (fermenting). The initial flavor is amazing but I’m getting a tangy after taste. Could I have possibly done something wrong? Over cooked? Not enough sweetener? I used brown sugar in my mix, could that be it? Or is this normal? Obviously, my first try. 🙂
Tangy could be from the fermentation. I haven’t tasted any in mine.
I forgot about my jar of green walnut honey and two of the walnuts have some fuzzy white mold growing on the top- can I discard them and still use the syrup? Or toss the batch?
Sarah, yes, it needs to be stirred regularly, particularly if your walnut were large, which can mean they may pop out above the liquid, exposing them to air and all of the bacteria it contains. This stuff is super stable though, so, proceeding with caution, I would pick off any moldy nuts, skim the liquid, put it in a pot, bring it to a simmer, strain it, and taste. If it tastes good to you, keep it. Sugar and the natural composition of black walnuts themselves are very, very inhospitable to bacteria, especially after the fermentation process which itself lowers the pH.
Just finished boiling off a batch (fermented for 42 days) and it still tastes quite tannic. Any suggestions? Would I have any luck simply adding more sugar to the mix and boiling again to dissolve? Thanks!
Hmm. Thanks for letting me know. All I can say is that I have 2 1/2 gal batches going at about 60 days just to test that, and they’re not tannic. The distillery I work with is making multiple gallons to flavor our 300 bottles of nocino, and I have a good number of friends who’ve made it now and no one has mentioned it. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more accounts of it. Thx