How to dry walnuts?

Dried nuts are a fruit that is often used in desserts and baked goods. In addition, nuts can be grown in the garden to be harvested immediately and enjoy fresh nuts. However, to have a quality fruit, they need special treatment in order to dry the nuts properly.

There are several ways to dry nuts, but the most common are either sun or oven drying. To learn about drying techniques, we will look at how to dry nuts before storing or using them.

Why dry nuts?

After harvesting the walnuts, the skin of the walnut is first green in colour before it hardens and then their colour darkens and it becomes the shell, or even the walnuts. Indeed, nuts do not ripen all at once, the degree of ripeness of these dried fruits is reached when the colour of the skin changes to easily obtain peeled nuts. After they fall to the ground, the nuts must be collected and cleaned before they are dried.

The purpose of this drying process is to remove the water and moisture contained in the fruit as the nuts are dry kernels. This influences the quality and taste of the product when tasted. Once dried, care must be taken with the storage time of the nuts, so that they do not rot.

How to dry nuts at home?

If long-term storage is planned after harvesting, the fruit should be dried by all means. At home, there are several methods for carrying out this drying treatment. In general, there are two ways to dry nuts. One is the natural method, which is sun drying, and the other is to use the oven. Let’s look at the drying process for each method.

Drying nuts in the sun

The quality and taste of the fruit depends on the amount of water and moisture inside the fruit. However, you can sun-dry the nuts, which is an old, but most common method.

During the process, place the nuts on the ground, on a wooden platform in a single layer. They should be easy to turn over, as the process involves turning them several times a day. Also choose a place where the sun shines. The main disadvantage of this method is that you cannot control the temperature. Drying nuts in the sun takes about 3 to 6 days.

How do you dry walnuts in the oven?

Drying is much faster in an electric oven than in the sun. The advantage is that you can shell the nuts before drying them in the oven. On the other hand, the amount of fruit that can be dried will be much lower. However, the ideal temperature for fast and high quality drying of the fruit is 56-57 degrees С. The maximum indicator is + 62 degrees С. If the temperature is higher than the specified parameters, the kernels acquire an unpleasant taste.

To dry nuts in the shell, it is not necessary to preheat the oven to the maximum. You can get better fruit quality and great flavour if you place the nuts in the oven at 40-45 degrees for three hours. Nuts are well dried when the kernels break easily by cracking the shell.

How to dry shelled nuts in the oven?

After collecting nuts, remove the shell to obtain the kernels. Then place the nuts on a baking tray and put them in a preheated oven at a temperature of 50 degrees C. Drying time is 20 to 40 minutes.

It is important to keep the oven door ajar so that water condensation does not build up and the process is faster. It is not advisable to increase the temperature in the oven, as this causes a bitter taste.