Pickled walnuts

Okay, so a brief diversion to another great passion of mine - food, especially if it’s obtained free of charge whilst out in the countryside.  On a visit to darkest Essex a month back, there was little to do other than stare up into a walnut tree pondering the unripe green nuts and wondering why the visit hadn’t been arranged for later in the year.  “You could pickle them” said Jon.

By the time I arrived home, I had stopped at three random walnut trees and gathered a bucketful.  Now I have 20 years supply of pickled walnuts, probably the best thing about Christmas.

 

Recipe:

2 kg freshly picked walnuts.

220 g salt

For pickling syrup:

1 litre malt vinegar

400 g molasses sugar

1 tsp of allspice

1 tbsp of cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tbsp freshly grated ginger

2 chillies

2 star anise

Pick the walnuts at the end of June before the hard nut forms inside the green case. Wearing rubber gloves, spike each walnut a couple of times with a fork.  Watch out for the juice this produces.  This stains a dark brown, appearing the day after as random brown blobs all over your wooden work surface, the origin of which you will have to deny all knowledge of to ‘her indoors’.

Cover the walnuts with water and add salt.  Leave for a week, then drain and renew with fresh salt solution for another week.  Next, lay the walnuts out on trays in a dry, airy place. In a couple of days they will turn black.

Combine all pickling ingredients in a saucepan. Bring syrup mix to the boil, then add the walnuts and simmer for 10 minutes.  Cool, spoon the walnuts into jars and cover with syrup.