Not everyone is convinced by the strange looking pickled walnut! But I think they are truly delicious! And the method of how to pickle them makes them even more intriguing!
My nan always told me you have to pick the walnuts before St Swithen’s Day (June 15th) to ensure the shells haven’t started to form on the nut. There are not that many walnut trees around here that have nuts that you can pick from the ground but I have a few in top secret locations that are perfect for the job!
When you have collected your walnut you next have to prick them (with a silver fork) a few times each. But make sure you wear gloves for this part as the liquid in the walnuts will stain your hands and no matter what you do you will not be able to wash it off! Next you leave them in strong brine for a good few days. They then need to be drained and rinsed and left in the sun for a few days until they turn totally black. You can then pack them into jars and add spiced vinegar.
Make sure you leave the pickled walnuts to mature in the jar for at least 3 months. In my family we leave them for our Christmas cheese board and Boxing Day left overs. They are also really good with a pork pie!
Why not give them a try... Go on... get a bit of Twee in your life! :o)
