The Wild World of Black Walnuts

November 2, 2016

Wild Black Walnuts are one of the most unique nuts in the world, both with their bold flavor and their cultivation process. They are cultivated only in the United State and grown in the wild. Hand-harvested every fall, they are one of very few crops still picked by hand. The process is truly a labor of love since almost every step in the cultivation is still done by hand. It’s truly a group effort in which everyone has an important role in getting these delicious walnuts to consumers each year. We at Truly Good Foods appreciate that team effort and know the importance of the process being done by hand as we still hand blend our snack mixes to ensure the highest quality reaches our customers.

Since the earliest days of Native Americans, Wild Black Walnuts have been grown the same way. When you stop to think about it that really is quite amazing. Even with all of our technological advances, this process has still remained intact and successful. The walnuts will most likely always be a completely wild and all natural product.

In late Autumn in the Midwest, thousands of locals hand-harvest the Wild Black Walnuts that have grown in the field. It’s often a tradition spanning generations. The walnuts grow naturally, receiving water from the rain with absolutely no chemicals or pesticides. They fall naturally from the black walnut trees and must be harvested directly from the ground. The walnuts are taken to central hulling stations for gathering and processing. Here, the green, messy hulls are removed, the nuts are dried, and the super tough nut shells are cracked to reveal the delicious walnuts inside.

Wild Black Walnuts are also good for the environment since they are completely biodegradable. The outside black hull can be spread on land as a fertilizer or used in the making of natural dyes. Even the hard shell is eco-friendly and often used for abrasive cleaning. Outside of the nut, the wild trees are also very sustainable. They naturally reproduce and continue producing Black Walnuts for more than 50 years—much longer than orchard-grown nut trees.

Wild Black Walnuts contain more protein per ounce than any other tree nut, making them a more nutritionally dense snack option. 

Truly Good Foods offers Wild Black Walnuts in 5lb bulk. We procure our nuts from Hammons Products Company, a fellow family-owned business who have been supplying the world with Wild Black Walnuts for nearly 70 years.

Photo Credit: Hammons Products Company

Tags: black walnuts, nut cultivation, wild american black walnuts, wild black walnuts, wild walnuts

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